Mt Jefferson and Mt Washington Wilderness

As we approached Mt Jefferson the clouds rolled in and the mozzies started to swarm.  The most imposing obstacle in front of us was a 7000' snow covered pass that drops us into a steep bowl, not the place to be on a cloudy day.  We rolled into Olallie Lake Resort and waited for our bid at the pass.  The first morning we woke up to rain so we spent the day in waiting mode.  The next morning was clear, this was our shot.  The clouds stayed high and we only made one navigation error, which was pretty good considering some of the highly technical aspects that we encountered.  The snow fields were stunning and Mt Jefferson loomed, reminding us of the amazing place we were in that so few people get the chance to experience.

I had been traveling with my new friend Crazy Cloud through the most dangerous snowy bits, safety in numbers.  After a long day we came across Lake Pamelia.  The sun was still out and we eagerly dropped our packs (and other articles) and plunged into the crisp water for a rare chance to wash off the layers of sweat and grime.  After getting out and drying out bodies in the sun we realized there were hikers with day packs and a family just down the coast setting up camp.  There are many times we seem to come in the back door.  Spending many days in the backcountry, at times it is difficult to tell how close we are to civilization.  Most people are keen to hear of our adventures and also eager to see if we need anything... the marshmallows were super tasty!!!

And for a small reprieve,  we are spending a day in Eugene, OR with a very good friend from college.  Last night was an odd case of being within a half mile and totally missing each other.  Of course without cell phones the best we could do was keep looking.  Finally, at 11pm, Chris Boveroux was driving back home from Mackenzie Pass with a very tired hiker and traildog in his car.  A true Trail Angel!!!!!



For the rest of Oregon Highlands we are expecting to encounter a bizarre combination of snow and swarms of mosquitoes.  All part of the adventure!!!

Happy Trails!
Beads & Roxtar

Timberline Lodge, Mt, Hood

Three beautiful days of hiking has brought us to the stunning and historic Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood.  We started by hiking up the Eagle Creek Trail which joins the PCT 14 miles south and is an incredible detoure.  The valley is lined with basalt pillars and the steep sides produce endless waterfalls all around. There is even a part where the trail goes BEHIND a waterfall that is easily 200 feet.  Stunning.  We spent the night by a small lake and fell asleep to the sound of osprey diving for their dinner.  Even at 4000 we encountered the odd snow patch still holding on to the north side of the ridge.  In high rockfields we would hear pika warning calls but never got to see the cute little critters, i suspect they smell Roxi and are extra cautious about showing themselves.  On the north side of Mt Hood we spent the night near Ramona Falls, a gorgeous cascading waterfall that is a very popular hiking destination. 

Then the long climb up a buttress to Mt Hood itself.  Glacial morrains and giant glacial carved valleys with silty rivers cascading over boulders.  The boulders tumble down stream with the gushing glacial meltwater, across the valley rocks slide starting a small avalanche of boulders and silty sand, and up above us we hear the deep gutteral rumble of the mountain breathing, likely a rockslide, avalache, or a glacier creeping down the mountain.  The snowcover starts at 5000 feet and is entirely covering the ground at 5500 feet.  Up on the partially exposed mountianside a rogue thunderstorm rolls by tossing bits of hail on us.  We came across many day hikers that had hopes of strolling around to some popular day-hike spots, wearing sandals and looking hopefull that perhaps the snow might magically dissapear around the corner.  I reiforced that the snow is very much still present and to "have a great hike!".  Then comes my favorite part, roxi and I had to wait on the trail while snowboarders go whizzing by before be can safely cross the ski slope just above Tiberline Lodge. 

I have met another southbounder named "Crazy Cloud" and 3 northbounders, the first of the season.  Being in their presence is calming and wonderful.  Thru-hikers are another breed of human and many say you need to do it to understand.  These guys are the superheros of the thru-hiker world, they do 40 miles a day and still find time to enjoy a couple brews at the pub.  I think Lance Armstrong should give this a try and see how he measures up!  The main group of northbounders is still a long way off but it is really fun to be able to cross paths with the real legends, average Joe's in the real world but completely at home and thriving on this crazy trail. It is interesting to note that no-one has heard of a single southbounder that is managing to complete a true southbound thru-hike.  Because of the weather and formidable conditions, everyone has bailed or come up with other plans to continue on further south.  Meeting nourthbounders is also a prime resource for trail conditions ahead.  They report major snow still on the ground for significant stretches in the Oregon Highlands.... maybe we'll get lucky and it will melt before we get there =-)

Peace and Love,

Beads& Roxtar

Oregon

In the interest of time, we are heading to Portland, OR today and will walk south from Cascade Locks on the Columbia River tomorrow.  We have had our share of fun in the Pacific Northwest while the weather sorted itself out, and it is now time to put our paws in motion.  We are certainly saddened with not being able to achieve our original goal, but as many say, "the mountains will always be there".  The remainder of our journey is no small feat indeed, we have our work cut out for us and we are more excited than ever to explore the next chapter of our journey on the PCT.

Peace and Love,
"Beads" & "Roxtar"

Land of the Lost WOLVES

Just last year, BBC sent a crew with rather expensive toys to this very region with a mission to further investigate the very real possibility that Wolves are coming from Canada back down the Cascades and recolonizing in Washington state and possibly even further south.  It is a 2 part series that is brilliantly done.  Also exciting to realize that we have been in the heart of where these beautiful and elusive creatures have been surviving and reproducing under the radar.  The stuff of fairy tales, it is easy to imagine them in this wild country, perfect for staying hidden.  How incredible would it be to see tracks or even hear a howl.  We would be truly blessed indeed.  It will be airing on the Discovery Channel soon, they have not posted the time yet but if someone finds it please post so everyone can watch.  There is a section that investigates the "Hozameen Pack" and that is exactly where I started out.  I didnt take this photo but it was taken on a beach that we were near.

The weather looks like it may be improving but of course I am hesitating because the weatherman is not always right.  It's official, this June was the wettest on record in the pacific northwest, validating that we aren't just being wimpy...  With all the precipitation the snow is actually melting faster than normal in lower elevations so there is still a chance we may get lucky.  Only time will tell.  It seems there are other part of the country experiencing their own crazy weather phenomenon, not to mention the wildfires in Colorado.  Be safe, and have fun exploring your own corner of the world!

"We are now in the mountains, and they are in us..."  ~John Muir

Peace and Love,
"Beads" & "Roxtar"

A Real Pacific Northwest Experience

We stayed in Stehekin, WA until sunday the 24th when we took the ferry to civilization and met a good friend David who agreed to shuttle us a little further south in the hopes of finding less threatening conditions.  After talking with a "Trail Angel" (a person who volunteers their time taking care of hikers on the PCT and a great resource for current trail conditions) we decided to try and start at Snoqualmie Pass.  Tuesday came quickly and we were dropped off at the pass, the weather was a bone chilling 40 degrees and rainy at 2 in the afternoon.  The clouds were swirling around the craggy mountains and visibility was minimal, the night would be freezing for sure.  I sat there studying my map, looked up at the foreboding scene before us, and realized I was in over my head.  There was just no way for us to do this and not be dancing with very real danger.  With our heads hung low with disappointment we checked into an Inn that is at the pass and emotion was running wild.  We had come so far with determination and excitement while mother nature has other plans.  A few sunny days have shone upon us but as a whole, the Pacific Northwest has been a true test.  This weather is notoriously high risk for hypothermia, which is notorious for causing a person to become disoriented and unaware of the eminent danger upon them.  Not an ideal situation for a solo hiker

Summer doesn't really start here until the beginning of july but this spring has been particularly cold and damp as well.  I had certainly anticipated the Pacific Northwest to be true to it's reputation but also had hopes of maybe getting lucky and summer starting a little early, this has not been the case.

In contrast, the High Sierra Mountains in the southern part of the trail have had record low snowfalls and warm spring so the northbounders are making excellent time and are weeks ahead of most years.  It turns out this is an ideal year for northbounders while the few crazies attempting a southbound have not even been able to start as yet.  As awesome as it would be to complete the entire trail in one year, it is increasingly obvious that this is simply not feasible for us.  Some years the weather works out and some years it doesn't, and we happen to draw the short straw.  There is simply not enough time to make it all the way south before the snow flies in the High Sierras. So we have planned to skip a bit here in Washington in the hopes of returning at a more ideal time next year, perhaps even catch the landscape in full bloom and all its grandeur.  When the window of opportunity opens for us to continue our trek south, our goal is to give ourselves enough time to reasonably make it through to Mexico so that we only have one chunk to return to.

Meanwhile, while in Stehekin I had the pleasure of getting to know a Wildlife Biologist who works for the National Park Service and was there working on Barred Owls at the time, Roger.  He had given me his number if I needed any help in WA.  Little did he know I'd be calling him 2 days after parting ways looking for a place to hold up for a week and wait for this supposed summer weather to arrive.  A day of hitch-hiking into Seattle and onward north brought us to our secret hide-away, ironically near to the start of our adventure 15 days ago.

So far it has been a long story with not a whole lot of hiking to speak of, at the moment mother nature has other ideas and the best we can do is be thankful for the time we have together and the incredible friends we've made so far.  We have been truly blessed in many ways, other than the weather, and in the end it is all part of the adventure.

"Nothing big ever happens if you don't plan big"

Peace and Love,
"Beads" & "Roxstar"

Rocky Start

The moment when the boat shoved off from the dock to take me up north to Lightning Creek on Ross Lake was full of so much emotion.  It was a stunning sunny day with shining white peaks all around and my dad stood on the dock waving goodbye for now.  Leaving all things familiar behind and a huge adventure ahead of us with so many uncertainties.  The eastern mountains are familiar to us but the western landscape is HUGE: bigger mountains, steeper slopes, sharper everything.  The weather said clear for a few days so we started with eager legs.  The moment we stepped onto Pasayten Wilderness land we entered a wild land for sure, on a trail that would lead us up to the PCT just south of the border.  SO many down trees and unrecognizable trail that it took us 3 hours to go a single mile.  We set up camp, exhausted, and turned back the next morning with our spirits a tad broken and clouds rolling in to envelope the mountains above, glad we were not at 6000 feet.  We were so close to Canada we had to at least touch it so we walked north along the lake and touched the border.  Our northern terminus happens to be obelisk #72, and there is an actual line at the border.  A 50 foot wide swath of no trees cuts a straight line through the wild mountains, a strange site indeed.

Having finally started our adventure we headed south, started hiking too much, and promptly injured a muscle in my leg, oops.  So we slowed down and kept moving, we dont sit still very well.  Making our way up to Rainy Pass we hit snow at about 3500', a bit lower than normal and the steep slopes made me glad I bothered to bring my ice axe.  Heading down Rainy Pass of course no adventure is complete without a sketchy raging rive crossing, Roxi was not thrilled but came through and was very proud of herself when safe on the other side.  On the way down we saw absolutely no sign of other humans, are we the first crazies trying to southbound this year?  No trail signs and no trail markers. We found a deer trail that seemed to be heading in the right direction and within an hour we were standing on the trail where it began to poke through the deep snow. Tah-dah!! It kept leading us on the trail until the snow disappeared and we were safe at last, heading down the valley to the wonderful town of Stehekin, WA.

It turns out I am the first crazy southbounder into town and I decide to take a few days to get my leg back to 100%.  The next section is 100 miles through more high steep snow with not many lower options and I am seriously considering skipping it for now.  The Glacier Peak section is one of the most incredible parts of the trail and it would be lovely to come back and do it at a more appropriate time next year.

So it's been a rocky start and we are excited for the snow to melt... but that means raging rivers too so we will just have to take our time and do our best to stay safe, no heroic efforts here!!!

Peace & love,
"Beads" (my trail name) and "Roxtar"

as we walk, into the wild......

Through all of our tireless preparation and sleepless nights, we head off into the great northern cascades tomorrow.  The snow this year has been slightly above average, but more importantly the spring has been cold and wet so the resulting conditions are not the warm inviting snowfields of most years at this time.  Instead, Hart's Pass (the northern-most road that crosses the PCT) is snowed in with 60 inches of snowpack still on the road.  The temperature has stayed unseasonably cold so snow is actually still falling, which is a totally different beast from the lovely hard pack of spring.  But, if we wait for the snow to melt, it would be near impossible to make it south through the high sierras in time to beat the coming snow in the fall... so onward we go.  We are literally taking a water taxi on Ross Lake north to near the Canadian border and hiking over 20 miles east up into the heart of the  Northern Cascades to reach the northern terminus of the PCT.  We will be carrying a full 8 days of food and praying to the weather gods we don't get hit by a storm.  Many of the exposed high elevation traverses will be on inclines of 30 degrees or more.  An ice axe, and knowing how to use it, is a necessity.  We are starting with one of the most remote and technically challenging parts of the entire trail.  Roxi and I are very much looking forward to our next resupply point in Stehekin, WA when the most difficult and nerve-wracking part is over, at least for the short term. 
Happy Trails!!!!
Laura & Roxi