Hannah the hiker

On day 16 we left Leavenworth. I took advantage of the “free” breakfast the hotel offers and had about 3 cups of real hot coffee with creamer, it was sooo good. The instant coffee can get old quickly on the trail. We packed up everything and triple checked that we didn’t leave anything behind in the hotel room. We even stopped to get some milkshakes before hitching a ride back to the trail. It took us probably 15-20 minutes to get a ride but a really nice lady was able to squeeze us all in her car.

We started hiking from the ski lodge in Stevens Pass at about 1:30 with the plan to hike 7 miles to a campsite. We went up about 1,100 feet in less than 2 miles and then back down 500 feet which brought us to the campsite. But when we got there we still felt really good and decided to push on and do 7 more miles to Glacier Lake. I think getting some solid sleep in a hotel bed made us all refreshed enough to keep going. We went up about 1,500 more feet in 2 miles and made it to a nice hike along a ridge line with views of Trap Lake. From here we descended about 1,500 feet to Glacier Lake. The lake was a nice clear blue with giant rocks surrounding the shore. We got to camp at about 8:15, so we did those 14 miles pretty quickly. I had some delicious Kraft Mac and cheese while soaking up the view of the lake. I tried not to eat too many mosquitos but it’s so tough because they just swarm you. Today was a really great day. Not much can top peanut butter milkshakes, good coffee, hiking, and kind people.

On day 17 we hiked 22 miles. We climbed about 1,000 feet in 2 miles up to Piper Pass. I wore my microspikes for a small part of this section because the snow was very icy, other than that I didn’t need them for the rest of the day! We kept on hiking and met two northbound hikers. I didn’t expect to meet any northbound PCT hikers for quite some time so this was surprising. They filled us in on some trail conditions. We walked about 9 more miles generally descending to a stream. This was a somewhat tricky water crossing and we had to do a little bit of rock scrambling to get to a crossing point. Crossing this stream didn’t scare me as much as Kennedy Creek in the last section. We kept going and found a nice and sunny spot for lunch. We put our tent flys and ground sheets out in the sun to dry while we fueled up. We met another northbound hiker here too. We climbed up a couple hundred feet more to 5,600 feet and then began a 9 mile descent to our campsite at Waptus Lake. I met another northbound hiker along the way too. I got to the campsite around 6:30 and immediately set up my tent since it was pretty windy out. I had a payday bar for dessert to celebrate the longest mileage I’ve done on the trail thus far.

On day 18 we left camp before the mosquitos ate us alive. We climbed up for 6 miles which brought us to 5,565 feet. There were some amazing views up here and nice ridge line walking. I took my time on these 6 miles and took several water breaks. It was at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit and was super muggy because of the brush growing on the side of the trail. At the height of the climb I took a lunch break. Everyone I was hiking with kept going because the bugs were pretty bad. I had a nice lunch to myself and got several mosquito bites but thoroughly enjoyed having a bite to eat with a view. I then went down about 6 miles of switchbacks and met three northbound hikers. The switchbacks were a little frustrating because of the rocky trail but I managed. The last 4 miles of the day were 1,500 feet of climbing up switchbacks. This was also an interesting part of the trail because there were some charred trees and tree trunks on the way up. We made it about 3 miles to camp when we ran into two hikers we stayed with in Mazama. It was neat to catch up. We camped at a pond that was also mosquito infested (like every other part of the trail this past week). I went for a quick swim to cool off from such a long and hot day. It felt so refreshing to rinse off. Sometimes I think I’m getting really tan out here but then I wash up and realize it’s mostly just dirt, how gross. We all ate dinner pretty quickly so we could get in our tents and escape the mosquitos. Tomorrow we have 15 miles until we get to Snoqualmie pass to resupply.

On day 19 we headed out to Snoqualmie Pass. It was 15 beautiful miles to the trailhead. We went up quite a ways in the morning to 5,609 feet. There was quite a bit of up and down before we headed straight down to Snoqualmie Pass. It was such a beautiful section of trail with amazing exposed climbing and views of Rainer for a good portion of the day. I was really struggling in the heat though, it was 85 degrees out when I checked at noon. I thought I moved slow in the snow but turns out I’m slower in the heat. I tried to drink as much water as possible but it’s so annoying to stop and filter all the time. I stopped for a quick lunch 4 miles from the trailhead and was determined to pick up the pace. So I shoved the last 4 mini snickers bars I had down my throat, chugged some water, and listened to “I’m your captain/closer to home” and jogged the last few miles. I’m sure I looked like quite a site jogging with a full backpack down the trail but I didn’t much mind, I just had the thought of a cool Gatorade motivating me. I saw several day hikers who congratulated me on my hike so far and complimented my flamingo shirt. I reached the trailhead at 2:45 and we headed to the Alpine club. This was a real treat. $30 for a bunk bed, laundry, shower, food, and hiker company. I picked up my resupply box and finally got my sun shirt! I picked up some extra food to supplement the food box at a grocery store. I also chugged a big Gatorade which was so refreshing and well deserved. I had an iced coffee, pizza, and chocolate muffin too. It’s amazing how quickly I spend my money on food in town. I met a hiker putting some food in a hiker box and snagged another unopened peanut butter jar, my second on the trail! I took some time to decompress and shower in the cabin. I washed my socks and was surprised to find that no matter how many times I rinsed them the water never turned clear, oh well. It looks like the next couple days are gonna be in the high 90s so we are thinking about reconfiguring our hiking days by hiking early morning and late night and taking long breaks when it’s the hottest out. I think this will keep me from melting under the sun. It’s crazy that snow was our biggest problem in the beginning and now it’s hot weather, can’t get a break. I’ve ditched the mustard sandwich trail name. Someone I’m hiking with suggested that my trail name should be Vampire. They think it’s fitting because I can deal with the mosquitos and sleep walk. I might embrace this one, who knows. The next section is 98 miles to White Pass. We walked 70 miles from Stevens Pass in 4 days. We are officially halfway through Washington. I have sent my ice axe and microspikes home too!