Day 21 (123) Miles: 24.6 Mileage: 2,566.5 There’s something wrong with our food. Last year when planning our food drops, I gathered store-bought dinners and just sent them to us out on the trail. While they were plenty caloric, Richard requested something with a little more variety of pallet. So this year I took the […]
Day 20 (122) Miles: 26.6 Mileage: 2,541.9 The rain stopped by morning, but everything was still wet and cold. But “not currently raining” is my favorite weather, so it was not a bad way to start the day. We had a short up, long down, long up, long down for our terrain today. Despite covering […]
Day 19 (121) Miles: 24.9 Mileage: 2,515.3 The day started as most have: under clear skies and a sun warm even at 8 a.m. We stayed high on a ridge most of the morning with spectacular views of mountains on mountains for miles. That’s one thing I love about the PCT versus the AT. On […]
Day 18 (120) Miles: 26.9 Mileage: 2,490.9 What a day. It was hot. I was slow. Full sun. Barely any wind. So much sweat. Not twenty paces after leaving our tentsite this morning, the uppers of my right shoe ripped in half. The part of the upper covering my toes is now completely detached from […]
Day 17 (119) Miles: 21.8 Mileage: 2,464 Today was cooler, overall, than the last week or so. We had a breeze most of the day and spent three hours at the Granite Peaks ski lodge at Stevens Pass, so that helped. We got to Stevens Pass around 2 p.m. after 19 miles of up and […]
Day 16 (118) Miles: 24.9 Mileage: 2442.2 They say hikers carry their fears. If you fear storms, you carry heavy rain gear and extra clothes. If you fear running out of water (like Richard) you carry an endless supply of water purification and never have less than a liter of clean water on you at […]
Day 15 (117) Miles: 26.4 Mileage: 2417.3 We woke up at our normal hiking time rather than our we’re-in-a-hotel-let’s-sleep-in time. We knew there were many miles and considerable climbs ahead of us. The first ten miles went well. I felt strong and moved well up the valley. Then came the wall. Despite eating and drinking […]
Day 14 (116) Miles: 0 Mileage: 2,390.6 Today we slept in, ate pancakes and pizza and popcorn and ice cream, soaked in the hot tub and laid about for hours. It was a lovely break for our feet and a wonderful opportunity to shower again, for no particular reason at all. Tomorrow we continue north!
Day 13 (115) Miles: 16.4 Mileage: 2,390.6 Despite the drawing town and showers, I was reluctant to get out of my bed this morning. It was chilly again and I was so sleepy. The lure eventually took over and we left camp around 7 a.m. It quickly warmed up and the sweating took over. It […]
Day 12 (114) Miles: 25.1 Mileage: 2,374.3 It was another hot day. Even by 8 a.m., the sweating was underway. We we through water quickly but only came upon sources intermittently. The top of Mt. Rainier was visible multiple times. After every long, steep climb we were able to see it peek over a ridge. […]