Jump Photos

To hold everyone over until we can make our way through the thousands of photos; I pulled all of our jump photos to share.  This should begin to give you an idea of what life on the PCT looks like.

What is a jump Photo?
Simply what it sounds like.  You jump and the photographer tries to capture you in form at the apex of your jump.  When we started hiking we took a jump photo every day thinking we would "thru jump" the PCT.  We did a good job of capturing a photo every day until southern Oregon.  Soon we forgot or would not want to stop long in rainy weather.  So we thru jumped the California PCT and had a few throughout Oregon.

I have also included a few jump photo bloopers for added entertainment.  Sometimes it takes a few jumps to get the photo you intended.

Enjoy!

Link to photos:
https://plus.google.com/photos/111715315355412606520/albums/5927302975358287793?authkey=CL6E2--l3NTDnAE

Please let me know if the link does not work.  It should be a public link that anyone can view.

Stehekin to Manning Park

The Last 89 Miles of Trail: 
We took the first bus out of Stehekin to the PCT trail head.  Using the greatest of self control we both remained seated when the bus made its 5 minute stop by the bakery. We were dropped off at High Bridge at 9am.  With our bags full of food for the last time I looked at Tiffany, "Shall we finish this?"


I love the characters we meet on the trail and we kept meeting them to the end.  Halfway through our first day we took a snack break with Hiker Box Special and Yeti.  Yeti is also known as Joe Barbera. He is a lawn chair pilot.  Yes, believe it or not there is a whole community of people out there trying to fly their lawn chairs.  We found out not only was Yeti one of them, but he could quite possibly be one of the most famous lawn chair pilots of our time.  In an attempt to break the distance record in a lawn chair, he ended up breaking the altitude record (21,000ft).  The wind was not in his favor and a mishap in filling the weather balloons left him very short of his distance goal and high in a tree.  No joke, look him up.

We only intended to hike 15 miles on our first day, but the terrain was easier than we thought.  The first night we made it to Rainy Pass.  Yes, it did rain on us at Rainy Pass.  We went to bed hoping the forecast for one day of good weather on this stretch would be true.

The second morning it was overcast and a bit dreary.  We climbed to the crest line.  As we climbed higher the light rain turned into light snow.  The tops of peaks along the crest line had a dusting of snow that had lingered from the evening precipitation.  The clouds looked lighter the more we hiked and like they were lifting, but we had been so lucky with weather in the last 2,500 miles we knew it was probably only a matter of time before our time was up.  Maybe we wouldn't get our last day of sunshine after all.

We worried too soon!  We were delighted when we got to the Harts Pass ranger station.  The skies were clearing and the sun was poking through.  The nice ranger there let us into the residence for tea and to hear an updated forecast.  It looked like we would get two days of good weather on this last stretch.

Yeah! We hiked on from Harts Pass with a lighter step.  We already had some amazing views of the mountain rangers and there was more to come.  Again, I am not sure all the words I could put down would do justice to our crest line vistas.  Hopefully the soon to come pictures will be able to give you an idea.

Over the two days from Rainy Pass to Manning Park we saw more and more hikers who had finished.  Instead of crossing the northern terminus of the PCT into Canada and hiking 8 more miles to a highway some hikers choose to turn around and hike back to Harts Pass or Rainy Pass to get out.  Some, like Broken Toe, decided to turn around with no finishing destination in mind.  He spent a couple days at Manning Park, then decided he simply didn't want to stop hiking.  So for now, he is just headed south.

Several times we got, "Congratulations, you're almost there."  It made me feel excited,  like I was in a race, that moment when you turn the last corner and you can see the balloon arch marking the finish line.  We were truly on the home stretch.

The Finish Line: 

I had been to the northern terminus 8 years before, but this time it felt a little different.  It is actually a bit of an awkward, maybe anticlimactic feeling.  There is no crowd of excited spectators, no rock and roll theme music in the background.  You simply hike up to a wooden marker similar to the one you started at, and you are done.  We finished at 1:20pm with Hiker Box Special.  We made a couple whoops and shout outs telling the trees around us that we had just made it and high fived all around.  We signed the trail register and took a long break.  In some ways it was a bit of a relief.  I knew we were capable of completing the PCT, but at the same time I wondered, could we do this?  So to know that we HAD done it, felt good.

After our break we significantly slowed our pace and sauntered on to our last camping spot only 4 miles away.  We had a fire and drank hot chocolate reminiscing life on the trail.  In a strange way I think I was already beginning to miss it.  At dark we crawled into our sleeping bags for the last time.

Manning Park and Beyond: 
Our last morning we let ourselves sleep in and were slow to pack.  We were only 4 miles away from the trail head and we were trying not to be too early for our ride.  Despite the leisurely manner in which we went about the morning we had done this too many times before.  Our bodies are programed to wake up at 6:15am regardless.  Everything has a place in your bag.  We hit the trail at 7:30 to cover our last 4 miles.

We arranged for my parents to pick us up in Manning Park, BC.  Luckily they arrived early as did we!  Just as quickly as we were dropped off at the Mexican border and put into the PCT world, so were we whisked away in the car and put back into what we refer to as "society".  Thank you Mom and Dad for treating us to such a wonderful re-introduction back into society.

What comes after the PCT? I have come up with quite a few ideas over the last two states. You would think that with all this time to figure it out I would have chosen an idea and have a good plan. Nope, that is what these next few weeks are for. Decompressing, weaning myself off half & half, and figuring out what comes next.

I will follow this post with another one including a slideshow of photos from the trip.  Between Tiffany and I we have to sort through just over 3,000 photos.  It might take a week or two to narrow it down to decent number that will not bore everyone, but still provides a good sense of what the trail was like.  For the number geeks out there I will also include another post with complete trail statistics.

Happy Trails!!

Trail Statistics:
Miles: 2,660
Days: 156
Through Hikes: 1

Stevens Pass to Stehekin

The Dinsmore's:
This is another hiker-friendly trail angel making our resupply logistics easier. They live just a 24 mile hitch down from Stevens Pass. They used be closer 6+- years ago, but had to move when the river washed away their backyard and started to undermine their back deck. According to Andrea Dinsmore, the good thing about the move was that the new place came with a huge building in the back. Half of the building became Jerry's shop and the other half became a hiker bunk room.

Thanks to Gnome Sherpa and Oatmeal Stout for the most entertaining care package on the trail. We tasted just about everything except for the bacon flavored crickets. We experimented on some other hiker. After reviewing the subjects' feedback we decided to hiker box those gems.

Back on Trail:
The trail in Washinton continues to get more and more beautiful. I really cannot describe the views we are seeing in the Northern Cascades that would do them justice. You will have to wait for the pictures.

Despite the overwhelming beauty, our ever more dramatic views are starting to come at a price. On our third day out of town we completed an estimated 100 switchbacks in one day. Where did I get this number? On our climb out of Milk Creek drainage Tiffany counted 39 switchbacks in 2.5 miles. Taking this into consideration, when you add the switchbacks getting down to Milk Creek, then the switchbacks going down the other side of an equally steep Dolly Ridge I am estimating 100 or more switchbacks for the day. No exageration needed.

On our last night before Stehikin we camped around mile 2572, that meant we had less than 100 to the end of the trail. It seemed like it took us so long to get our first 100 miles under our feet. Now it seems like 100 miles is too short. How could we be so close? We reflected on the miles behind us and wondered what our last night in the tent was going to be like.

True to form, the Washington weather gave us a show to accompany our milestone. We heard the wind blow down the Agnes valley, then the flashes of light, then the thunder, then the later of the two clower together! After a week of beautiful days in Washington we knew it was only a matter of time before the rains would begin to fall.

Stehikin:
We got up at 5am to bust our butts to get the 8.2 miles to High Bridge in before 9am. We caught the first shuttle into Stehikin so that we could hit the PCT renound Stehikin Bakery before we started our town chores. From the begining of the trail we had heard stories about the pasteries we would find here. Maybe it is the atmosphere, maybe it was the flaky qiuche crusts, but it did not dissapoint this hungry hiker.

Stehikin is our last town stop before we hit the northern terminus of the trail on the Canadian border and hike into Manning Park were we can finaly call ourselves true thru hikers! In the post office here they had a trail register and what appeared to be the last ten years of trail registers. I was able to find the 2006 enteries from my Colorado friends Oatmeal Stout and Gnome Sherpa. We have a picture for you guys!

To the End:
As the fall colors descend upon the mountains and snow begins to show in the forecast, we will head out to finish our final miles of the PCT. I will head out with mixed emotions. I am so excited to reach the end, but so sad for the journey to end.

Happy Trails,
Midnight Chocolate
Trail Statistics:
Day:152
Miles:2580.2
Falls: 1

Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass

Snoqualmie Pass:

This is another small ski area we pass through. We were happy to get a room at the Summit Inn. After an early check-in we postponed showers for an afternoon breakfast at the adjoining pancake house. We both got the "Summit Breakfast" which included a plate of French toast, 3 eggs, hash browns, 2 pieces of bacon, and 2 pieces of sausage. Hiker hunger is settling back in through Washington, neither of us had any problems finishing our food. This was followed by my usual town craving, a pint of milk. Although I have started to enjoy half &half with its more creamy and full body flavor. Yes, I do believe I will have to start a training plan and put together a diet for when I am no longer hiking 20+ miles a day.

Surprise Trail Magic:

We hiked out of Snoqualmie Pass on Sunday afternoon. Being that this is on I-90 and only an hour drive from Seattle it was no surprise to find we didn't have the trail to ourselves. 

Passing day hikers up and down the trail you never think twice about sitting down for a chat. That was until we met 4 hikers from a hiking club in Seattle. They were taking pictures when we came upon them. As we passes they asked if we were hiking the PCT. Yes. They seem delighted. Where we thru hikers? Yes. I had never had someone so excited to meet us just because we were hiking the PCT. For a moment I thought maybe they were confused as to who I might be or what I might be doing. Nope, today they were specifically out hiking to run into PCT thru hikers and they got us!

We hiked with them for little ways and answered various questions regarding hiking and planning for the PCT. When we took a break with them we didn't realize what this would mean. They gave us sandwiches and some of the best coffee I've had. They sent us off with some candied walnuts. They were so nice to us, it made us feel almost famous.

Ups and Downs:

Washington is proving to be all that we heard about and more. We wind our way up and over high ridges leading to jagged peaks. Then we wind our way back down to a valley with one or two deep blue lakes. The scenery is so amazing.

With all these ups and downs by the end of our 2nd full day I felt pretty tired. Then I thought about our two days put together; we covered 50 miles and had 12,000 feet of elevation gain. That's like running the San Juan Solstice race. We did that with no packs, and a taper week leading up to it. No wonder I was feeling a little tired. Coming into Mig lake camp

Sir Poppins proclaimed, "The Northern Cascades, nature's Stair Master!" For the moment, my legs agreed.

Blasting Ahead:

Approaching the back side of the Stevens Pass ski area we saw a sign on the side of the trail warning us of blasting ahead. We had heard a few blasts earlier in the morning, but didn't know where they came from. Now we knew. The sign told us that three horn blows meant they where going to blast and one horn blow meant the blast was over. The problem with the sign however was that it gave no indication as to where they were blasting. Was there a blast zone? As we made our way through a talus/boulder field with tons of rock precariously balanced overhead I wondered; what the hell do I do if I hear three horn blows? If I run, do I go forward or back? They would surely mark the blast zone, wouldn't they? I shouldn't have dropped the Xanex in Oregon.....

Stevens Pass:

This is no more than another ski area (with some construction blasting) on a pass in Washington. To get to our resupply required a 24 mile hitch down to the small town of Baring. We heard from friends  that this was a difficult hitch. We were prepared for a longer wait. We saw quite a few cars pass us by. We tried to hitch from two motorcycles thinking that would be fun, but no they passed and waved. At least they were friendly. Then we saw a large flatbed truck of hay hauling a long flatbed trailer full of hay. Tiffany put her thumb down. I said "you never know, put your thumb back up." Sure enough the long load pulled over. The driver said he had to go so slow anyway he might as well be stopped. So we headed down the pass with a couple who own a lot of horses and their two dogs Max and Marvin. At first Marvin growled at Tiffany getting in, but half way down the pass he was in our laps licking our faces.

Happy Trails!

Trail Statistics:

Days: 147

Miles: 2,476

Explosions/Blasts: 5

Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S™II Skyrocket™ an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone.

White Pass to Snoqualmie Pass

White Pass:

We were both excited to get to White Pass. It had been 8 days since we had laundry or a shower. We were disappointed to find there was only laundry, but we took what we could get. 

White Pass is a small ski area in the winter. There is a hotel and the Cracker Barrel store and gas station where we picked up our resupply box. Thank you to our trail angels from Colorado for our surprise care packages. They made our day after the shower let down!

Back on trail:

From White Pass we headed up above treeline. It was fun to walk the high ridge line, the true crest. We had a great view of Crystal basin and the ski area there. Made me want to come back in the winter time.

We had a couple days of good weather before the rains and wet weather hit us. Although we would have preferred no clouds or rain at all, it was good timing for our views to be clouded. For two days the trail winds through clear cuts and logging roads.

Big Booms and Bangs:

On September 3rd at 9:40am we heard a very large boom. The noise was so loud and deep it made us pause and look around. There were no clouds in the sky big enough or dark enough for it to be thunder. It is a little unnerving to seemingly be in the middle of nowhere and hear this. Having no idea what it was I time stamped the incident. Maybe we would find out later what it was. We were at least happy that we both agreed that the noise seem to come from a South easterly direction. This was the opposite direction we were headed. So we continued on our way. As we walked we came up with a load of theories as to what we could have heard, some a bit more wild than practical.

We knew exactly where our second round of booms came from; thunder! We had a pretty gloomy day coming into Tacoma Pass. Our spirits were lifted by some trail magic hosted by "Not Phil's Dad". He had canopies with camp chairs set up for hikers. We chatted with Red and Andy DuFresne while we were served hot chili dogs. When it started to rain again we decided not to leave the comfort of the dry cover. We set up our tent in the area. When we went to bed the rain picked up and the thunder clouds rolled in. We had thunder and lightening for about an hour. Then the storm moved over the pass. I have heard thunderstorms referred to as bowling matches between the gods. If this is true, then I think all were out to play.  They were throwing fire balls down the lanes, maybe playing for believers. A couple of times we didn't have a chance to count a second between lightening and thunder and the thunder was so loud it seem to shake the ground and reverberate between the ridges on either side of the pass. This was accompanied by hard rains that created a waterbed under the floor of the tent until the ground had enough time to absorb all the water falling from the sky. All in all, we survived the night. We woke up a little wet, but not soaked. Washington was proving to be as wet as I remembered.

Snoqualmie Pass!

Yay! After 14 days without a shower, 5 days since our last laundry, and wet from multiple days of rain we were so happy to see the Summit Inn from the top of the ski slopes.

Trail Statistics:

Days:143

Miles: 2,402

Showers: 29

Sent thevia the Samsung Galaxy S™II Skyrocket™ an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone.

Cascade Locks to White Pass

For the time being I am going to skip the Timberline to Cascade Locks post. In part because it was fairly uneventful, mostly because I am falling behind.

Cascade Locks:

Cascade Locks is a small town on the Columbia River. Nearing the bottom of the gorge and headed to the trail head we were greeted by Tiffany's sister. She hiked in to meet us before driving us into Portland. In Portland Tiffany and I went our separate ways. She spent time with her family. I went to my grandparents.

I washed Xena and must say I have never seen so much dirt come out of her fur. I had to rinse her before I washed her, then the wash, then rinse her three times before the water ran clear(er).

Being in Portland in such a familiar place was surreal. It is amazing how quickly it can seem like the trail doesn't exist.

Back on Trail:

From Cascade Locks the trail crosses the Columbia River via the Bridge of the Gods. You pay the 50¢ pedestrian toll at the booth and away you go. I did not realize two things; there is no sidewalk and the surface is large open grating looking all the way down to the river far below. While Tiffany was watching her spit fall to see how much hang time it got I stayed focused. I tried to look fairly cool about the whole thing, but I am not sure that was accomplished. I kept my left hand on the railing and focused my eyes on the other end the whole time.

Once the half mile bridge walk was over and I could breath again Tiffany and I joined my sister, her boyfriend, and a friend on the other side where they started hiking with us for a few days.

Berries and Poison Oak:

If we thought we had a lot of wild berries in the last stretch, this one beat it hands down. Climbing out of the gorge we had blackberries! They are in season and they are almost a weed at lower elevations in Oregon and Washington. As we climbed higher we got blueberries and blue and red huckleberries. You can pick and hike at the same time. Although sometimes you find yourself just standing there picking a handful. The fresh berries are so good. 

What is bad, poison oak. This also grows very well at lower elevations in Oregon and Washington. I tried to avoid as much as I could, but somehow I managed to swipe a leaf and transfer the oil to my side. I had a small patch on my right hip the first night, then a little bigger patch in the morning. After hiking and sweating for 7 miles the second day it was all over my right hip area. I was not happy to have to deal with this again.

Having Colleen and friends along was fun, but eventually they had to leave us. I asked Colleen what she thought of the hike. I don't remember exactly what she said, but something to the effect of "I had a good time, but confirmed this is not something I would like to do." Yes, there is a difference between backpacking and through hiking.

Aunt Jeannie and cousin Carol met us at forest road 23. It was here that I met a guy who had been following my register entries since Mexico. For some reason he really likes my hand writing, enough to inquire about a future marriage. I guess I'll have to see how he signs the next trail register.

Jeannie and Carol brought us our next resupply and a whole lot more. When they pulled up we had fresh fruit, beer, and extra bars. We loaded up and soon said our good-byes. This was also the end of the trail for Xena. She hiked over 400 miles with me from Diamond Lake. It was a bit harder than I thought it would be to see her go. For Xena on the other hand, she seemed pretty content to be in the cushy back seat of the car.

After forest road 23 the trail goes through Goat Rocks Wilderness. So far Goat Rocks has been my favorite section of trail. You hike above tree line, get amazing views of Mt Rainier, and the mountain range the trail winds through is stunning. Decending the ridge from Old Snowy mountain the trail goes right on top of the narrow ridge. This section is referred to as the knife edge. I was a bit apprehensive about this piece, but as it turns out, it wasn't too bad.

After 8 days with no shower or laundry we were ready for White Pass.

Trail Statistics

Days: 138

Miles: 2,303

Xena Days: 32

Shoes: 5

Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S™II Skyrocket™ an AT&T 4 G LTE smartphone.