Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass (Leavenworth).

Miles 2,396 – 2,467.

Days 116 – 120.

The Pacific Crest Trail climbs significantly after Snoqualmie Pass into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. Hikers are rewarded for their labor when they emerge into a vast wilderness of igneous rock spires, sloping boulder fields, and deep valleys. This area includes a network of other trails crisscrossing the PCT, and is a popular destination for backpacking trips of all lengths, from overnights to thru-hikes.

Day 116

I awoke in the small cabin near Snoqualmie Pass, where a friendly stranger invited Swish and me to spend the night. With a daunting 3,000+ foot climb looming beyond the pass, I was in no particular rush to get out of town.

Instead, I spent the day doing various chores and mostly being lazy. I went out for pancakes for a second time at the Summit Pancake House and took a second shower using the solar shower at the cabin. I even hand-washed my socks and underwear in a bucket.

I was so good at killing time that I managed not to leave town until after 5 pm. I passed under I-90 then began the long ascents. The climb out of Snoqualmie Pass was beautiful at sunset, with views of the surrounding steep-sided mountains. I spent so much time taking photos that I didn’t make it to camp until almost 8 pm, despite only traveling 4 miles.

In addition to photos of the plants, animals, and views, I also found the exact spot where I took a photo last summer. I was near Snoqualmie Pass for a marathon. The day after the race, I did a short post-race recovery hike on the PCT. I was barely able to hobble 2 miles on my sore post-race legs, but I left feeling inspired to thru-hike the whole trail. I remember turning around on my short out-and-back yearning to keep walking north. Tomorrow, I get to do just that!

I fell asleep cowboy camping halfway up the climb to the sound of an elk bugling in the distance.

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Day 117

Just before 5 am, I briefly awoke to see a horde of ambitious trail runners jog by my campsite. I rolled over and went back to sleep, justifying my A.M. laziness by telling myself that if they had walked here from Mexico, they’d probably have less energy to get moving, too.

Yesterday evening, Swish and I agreed that today would be the day that we would start waking up early again. But unsurprisingly, we both pressed snooze on our alarms and rolled out of camp at the very average time of 8 am.

The hiking today was a mixture of challenging and rewarding. I’m surprised that folks going the other direction hadn’t talked up this area between Snoqualmie Pass and Stevens Pass more. It is almost like a mini-Sierras. Just at ~6,000 feet above sea level instead of ~12,000 feet.

To start the day, I finished the climb I started yesterday evening. It topped out on a tallus field traversing the side of a huge mountain. Stunning! But it was very slow going on the loose jumbled rocks. Each step was like a balancing exercise.

After that came a long switchbacked downhill back to the valley bottom. I filled up my water bottles at a small waterfall along the way.

Yesterday evening, a day hiker walking the opposite way told me that he’d met an older male backpacker who’d just taken a bad fall and cut open his face. The backpacker had claimed to be ok and kept going. But the day hiker insisted that I should check up on the backpacker, should I see him. Consequently, all day I’d been on the lookout for an older male backpacker with a bandaid on his face.

Just past the waterfall, I met the injured backpacker, an older British man, who indeed had a bandaid on his face. For starters. He also had a black eye and three broken teeth. He seemed unaware of his gruesome wounds until we held up a phone on selfie mode so he could see his face. Despite his beat-up appearance, the man insisted he was ok and seemed in good spirits.

My day ended with a 2,500-foot climb over 5 miles. I powered up the switchbacks and stopped near the top to “power-forage” berries for 20 minutes. In that time, I filled my jar with a mixture of huckleberries and blueberries. Then I continued on to camp.

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Day 118

Today was another challenging day. After entering Washington a couple of hundred miles ago, the terrain gradually became more difficult and hilly. The increase in difficulty began slowly and snuck up on me. All of a sudden, I find myself climbing hills as large and steep as those in NorCal and the Sierras.

Despite the challenging terrain, this area is very popular with weekend backpackers, trail runners, and day hikers. It’s the weekend, so there are tons of groups out and about, including many families enjoying nature with kids and dogs. The trail is downright crowded, compared to past sections with fewer scenic attractions. In some areas, the only people out on the trail were PCT thru-hikers. But not here.

The trail here is clearly maintained to support more visitors. There are clearly established campsites with privies, trail signs at intersections, and designated no-camping zones in fragile areas. It’s nice to see how much work has gone into preserving these natural areas while making it possible for people to enjoy and travel through them. People in Washington seem to love their wildernesses to play in. Everyone I meet on the trail seems so happy.

I stopped and had lunch at a lake and took a long break. By the time I finished swimming and resting, some cloud cover formed, which I was thankful for.

While hiking after lunch, I stopped and chatted briefly with a family out for a weekend backpacking trip: two parents, two young kids, and a white husky dog. They live in the Seattle area, and like many folks around here, seem incredibly outdoorsy. Apparently, the father and son climbed Mount Adams together recently. The group had climbing helmets strapped to the tops of their fully loaded backpacking packs, and clearly were headed off to do some more climbing adventures.

I’d planned to do 26 to 28 miles today, but “only” made it 24. I hiked until 8 pm and reached camp feeling totally exhausted. Half an hour later I was sound asleep in my quilt under my tarp.

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Day 119

For the first time in a long time, I managed to wake up early to a 5:30 am alarm. I planned to make it to Stevens Pass today and hitch to the town of Leavenworth. However, I was still 17.5 miles away with several thousand feet of elevation gain and loss. So the early start was crucial.

It was still dark and cold as I packed up. I managed to get nearly entirely packed up while still inside my quilt, including taking down my tarp from underneath while still inside of it. I broke camp before 6:30 am and started up the first of several climbs of the day in the pre-sunrise glow.

Of the 4 significant climbs this morning, the climb to Traps Pass stood out in particular. Traps Pass included about 800 feet of elevation gain in just over half a mile. That’s Appalachian Trail levels of steepness! I actually found myself looking forward to this tough climb – it’s been a long time since I’ve walked up anything that steep and the challenge of it was… Fun?

Around 2 pm, I made it to Stevens Pass. Stevens Pass is a ski area on the side of a highway, where thru-hikers can hitch into Leavenworth. I picked up my resupply box from Guest Services at the ski area. When I decided to send a box here, I thought I’d skip going into Leavenworth. However, I’ve heard really good things about this trail town from other folks on the trail. Word is it’s modeled after a Bavarian Village and is very hiker-friendly. And if that weren’t enough to lure me into town, Swish also contacted some local trail angels and found a place for both of us to spend the night in town. This was crucial, as it’s a busy holiday weekend and motel prices are through the roof.

I like Leavenworth more and more with each interaction I have with the people of this town. First, I got a hitch almost instantly. A retired couple parked on the opposite side of the highway waved us over. They’d just finished dropping off two other hikers who were coming out of town. Swish, I, and another hiker named Happy Feet piled into the back seat of their car. They told us about the town and their lives in the mountains of Washington during the 45-minute drive into Leavenworth.

Next, we headed to a local brewery called Icicle Brewing. We’d heard rumors on the trail that this place sometimes offered a free beer to thru-hikers, though we weren’t really sure if that was happening today, due to the crowds and the holiday. But while waiting in line, a local overheard us talking about our thru-hike and offered to buy our beers!

Next, Swish and I headed to the grocery store, and from there, we got picked up by Wesley, the local trail angel hosting us. Wesley and his wife, Juliana, live in Leavenworth next to a beautiful river where I enjoyed a pre-shower swim. When Wesley and Juliana moved to their property, they lived in a camper van since there wasn’t a house there yet. They built a tiny house and a full-size house on their land. Swish and I got to stay in the awesome tiny house. I loved hearing about their experience building their home over dinner – homemade pizzas from their outdoor oven.

It was a full day and a good one. All the wonderful folks I meet along the trail and in towns provide some of the most memorable experiences on my journey. The people you meet make a thru-hike so much more than just a walk.

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Day 120

Today was a zero day, and likely (hopefully) my last one before finishing the trail. Since I’m ahead of schedule slightly, it felt great to take an extra day to fully rest up before heading out to tackle the final ~200 miles of trail. That’s less than 10% of the trail left.

In the spirit of resting fully, I didn’t even take photos during my zero day today. Also I forgot to.

I spent the day at the home of trail angels Wesley and Juliana in Leavenworth. The highlights of the day included eating Wesley’s blueberry pancakes, touring Juliana’s art studio, and swimming in the river. I also watched Swish ford the river to take a shortcut into downtown to resupply. I cannot imagine what the hoards of tourists out floating the river thought as this semi-homeless looking man wadded amongst their inner tubes and paddle boards holding his backpack over his head.