PCT Days 139-153: Snoqualmie Pass to Canada!
Washington Part 2: PCT Miles 2394.1 – 2653.6
The final chapter! The North Cascades were one of my favorite section of the entire trail along with the Sierra. It was tough, weather was challenging, but motivation was high. After 5 years of dreaming and planning and almost 5 months of hiking, I reached the northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail at the Canadian border (and then hiked 30 miles south back to Harts Pass). A lifetime of experiences and growth to process and reflect on in the days, weeks, and months ahead. For years I had been seeking an epic adventure, and this one certainly met that!
Day 139: August 31, 2021, 10.3 miles
Ben drove me back to Snoqualmie Pass in the morning, but it was quite cold and rainy when we arrived. I decided to hang out for a few hours to stay warm, hang out with other hikers, eat tamales and drink coffee. I finally left at 12:30pm as the rain had stopped. It was a foggy climb to the Kendall Katwalk, a section of trail carved into the side of a mountain with a steep drop off. Luckily it wasn’t raining but it was quite cold as I ascended to higher elevation. Occasionally the fog would clear briefly exposing part of the beautiful valley.
Last summer, I did a backpacking trip with a friend on this section of the PCT under perfect bluebird skies. I remember the views to be epic with Mount Rainier always visible to the south. This time was totally different. As the weather forecast was for sunshine tomorrow, I decided to stop early to hike in better conditions and soak in the views that were obscured today. As soon as the tent was up, it started raining leaving me pleased with my decision.
Day 140: September 1, 2021, 25.3 miles
My decision to stop early yesterday for epic views today paid off! Rainier was on full display in first part of the day and the rest of the views weren’t so shabby as well. I woke up with frost on my tent and I was slow to get packed up this morning. I hiked until sunset and setup camp and ate in the dark. The days are rapidly getting shorter.
Day 141: September 2, 2021, 22.7 miles
When the weather is good in Washington, hiking in the Cascades is quite stunning. The past few days have been relentless long climbs and descents but the views made it worthwhile. I setup camp a little early today surrounded by huge peaks. Just as I got into the tent, I heard a loud rockfall which continued for a while. Glad I didn’t get buried by rocks. I’m sure it was quite far from camp but it was still quite loud.
Day 142: September 3, 2021, 18.3 miles
Steep climbs and descents are commonplace in Washington. Even with the short day, today felt like a lot of work. Today’s motivation stemmed from reaching Stevens Pass where my dear friends drove up from Seattle to meet me. They brought my resupply box for the next section as well as lots of wonderful treats, including Sar’s amazing chai and my most fav meal ever, goat biryani! My belly and heart was full! After a few hours, I hiked out and did a few more miles and ate the rest of the biryani for dinner. Never did I imagine I’d be eating biryani while on trail. The trail provides!
Day 143: September 4, 2021, 21.6 miles
Getting closer to Glacier Peak, which was in view several times today. This is a section I’ve been looking forward to seeing! Lots of steep climbs and descents today. Crossed the 4000km mark. 163 miles to Canada!
Day 144: September 5, 2021, 21.4 miles
Entered the Glacier Peak Wilderness and WOW!! What an incredibly beautiful day! In the top 5 favorite days of the whole hike. Crossed the 2500 mile mark. 142 miles to Canada!
Day 145: September 6, 2021, 19.9 miles
Washington certainly has some epic scenery, but it also makes you earn it. Another day of long steep climbs (6k ft) and descents. Plus today’s bonus was dozens of downed trees to crawl over and miles of overgrown trail. That made for a long, slow, tiring day but with bluebird skies and perfect cool temps. Camped near Glacier Peak at an amazing campsite, definitely in the top 3 of the entire hike. 122 miles to Canada!
Day 146: September 7, 2021, 25.3 miles
The North Cascades continue to be glorious each day. Most of today entailed a 4k ft descent immediately followed by a 4k ft ascent. Some dramatic views at the top at the end of the day. 97 miles to Canada!
Day 147: September 8, 2021, 16.4 miles
Mostly downhill day to the town of Stehekin, the final resupply stop on the PCT. Stehekin is only accessible by boat, seaplane, or by hiking in. When I got to the trailhead, there was a group who offered me and another hiker a ride to town (11 miles away) by ATV instead of waiting 1.5 hours for the bus. They stopped at the infamous Stehekin bakery where I loaded up with lots of baked goodies. Then they took us to town, where I picked up my final resupply box, did laundry, showered, and hung out with hikers. My gear is slowly starting to fall apart. There has been a leak in my air mattress for weeks that’s getting worse, both zippers on my tent have failed, clothing is getting shredded, etc. Further, my body is exhausted and at least one body part screams at me everyday. My allergies are on fire but thankfully just got over a cold I had for the past week (1st cold in 2 years). The bright side: 81 miles to Canada!
Day 148: September 9, 2021, 16.9 miles
So begins the final push to Canada! Left Stehekin on the morning bus, made a requisite stop to the bakery to load up, then hung out for a couple of hours at the trailhead eating and organizing my pack. I managed to temporarily fix my tent zippers using pliers. Neat trick! Hope it lasts the rest of the way.
Started hiking at 11am. Entered North Cascades National Park, the 7th NP on the PCT. Crossed over Bridge Creek on a new temporary suspension bridge that was quickly put up after the original bridge was destroyed in a storm earlier this spring. It was quite wobbly but a fun crossing. 64 miles to Canada!
Day 149: September 10, 2021, 20.8 miles
The day started off great with double trail magic at Rainy Pass by Jake & Sam as well grandparents of a hiker who I also met in Oregon. Waffles, coffee, and good conversation. I spent 3 hours there before finally getting back on trail. Big climb to Cutthroat Pass and Methow Pass then a long descent to camp. Cool and cloudy today with about 30 mins of showers. Great scenery as always in the North Cascades. 43 miles to Canada!
Day 150: September 11, 2021, 23.6 miles
It’s official. The North Cascades are my favorite section of the PCT. Today had a bit of everything. Big 3k ft climb to start the day with epic scenery and sunshine. Then I reached Harts Pass, the final road crossing before the Canada border. Since we can’t enter Canada this year from the PCT, hikers have to turn around at the border and hike back south 30 miles to Harts Pass to get a ride back to civilization. When I reached there, I saw many familiar faces who had just finished their adventure. And there was lots of trail magic by friends and family of hikers who were there to pick them up. It was a fun stop! Alas, I had to keep moving northbound. I saw many more hikers heading back after reaching the terminus and it was fun chatting with them. Then it started raining and was a wet couple of hours to camp. This hike is rapidly coming to a close. Hard to believe that this is the same adventure that I started almost 5 months ago at the Mexico border. So much has happened. Will take months to reflect on the whole journey and its impact on my life. 19.6 miles to Canada!
Day 151: September 12, 2021, 22.9 miles
After 5 years of dreaming and planning and almost 5 months of hiking, I reached the northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail at the Canadian border. A lifetime of experiences and growth to process and reflect on in the days, weeks, and months ahead. There is so much I want to say but for now, I’ll just say THANK YOU to everyone that was part of my journey, on and off trail. I couldn’t have done this without you!
Day 152-153: September 13-14, 2021, 19.9+7.1 miles
The Victory Lap! After reaching the northern terminus of the PCT, we had to walk back south 30 miles to Harts Pass, as we could not enter Canada this year due to pandemic restrictions. Initially, I wasn’t excited about backtracking but it turned out be great! The weather was much better than the previous couple days, so I enjoyed the views I missed when hiking north. A bigger highlight was crossing over 50 hikers heading northbound, most of which I knew and had hiked with. It was great to see everyone one last time before we all go our separate ways. It was a perfect victory lap. When I got to Harts Pass, I enjoyed some trail magic and my friend Doug, who I hadn’t seen in many years, picked me up and took me to his beautiful house on Lake Chelan. While driving through Chelan, we bumped into Barnes & Nobles, a hiker I hadn’t seen in over 4 months! She joined us at Doug’s home for the night as she was heading back to trail the next day. While I was taking a walk in Doug’s hood, I bumped into Karen, who I met in Stehekin last week and who gave me a ride to town in their ATV. She lived nearby! What a great surprise and coincidence! We had a restful stay in Chelan and then Doug drove me back to Seattle the following day, which officially marked the completion of my PCT adventure and return to civilization. What an adventure! It will take a long time to fully sink in and digest all that happened over the past 5 months. Onward!
