For the first time after more than four months of hiking, I finally knew that I would be finishing the Pacific Crest Trail. Sure, there was always the potential to slip and break an ankle - but nothing short of a debilitating injury was going to stop me going north from Stevens Pass. There was less than 200 miles to go, and I figured that I was prepared to stick out whatever bad weather or other difficulties the North Cascades could throw at me. Although I was greeted with steady rain on my first day out, I knew I was being spared the truly miserable weather (pouring freezing rain) that often haunts hikers trying to finish in late September. I also got a bit of solitude since my timing out of the Dinsmores' put me into Glacier Peak Wilderness alone between the other groups of hikers. It was good to have some time alone to hike/camp at my own pace, reflect on the past few months, and start thinking about the future. For the first time since Southern California, I went well over a day without seeing a single soul! It almost would've been two full days had I not run into Pounder at the Suiattle River bridge.
All in all, Glacier Peak Wilderness lived up to its reputation for great views and challenging climbs. There were a few areas where I spent hours walking through brush so dense that I couldn't see bare trail, but for the most part the trail consisted of exposed switchbacks where I could see for miles. There were a lot of passes to climb over, and each one led to an awe-inspiring glacier carved valley. Given the name of this particular wilderness, it was no surprise that I also saw a lot of glaciers.
As for wildlife, the area was teaming with marmots and pika. Hoary marmots are the alpine ecosystem's equivalent to ground hogs, and they could be seen everywhere munching on shrubs (trying to fatten themselves up for winter hibernation). They also made their presence known by loud whistling. The first time I heard them whistle, I blew my whistle back in return thinking that there was another hiker ahead in the fog trying to signal me. I got a lot of pictures of the marmots since they didn't seem to mind my presence, but I kept wishing they would keep farther away from the trail. They had a lot of holes dug right along the edge of the trail, some of them covered by grass, and I was worried about snapping an ankle this close to the end. Pikas, on the other hand, are more timid - so I only saw a few of the "giant grey mountain hamsters". I could hear them squeaking though every time I traversed a scree field. They sounded just like a squeak toy you would give a dog, and I was wondering what sound would be made if I ever stepped on one...
After several bouts of bushwhacking, I caught a lucky break when I came upon a recently opened re-route of the PCT near the Suiattle River. The original bridge over the river had been wiped out by flooding years back, thus hikers in recent seasons were consigned to scuttling across a giant log. The re-route consisted of freshly cut trail that felt like a highway and the bridge itself was a monster! I wish I had been there to see the helicopter(s?) lowering the giant steel I-beams into position. I don't think this bridge will be going anywhere for a while.
As I was night hiking on my last day before Stehekin, Daybreaker caught up to me just before we reached Hemlock Camp (the largest wilderness campsite I saw on the PCT aside from the old scout camp on Mt. Baden-Powell). He had been pushing big miles for the section since he wanted to take a full day off at Holden (another town, accessible only by boat, on Lake Chelan where he had worked last year) and still be able to reach Manning Park by the 27th. We decided to hike together for the last section since we both wanted to get pictures at the border monument and we wanted to finish with people that we knew. Daybreaker and I first met after Big Bear in Southern California and had been hiking at roughly the same pace since then. We were also in a group with Sly, Dirtmonger, and Easy Strider through the first half of the Sierras (the most difficult in terms of climbing, altitude, and snow), so we thought that it would be fitting to finish together. The next day was an easy 12 mile hike to "High Bridge" where the North Cascades National Park shuttle bus would pick us up and take us into the town of Stehekin. Along the way Jimbrick, Wiz, Buttercup, and Headbanger caught up - so we had a large group going into the final rest stop.
Two miles before reaching the town center with docks, lodging, and post office, the bus made a pit-stop at one of the hiker-famous icons of the PCT: The Stehekin Pastry Co. My diet (as is the case with most thru-hikers) was not exactly the healthiest during my time on the trail, so my sweet-tooth had sampled a lot of bakeries between Mexico and Canada. This one easily topped them all. The pictures of the display case explain more than what my hasty words can do, so I'll just say that it was a very fitting reward for reaching the final leg of the trail. According to the bus driver, one hiker had spent a record $55 during the 10-minute bakery stop (my meager total, for a non-meager about of food and espresso, was just over $10)!
Upon reaching Stehekin, I picked up my final resupply package and grabbed a FREE campsite without any problems. Daybreaker left for Holden as soon as the Lake Chelan ferry came in, and the other hikers with us did a quick in-and-out to get back to the trail ASAP. So I had a few hours of peace and quiet to shower - and to do laundry while wearing my rain suit for one last time. It wasn't long before Liz, Meow Meow, Funyan, Gush, Spock, Twiggy, Dutch, Happy Meal, Rocklocks, and Mr. Fox arrived. My phone also "died" (turns out something on the memory card was corrupted, I was able to "revive" it when I got home), so I got to catch up with the other hikers one last time without being distracted by electronics. The Dinsmores' Hiker Haven had been too crowded and noisy for me to get much rest, so a true zero-day bounded by a half-day off on either side was exactly what I needed to prepare for the final stretch of trail.
Once Daybreaker got back from Holden, a Stehekin local who knew him from last year gave us a ride back to the trailhead. Shortly after 2pm, we embarked on the final stretch of a cross-country odyssey...
All in all, Glacier Peak Wilderness lived up to its reputation for great views and challenging climbs. There were a few areas where I spent hours walking through brush so dense that I couldn't see bare trail, but for the most part the trail consisted of exposed switchbacks where I could see for miles. There were a lot of passes to climb over, and each one led to an awe-inspiring glacier carved valley. Given the name of this particular wilderness, it was no surprise that I also saw a lot of glaciers.
As for wildlife, the area was teaming with marmots and pika. Hoary marmots are the alpine ecosystem's equivalent to ground hogs, and they could be seen everywhere munching on shrubs (trying to fatten themselves up for winter hibernation). They also made their presence known by loud whistling. The first time I heard them whistle, I blew my whistle back in return thinking that there was another hiker ahead in the fog trying to signal me. I got a lot of pictures of the marmots since they didn't seem to mind my presence, but I kept wishing they would keep farther away from the trail. They had a lot of holes dug right along the edge of the trail, some of them covered by grass, and I was worried about snapping an ankle this close to the end. Pikas, on the other hand, are more timid - so I only saw a few of the "giant grey mountain hamsters". I could hear them squeaking though every time I traversed a scree field. They sounded just like a squeak toy you would give a dog, and I was wondering what sound would be made if I ever stepped on one...
After several bouts of bushwhacking, I caught a lucky break when I came upon a recently opened re-route of the PCT near the Suiattle River. The original bridge over the river had been wiped out by flooding years back, thus hikers in recent seasons were consigned to scuttling across a giant log. The re-route consisted of freshly cut trail that felt like a highway and the bridge itself was a monster! I wish I had been there to see the helicopter(s?) lowering the giant steel I-beams into position. I don't think this bridge will be going anywhere for a while.
As I was night hiking on my last day before Stehekin, Daybreaker caught up to me just before we reached Hemlock Camp (the largest wilderness campsite I saw on the PCT aside from the old scout camp on Mt. Baden-Powell). He had been pushing big miles for the section since he wanted to take a full day off at Holden (another town, accessible only by boat, on Lake Chelan where he had worked last year) and still be able to reach Manning Park by the 27th. We decided to hike together for the last section since we both wanted to get pictures at the border monument and we wanted to finish with people that we knew. Daybreaker and I first met after Big Bear in Southern California and had been hiking at roughly the same pace since then. We were also in a group with Sly, Dirtmonger, and Easy Strider through the first half of the Sierras (the most difficult in terms of climbing, altitude, and snow), so we thought that it would be fitting to finish together. The next day was an easy 12 mile hike to "High Bridge" where the North Cascades National Park shuttle bus would pick us up and take us into the town of Stehekin. Along the way Jimbrick, Wiz, Buttercup, and Headbanger caught up - so we had a large group going into the final rest stop.
Two miles before reaching the town center with docks, lodging, and post office, the bus made a pit-stop at one of the hiker-famous icons of the PCT: The Stehekin Pastry Co. My diet (as is the case with most thru-hikers) was not exactly the healthiest during my time on the trail, so my sweet-tooth had sampled a lot of bakeries between Mexico and Canada. This one easily topped them all. The pictures of the display case explain more than what my hasty words can do, so I'll just say that it was a very fitting reward for reaching the final leg of the trail. According to the bus driver, one hiker had spent a record $55 during the 10-minute bakery stop (my meager total, for a non-meager about of food and espresso, was just over $10)!
Upon reaching Stehekin, I picked up my final resupply package and grabbed a FREE campsite without any problems. Daybreaker left for Holden as soon as the Lake Chelan ferry came in, and the other hikers with us did a quick in-and-out to get back to the trail ASAP. So I had a few hours of peace and quiet to shower - and to do laundry while wearing my rain suit for one last time. It wasn't long before Liz, Meow Meow, Funyan, Gush, Spock, Twiggy, Dutch, Happy Meal, Rocklocks, and Mr. Fox arrived. My phone also "died" (turns out something on the memory card was corrupted, I was able to "revive" it when I got home), so I got to catch up with the other hikers one last time without being distracted by electronics. The Dinsmores' Hiker Haven had been too crowded and noisy for me to get much rest, so a true zero-day bounded by a half-day off on either side was exactly what I needed to prepare for the final stretch of trail.
Once Daybreaker got back from Holden, a Stehekin local who knew him from last year gave us a ride back to the trailhead. Shortly after 2pm, we embarked on the final stretch of a cross-country odyssey...
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