Sunday, October 14th.

Sunday, October 14th: Today's miles = 24.2. Total PCT miles = 2,660.1 . Miles remaining = 0.

Today I stood at the US - Canadian border at the northern monument of the PCT!

It did not stop raining ALL day. It was raining when I took down my tent this morning and it was raining when I reached the monument and the end of the PCT this evening in the dark, soaked to the bone in rain and mud. My feet were squishing in my shoes (I lost a toenail) and the whole trail was a river. There was no escaping it. I got to a point 6 miles before the monument where I just stopped caring that I was dangerously cold. Until that point I was going to stop and set up camp, get my wet clothes off, and tend to the hypothermia I knew I had. When I reached the camp spot, though, it was 5pm and I said, "Screw it" and started storming off sloshing through the trail, kicking mud everywhere, putting my hands in plastic bags for warmth, and determining to to finish the PCT tonight! It wasn't smart. I know it wasn't.  I have only ever been that cold one other day in my life; when I summited Katahdin, ending my AT hike. Its when you go from being that cold to being all the sudden warm and delirious that you have to worry. I was warm and delirious those last 6 miles. I though those last 6 miles would be the longest 6 miles of the whole trail. They were in fact the shortest 6 miles of the whole trail! I was so determined to get to the end of the PCT. I was hiking faster than I usually ever do partly because I wanted the border, partly because it was getting dark, but mostly because I knew I needed to keep my body as warm as possible. I reached the border and ended my PCT thru hike at 7pm tonight! Of course it was dark, raining, and miserable. I took a picture, signed the log book, and left. I didn't waste much time there because I needed to get my wet clothes off and have a warm drink. I was planning on camping just 2/10ths of a mile into Canada so I told myself I would come back in the morning. At the camp site when I got there were Funk, Trooper, Big Cat, Styles, and COWBOY! Shep dog and G came in after me. Cowboy had gotten a ride up trail a little, had his arm in a pillow case sling, and finished the PCT with his friends.

Even though I am done with the PCT I am not done hiking. I have to hike 8 miles from the border here where I am camped to Manning State park. I was wishing so badly last night that there was a road at the end of the PCT so I could hitch into town, shower, and eat. Instead I had to set up my tent in the rain and mud. Many people can't enter Canada for one reason or another; it mostly seems DWI's. Those people have to turn around at the monument and hike 30 miles back to Hearts pass where they can hitch. So, I have to say goodbye to Big Cat and Styles tonight before the rest of us go to Manning. We are all technically in Canada right now....but who's going to know? There is no official border crossing here, just a trail that leads into Canada. When I leave Canada there will be no record that I ever entered.

Tonight is my one last night on the PCT. It's because I'm still out here all smelly and gross that it dosnt seem like the trail is over. Tomorrow when I am clean and sleeping in a bed; when I wake up in the morning and don't have to hike, it will finally feel like I have completed a thru hike of the PCT!

Saturday, October 13th.

Saturday, October 13th: Today's miles = 20.6. Total PCT miles = 2,635.9. Miles remaining = 27.6.

It rained the entire night last night and was continuing to rain when I woke up this morning. There were a number of factors as to why I woke up in a puddle this morning, one of which was my fault. I set my tent up last night on a slant due to laziness. I did not expect it to rain like it did. Either way, I had about a liter of water in my tent this morning. My sleeping pad doubles as an inflatable raft and it sure came in handy last night. I have a down sleeping bag so it was my first priority to keep it dry. I succeeded mostly.

The rain didn't stop all day. It was another view-less day. Rifle hunting season for Washington started today and there were plenty of hunters out despite the rain. I had been hiking in my black rain gear but after I started to see hunters I put my bright orange skirt back on. I'm not trying to get shot just a day away from the border. One of the hunters informed me that it snowed this morning where he was and that it was suppose to snow all around this area tonight. Also, there's a 90% chance of rain for tomorrow upwards of an inch. They are also saying that it may be cold enough tomorrow afternoon for it to snow. If this is the case it could snow up to a foot!!

I think it's time to get this trail over with. I haven't been completely ready for it to be over until today. I had gotten to the top of a climb this afternoon covered in rain with the wind blowing a chill so brutal that I actually said outloud "yeaup, Im ready for this trail to end". If it were warm and sunny I know I would have never said it.

I set my tent up better tonight due to the fact that the rain has yet to let up at all. I wonder if it will start snowing!

Friday, October 12th.

Friday, October 12th: Today's miles = 21.2. Total PCT miles = 2,614.7. Miles remaining = 48.8.

RAIN!!!

Today it rained...

It was miserably cold and wet pretty much the entire day. I didn't see any views or much of anything besides wet and slippery rocks. It was an uneventful day. Just one day closer to the border monument.

Thursday, October 11th.

Thursday, October 11th: Today's miles =13.3. Total PCT miles = 2,593.5. Miles remaining = 70.

We all woke up wondering how Cowboy was doing. We began to speculate that instead of breaking his bone he might have torn a tendon. Either way, he was in a lot of pain. I knew I needed to catch the 8am bus back to the trail but Cowboy, Funk, Trooper, and Shep dog were all waiting until 3pm. As I was getting ready to leave I saw Shep dog trying to fit a pillow case on Cowboys arm in attempts to make it work as a sling. From the looks of it Cowboy was trying to figure out a way to get back on trail and hike the remaining 89 miles of trail before getting himself to a doctor. I wanted to tell him that he should take a boat across the lake and see a doctor but then I thought 'what if it were my arm?'. I would want everyone to shut up, speak nothing of a doctor, help me make a sling out of a pillow case, tell me they knew I could make it, and wish me the best as I set out on trail to finish this Goddamn thing! Hopefully he knew best for himself and made the right decision accordingly.

I caught the bus but wasted a lot of time being lazy and only hiked a few miles today. I ended up camping with Chef, Pocahontas, Pitfall, and Baboon. We all sat around the camp fire for hours swapping stories and enjoying the last few days of trail.

Wednesday, October 10th.

Wednesday, October 10th: Today's miles = 0.

I woke up this morning in time to catch the 9am bus from Highbridge to Stehekin. I wasn't going to stay the night there but a group of people ended up staying and it was too enticing. I got to shower (kind of), although, I didn't do laundry. You realize just how disgusting you and your clothes are when you shower and put the unwashed clothes back on.

Stehekin is a tiny town tucked away in the mountains. The only way to get here is to walk through the mountains or take a boat from another town across a giant lake. The town sits right on the edge of the lake and has only a restaurant and a post office. To buy groceries the residents of Stehekin order from the grocery store across the lake and the goods are then transported to the town a few days later via barge. The little town had a rec room with a pool table and a computer. All the hikers hung out there. Funk got a room for the night and Cowboy, Trooper, Shep Dog, Big Cat, Chef, Pocahontas, Pitfall, Baboon, and I ended up staying in it. It was a smelly situation for sure.

My zero day was relaxing until about 8:30pm when some of the boys got a bit intoxicated and started wrestling each other. As their were 10 hikers there, some of us were in the hotel room, others in the rec room, and I was sitting outside enjoying the view from the lake when I heard a ruckus coming from the rec room. Chef then came storming by shortly after saying, "Cowboy broke his friggin' arm!". My first thought was "how in the hell..." and then I remembered. We are 89 miles from the end of the trail and Cowboy has to go and break his arm wrestling!!!

Now, Stehekin has no doctor. All it has is an EMT in the ranger station. The boats were done running for the day to get across the lake and his injury wasn't serious enough for any other action so poor Cowboy took a bunch of painkiller Opiates and it toughed it through the night with ice on his arm. The wrestling boys weren't feeling so tough anymore and I might say that they all seemed to either sober up rather quickly or pass out. 89 friggin' miles from the end of a 2,663.5 mile hike and to break your arm...!!

Tuesday, October 9th.

Tuesday, October 9th: Today's miles = 22.6. Total PCT = 2,580.2. Miles remaining = 83.3.

Today was one of my latest starts in a long time. I was not hiking until after 10am. There was one big climb early in the day but the rest of the day was mostly downhill. Big Cat caught up about halfway through the day and he, Baboon, Funk, Shep Dog, Cowboy, Pocahontas, Chef, and I camped at the Highbridge.

Monday, October 8th.

Monday, October 8th: Today's miles = 26.3. Total PCT miles = 2,557.6 . Miles remaining = 105.9.

I woke up freezing this morning! As with most mornings, all my gear (including my socks) was frozen. Taking that first cup of coffee in the morning is my favorite part of the day (thanks Monkey mom!).

Today was another beautiful day, minus the cold. It IS October after all. I couldn't ask for better weather even with the cold. Normally Washington provides hikers with a lot of rain but this year so far has broken records! The sky is blue and sunny. The only clouds in the sky were created by wildfires. I'll take wildfire smoke over rain/snow clouds any day.

I ran into Upchuck and Bounce Box today. They are two hikers who I met very early into the trail. I have not seen them since around mile 750 and I'm walking along today and there they are, perched up on a rock at the top of a climb. They were the last people I expected to see today.

Shortly after I ran into them I had a decision to make; take the old PCT or take the new PCT. There is a section of trail were the trail splits into two trails. One of these trails is the old PCT that was the official PCT up until a few years ago. The new PCT in this section is 7.1 miles and is a smooth hike to the river, where there is a newly built bridge. The old PCT is 2.2 miles and not maintained. There are countless blowdowns on the trail, sections of trail that you can't even find, and two rivers to cross without bridges. I chose the old PCT. The first half a mile of this trail was fine, and then I started to run into the blow downs. They were nothing I hadn't dealt with before on the AT. I actually found climbing up and down these giant down trees to be exciting. The two river crossings had logs over them as bridges. The log at the first crossing was a lot smaller than the second, although, the second river was a lot bigger. After the second crossing the trail disappeard. I knew that the PCT was upwards so I just started climbing up the mountain. Eventually I ran into the PCT after a bunch of bush whacking. I was glad that I had found the trail before it got completely dark. I rolled into camp around 10pm and Funk, Cowboy, Trooper, and Shep Dog were there.

A stream that froze over and, well, beautiful things!

Sunday, October 7th.

Sunday, October 7th: Today's miles = 22. Total PCT miles = 2,531.3. Miles remaining = 132.2.

This morning I hiked through what was possibly the most beautiful section of trail on the whole PCT. Some would argue that the Sierras are the most beautiful but I prefer to see green things. I had no idea Washington was going to be so beautiful. It took me almost 4 hours to hike 4 miles this morning because of the distractions. I could not believe I was climbing up a mountain in one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to with the fall leaves literally falling on my head and the sun rising behind the distant snow covered peaks! I took my time for the first part of the day.

The second part of the day was quite different. By 3 pm I had only hiked 10 miles and still had one of the steepest climbs in the state ahead of me. *sigh*. I made it only 3 miles before my goal today and still didn't get to camp until 10:30pm. Once I got to the spot by an alpine lake Funk and Cowboy were screaming that there was good camping down by the base of the lake. They were already set up and warm in their sleeping bags. The lake was huge and I asked them how the water from it was. They replied, "good luck getting water from the lake. Its completely frozen over!". It was another COLD night!

Saturday, October 6th.

Saturday, October 6th: Today's miles = 23.7. Total PCT miles = 2,509.3. Miles remaining = 154.2.

I knew I had camped by a lake last night but I couldn't see it until the morning. I tried exceptionally hard to get up early this morning but all I was able to do was roll over in my sleeping bag and make coffee. My brother has offered to drive to Manning State Park in Canada to both meet me to celebrate the end of my hike and also to drive me to Bend Oregon. I have happily accepted his offer and have agreed to meet him Sunday night, October 14th. This obviously means that I have to finish the trail before then. So, my desire to get up early this morning was spurred by the prospect of actually making it to the border by this date.

I didn't start hiking until 9am and didn't stop until 10:30pm, and yet somehow still only managed to hike 23.7 miles. I must say that I have under estimated Washingon both in difficulty and beauty.

I'd like to hike three 25's and a 21 into Stehieken, the last town on the PCT. If the mountains stay as hard as they have been this will be more difficult than I would prefer. Must sleep...eyes closing themselves.

Oh, my tent is an icicle again.

Friday, October 5th.

Friday, October 5th: Today's miles = 9.6. Total PCT miles = 2,485.6. Miles remaining = 177.9.

Neither the other two hikers or I in the bunk room got up during the night to put more wood on the stove so I woke up cold, as always. I didn't mind though because I didn't have to pack up my tent with wet and cold fingers. Jerry Dismore had told me the night before that he would take me to the post office in the morning to get a package I had sent to myself. After the post office he took me to the cafe in town where I ordered a veggie scramble and a bagel. Finally, he drove me to the deli where I ended up hitching  back to the trail but not before I spent most of the day loitering and eating. I ended up getting a ride back up to the pass around 5pm.

On my 9.6 mile night hike to my camp spot I realized that one year ago today I summited Mt. Katahdin, ending my AT thru hike; one year ago I was sitting in a bar in Millinocket Maine doing shots of whiskey with my closest trail friends and my mother! I spent the night dancing to the juke box and beating everyone at darts (although, my mother puts up a good fight). Turk, Bubbles, Woodstock, Boom, Baboon, and I all spent the entire evening reliving the past 6 months of our lives on the trail. In the morning I knew I would be leaving Maine and the people I had met on the trail that had come to mean so much to me. So, we all got drunk to celebrate yet also to forget the sadness of it all coming to an end... and here I was, hiking up a giant mountain on the PCT. For a moment I forgot I was on the PCT and felt almost like it could have been an Appalachian mountain I was climbing. I kind of wish it had been. The AT has a hold on me. Perhaps because it was my first long distance trail. Hiking the PCT has made me want to return to the AT and rehike my favorite sections; to spend all day at the horn of Saddleback, to take my time through the Whites, to spend ten days in the 100 mile wilderness! I suspect in a year from now I will look back on the PCT the way I now look back on the AT.

Friday, October 5th.

Friday, October 5th: Today's miles = 9.6. Total PCT miles = 2,485.6. Miles remaining = 177.9.

Neither the other two hikers or I in the bunk room got up during the night to put more wood on the stove so I woke up cold, as always. I didn't mind though because I didn't have to pack up my tent with wet and cold fingers. Jerry Dismore had told me the night before that he would take me to the post office in the morning to get a package I had sent to myself. After the post office he took me to the cafe in town where I ordered a veggie scramble and a bagel. Finally, he drove me to the deli where I ended up hitching  back to the trail but not before I spent most of the day loitering and eating. I ended up getting a ride back up to the pass around 5pm.

On my 9.6 mile night hike to my camp spot I realized that one year ago today I summited Mt. Katahdin, ending my AT thru hike; one year ago I was sitting in a bar in Millinocket Maine doing shots of whiskey with my closest trail friends and my mother! I spent the night dancing to the juke box and beating everyone at darts (although, my mother puts up a good fight). Turk, Bubbles, Woodstock, Boom, Baboon, and I all spent the entire evening reliving the past 6 months of our lives on the trail. In the morning I knew I would be leaving Maine and the people I had met on the trail that had come to mean so much to me. So, we all got drunk to celebrate yet also to forget the sadness of it all coming to an end... and here I was, hiking up a giant mountain on the PCT. For a moment I forgot I was on the PCT and felt almost like it could have been an Appalachian mountain I was climbing. I kind of wish it had been. The AT has a hold on me. Perhaps because it was my first long distance trail. Hiking the PCT has made me want to return to the AT and rehike my favorite sections; to spent all day at the horn of Saddleback, to take my time through the Whites, to spend ten days in the 100 mile wilderness! I suspect in a year from now I will look back on the PCT the way I now look back on the AT.

Thursday, October 4th.

Thursday, October 4th: Todays miles = 20.4. Total PCT miles = 2,476. Miles remaining = 187.5.

Today was another 9am start. Even with the drive to get to Stevens Pass/Skykomish I still could not get out of my sleeping bag any earlier. It was another sleepless night for me. Its been two nights in a row now that I have not gotten any sleep! Hiking Washington miles are hard enough as it is but hiking without any sleep and a resupply of just sugar is, well... just miserable.

The hike was beautiful today, although, I will admit that I didn't take much time to soak it in. I knew I had to hike 20 miles today and get to the pass in time to hitch in the day light.

I made it to the pass around 4:45pm and got a ride almost immediately from a girl about my age. The hitch from Stevens pass to Skykomish is 25 miles. This very kind girl, Jenna, drove Baboon and I about 20 miles East on the road before we realized that Skykomish was West! Jenna turned around, drove us back to where she picked us up and then continued another 25 miles out of her way to drop us off at the deli in Skykomish! I couldn't thank her enough. She helped us out more than she can know. It was getting dark and our chances of making it to town at that point were very slim.

We arrived at the deli 8 minutes before close and I was reluctant to order because, I've worked food service and you always hate those bastards that come in just before close with a big order, and hikers always have big orders. The lady behind the counter told me she could do cold sandwiches and told us to take our time shopping. I started grabbing random things off the shelves as my sandwhich was being made. To be honest, I had no idea what I was buying at the time. After the lady handed me my samdwich she told me that if I waited until she closed up shop that she would give me a ride 6 miles down the road to the Dinsmores, a trail angels home. I don't remember eating the sandwich, really, but it happened sometime between the time she handed it to me and the time I got in her car. She turned the heat up all the way in her car because she could see how cold I was and drove me right to Jerry and Andrea Dismores. They met me outside and explained to me that I was welcome to shower and give my clothes to Andrea. She would then wash them for me. They had clothes for me to pick from for while my clothes were being washed. I chose very oversized sweat pants and a cotton hoodie! They then directed me to a building in the back of their house that had 6 bunks for hikers, many recliners circled around a coffee table, two TVs, about 200 movies, a microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, fridge, computer, and a slew of books. Andrea told me to make myself at home and rest up for the last part of my journey.

After I was clean I sat by the wood burning stove in the hiker room for quite a while looking through the bag of goodies I bought myself at the deli. I had Cheese Its, Pringles, soda, fruit, and microwave popcorn! It was a good night! I actually slept for most of the night!

Wednesday, October 3rd.

Wednesday, October 3rd: Todays miles = 24.9 . Total PCT miles = 2,455.6. Miles remaining = 207.9.

The big cat from the night before was indeed a mountain lion and her cubs. Their paw prints were all over the frozen ground in the morning. I was grateful they didn't have much interest in me the night before. The temperature last night got well down into the teens! My guess would be that it got as cold as 10-15 degrees. I did not sleep. Not even a wink. I spent the entire night shivering, tossing and turning around in my sleeping bag. It was less than enjoyable.

By the time the sun came up it had warmed just a little bit and I felt like I could have finally fallen asleep. Unfortunately, Instead of sleeping, I knew I had to pack my things and start hiking. I got on the trail around 9am. The day didn't warm up much at all and I hiked the whole day in most of my gear. The miles were slow again today. I think its a Washington thing.

Lunch was a short oatmeal break. I didn't even want to stop hiking because I knew I could keep warmer if I stayed mobile. So, I ate as quickly as I could and continued on. I made a mistake in my resupply coming out of Snoqualmie. I somehow thought it was a great idea to buy all candy and cookies. Once I got back on trail I realized that all I had to eat were sweet things....and I don't even really like most sweet things. I seriously had an entire resupply of sugar (minus oatmeal and hard pretzels). Opps. 

The sun has been starting to set around 4:30pm it feels. Its around 6:30 before it actually goes down but it begins to get cold much earlier. By 4pm I still had 14 miles to hike. I knew it was going to be a cold and late night.

7 miles from my camp spot I came across a sign that read "Impossible creek crossing 2 miles ahead". I looked at it for a minute, said "eh, it cant be that bad", and continued hiking. By this time it was already as dark as dark can get and my eye lashes were beginning to freeze. "Keep walking, keep walking" is all I kept telling myself, and then I heard it; the raging white water of the river I decided wouldn't be that bad to cross. I could hear the water long before it ever came into sight, although, that's not saying much because with my headlamp I couldn't see much at all. I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to put my new batteries in my lamp, hoping that the enhanced ability to see would calm my nerves about crossing the river. It did no such thing. On the contrary, being able to clearly see what I was about to cross did the opposite. What I saw was a raging, white water river nestled in between a jumbled pit of boulders. I decided that before I even attempted to cross the water I needed to take a break and eat something. I sat mostly to prep myself for what I knew I was about to do. After a few moments of rest I got up and began surveying the river, looking for possible crossing points. I didn't really find anything. After a bit of investigation it was clear that the only way to get to the other side of the water was (ummm, cough, cough), a little less than ideal. Baboon asked me what my plan of attack was. I explained to him that the best way I saw to cross was to simply....jump and hope for the best. We couldn't ford the river with the temperature being what it was. Fording would have surly resulted in hypothermia. There were no good stepping stones to use nor were there any down logs to balance on. Most of the rocks and larger boulders that were in the river were either completely saturated with water or too far from shore to ever reach; except for one. I saw what was a large, somewhat flat boulder in the water. It was definitely a decent jump away from shore. I pointed to it and explained to Baboon that I was going to make the leap, hoping to land on the slippery boulder. He looked at me doubtfully. It wasn't encouraging. I took a minute before I began to edge out from shore on a rock that was just part of the giant rock pit we were in. I had my pack on my back and trekking poles in hand, and then I had a thought, a moment of doubt. Now, this moment didn't stop me from making the jump, but it did deter me from doing so with a 35 pound pack strapped to my back and trekking poles flaying around. My reasoning was as follows, if I jumped and missed the rock I felt sure enough that I could make my way out of the water where a perfectly dry pack with my dry sleeping bag would be waiting on shore for me. If I made the jump but failed to get my pack dryly across the water I knew if I was dry I could keep warm enough by fire side throughout the night. It was essential that either my pack or I stayed dry during this endeavour. I was hoping for both. So, I took my pack off, set it on shore, and made the jump. I took the wetness of the rock into consideration as I made my landing and made it across flawlessly. Thats when I remembered that the rock I was standing on was only halfway across the 'impossible creek crossing'! The other half of the crossing was less eventful and much easier and dosnt warrant a story. Baboon later tossed my pack to me and followed up with a leap of his own.

By the time I got across the water I still had 4 miles to hike on a ridge before I got to a flat spot for the night. 75 minutes, one meandering elk, and one encounter with a gigantic furry spider (white fur, red eyes... a creepy looking mother F-er) I made it to camp for the night. I made dinner, discovered my stove was broken, and was in bed by 11pm. It was another sleepless night.

Tuesday, October 2nd.

Tuesday, October 2nd: Todays miles = 21. Total PCT miles = 2,430.7. Miles remaining = 232.8.

Washington played a game on me today. I woke up in a cloud but it did not stay that way all day. The sun has been rising later and later and by the time I got moving today it was already 9am. The morning was cold so I packed up after breakfast as quickly as I could and was off to find the lake from the night before. As predicted, the lake was about 30 feet from where I was posted up for the night. It was that foggy the night before that I really could not see it!

The first few miles of the day were extreamly hard for me. I'm not a strong morning hiker and the climbs that started off my hike this morning were not merciful. The first climb of the day was perhaps the most beautiful. It was alpine so naturally it was rather scenic. The wind today was what really got to me. It was absolutely freezing! When the sun wasn't shining directly on me today I became instantly cold. It was one of the coldest afternoons I have ever spent on trail....any trail!

I ate lunch in a hurry because I was too cold to enjoy sitting still and took off for my last 10 miles of the day which were all uphill. I actually didn't mind the uphill because it was easier to stay warm that way.

I hiked until about 9pm well into the dark to a somewhat flat spot by a pond. I wasn't excited about setting my tent up tonight because it was still wet from the night before. Last night it rained pretty much the entire night and when I pulled my tent out of the bag it was still dripping wet. I didn't even want to touch the tent because wet fingers in this temperature are sure to be uncomfortable. I set my tent up as quickly as possible and went to unzip the fly. It was then that I realized that my wet tent had frozen! I knew it was cold and I was wearing every piece of clothing I have but I didn't realize that it was THAT cold! My tent literally froze within moments of being exposed to the air. As a matter of fact, everything that I have that can freeze has indeed frozen. If I were to guess at the temperature right now I would say its about 20 degrees, if not colder. I'm bracing for a cold night. I have literally every piece of clothing I carry on me right now, bundled up in my zero degree sleeping bag. I have a feeling actually may get that cold tonight.

There is another cat like animal stalking my tent tonight. I'm too cold to care.

Monday, October 1st.

Monday, October 1st: Todays miles = 10.2. Total PCT miles = 2,409.7. Miles remaining = 253.8.

It's raining. Right now I am in my tent. It's 10:04pm and I have just finished eating dinner, cleaning up my stove and cook pot, and brushing my teeth. Even despite the rain and strong winds I feel safe and protected in my tent. I have seen this tent brave through many strong storms and I have (almost) full confidence in it for tonight. I woke up this morning to another beautiful day. It took me a while to get moving because of the migraine I've had for the past few days. Yesterday I took both Ibprophin and Excedrin Migraine to try and kill it but it didn't even come close. I managed to get some more Ibprophin down this morning to take the edge off so that I could open my eyes and start thinking about packing my things. Eventually I got up and moseyed my way down a ski slope and into "town". As many of the "towns" on the PCT they are not really towns. This particular spot, Snoqualmie Pass, was a ski resort with a motel, gas station, and pancake house. Despite the fact that they are not actually towns us hikers call them that anyway because they are examples of some sort of civilization. I got into town around 9:30am and headed straight for the pancake house. I ordered blueberry pancakes with hashbrowns and an english muffin. Perhaps it was too ambitious of me because I had to give my english muffin away. I think I had filled my stomach with too much coffee and was unable to eat it. I did clean the rest of the food off the plate, though, with almost no trouble at all. My appetite for the past week has been amazingly strong. I know that I have hiked 2,400 miles so far and that my body wants as much as it can get but the hunger I have felt recently is nothing like I have ever experienced. Even throughout my entire AT hike I never felt this way. People keep telling me that its because its getting cold and the mountains are getting harder. Thats exactly what happened at the end of the AT as well. Although, I experienced the opposite last year on the AT. During the end of my hike my appetite lessened. I was eating a normal amount of food; the same as if I hadn't just hiked over 2,000 miles. I don't know what it is but the habit of eating this much food is starting to get very heavy on my pack and wallet (especially when resupplying at gas stations where everything is three times the price).

I stayed in town from 9:30am to 4:30pm. I ate, resupplied, sewed my pants back together (they had become more resemblant of chaps than pants) and watched as all the other hikers within a day of me booked themselves a hotel room for the night. I wanted to get a room as well, of course, but the rooms were expensive and the owner was a dick. So, I left town as dirty, smelly, and pathetically repugnant as I entered it.

I hiked 8.2 miles up a giant mountain with a full pack to my camp spot tonight. There was suppose to be a lake up here (which was my water source for the night) but I have yet to find it. The sky was clear until the last few miles of the hike and with the darkness came the fog and eventual rain. I did manage to set up my tent just in time before the rain began, however, I still couldn't locate the lake. The fog is so thick I could not see a thing coming down the pass which was on the side of a cliff (which my luck always seems to prove while night hiking). I looked around a bit for the lake but heavy fog mixed with a head lamp = zero visibility. The lake is most likely a few yards from me and in the morning with the sunlight I will feel rather disinclined by the situation. It was a good thing I lugged too much water up this mouuntain or else I wouldn't have had water to cook dinner, that or else I would have had to put forth more effort in finding said mystery lake.

Sunday, September 30th.

Sunday, September 30th: Todays miles = 24.9 . Total PCT miles = 2,399.5. Miles remaining = 264.

Today was another late start and another late night! It was a rough 24.9 miles today! Although, the weather was BEAUTIFUL! I wouldn't have dared to ask for a better day. During the afternoon I actually took my pants off and went down to my hiking skirt. I didn't realize how dirty my legs were until that moment. There were also new muscles that have appeared in my legs that I have not noticed until today because I've had them covered for so long. Today was a good mood day; a "sad the trail is ending" day.

It is Fall and the mountains are behaving to the season! The trees have become an amazing array of colors and textures. The ground is crisp and chill. The smell of Autumn is everywhere; there is no escaping it. I'm not complaining in the slightest. Autumn is my favorite season by far and I am throughly enjoying being in the wilderness for it. I'm from Buffalo. We don't have a 'season' of Fall, we have the 'week' of Fall. It's Autumn in Buffalo for one week (give or take) and then it snows. So, having the season be so prevalent out here is a wonderful experience!

I walked most of the day muttering to myself things like "Amazing, simply amazing", "How beautiful", Holy shit, look at those colors" and so forth. I would hike todays hike 10 times over just to see those colors again! I couldn't tell you what mountains I hiked over today or where even I was exactly. All I knew was that I was in Washington on a beautiful day being smothered with Autumn, and I loved every minute of it!

Saturday, September 29th.

Saturday, September 29th: Todays miles = 24.5 . Total PCT miles = 2,374.6. Miles remaining = 288.9.

Cold, foggy, wet (but not raining), then freezing cold. I think this does a good job at summing up the day. I woke up in the morning and knew it was going to be one of those days; those Washington horror story days that I have heard about. The morning pretty much tells you what the rest of the day is going to be like here in Washington and I knew I was in for it. I hiked the entire day bundled up in my pants, fleece, hat, and gloves! The wind was whipping through the fleece and chilling me to the bone. The hiking was pretty mellow today but the conditions were not, making for a difficult day. The nice thing about today was the smell of the forest. All day smelled like Christmas because of the abundant pine. It made me anxious for the holidays with my friends and family and all the creature comforts I can take. My mood changes from day to day. Some days I can't wait to be home baking Christmas cookies while others I become depressed at the thought of the trail ending. I have come to discover that there is a direct correlation between the weather and my mood.

I climbed up and over Blowout Mt. late in the afternoon and for a split second the sky cleared and I had a view. It didn't last long and before I could even take a picture it fogged in again. Ah, well...at least it didn't rain.

Friday, September 28th.

Friday, September 28th. Todays miles = 18.1. Total PCT miles = 2,350.1. Miles remaining = 313.4.

I woke up this morning to the sounds of hungover hikers rustling around in want of coffee. I don't know how they all managed to wake up before I did but I too got up shortly after and had my fair share of coffee. The trail angel, Sam, let me make banana pancakes for breakfast before she drove a few other hikers and I back to the trail head. I didn't start hiking today until 11am. All these late morning starts are cutting my mileage down. Some days I care (when its freezing rain) and others I don't (when it's sunny and warm). The hike today was decently easy and I got to my camp spot just before dark. Big Cat was there already setting up his things for the night. I camped with Baboon and Big Cat.

Thursday, September 27th

Thursday, September 27th: Todays miles = 9.2. Total PCT miles = 2,332. Miles remaining = 331.5.

The mornings hike was difficult and slow for me. My energy level was low despite the amount of food I have been eating. I only made it 9.2 miles today before I got to highway 410 where there was a note from a trail angle, Sam. I had no idea who Sam was but I didn't care. She had written in her note that she had a camp set up just 5 miles down the road off of the highway AND that she would be around every hour or so to pick up hikers and take them there. So, I sat and waited. She rolled up about 45 minutes later and asked "you guys in a hurry or down to have some fun?". Baboon and I looked at each other and our answer was clear. We then piled in to her Jeep and road to the camp. At her camp she had a BIG tent set up. She also had shelves built into trees that held copious amounts of food, all which she said we could eat at our will. She made daily beer and liquor runs to town, enticing hikers to stay the night. We were successfully enticed. I chose not to drink, remembering my punishment suffered in Crescent City. I did, however, enjoy watching everyone else drink themselves into a stupor and pass out in various places around the camp site. Instead of drinking, I chose to eat. It was a good nero (near zero mileage) day!

Wednesday, September 26th.

Wednesday, September 26th: Todays miles = 19.8. Total PCT miles = 2,322.8. Miles remaining = 340.7.

I got a ride out of Packwood at about 10am from a man driving a BIG produce delivery truck. You never think semi's or other large trucks are going to stop and to be honest, even if they did I didn't know how comfortable I would feel about getting in. This truck was the first one to ever stop for me and it was not uncomfortable at all getting in. The driver had a lot of questions about the trail and after the 20 mile ride he dropped me off right at the trail head. My pack felt so heavy for the first 10 miles. I was hiking slowly and wasn't really enjoying myself... and then I entered Ranier National Forrest. By this time it was already dark but the moon was almost full. Mt. Ranier came into view with the glow of the moon just behind it. The smoke from the wildfire sat at the base of the mountain but peaking up through the smoke I could see the snow capped summit of the 14,000ft mountain! It stopped me in my tracks. Part of me was wishing it was daylight so I could have a better view but after being introduced to Mt. Ranier the way I was I wouldn't want it any other way. I hiked another 2 miles on the side of a cliff (in the dark) with the mountain in view the whole time. Everything from that point on was perfect. I got to my camp spot and no one else was there so I didn't have to worry about making noise. The temperature was perfect; just a bit chilly but completely comfortable. I could see the almost full moon between the trees of my camp spot. I didn't have any trouble setting up my tent (I usually have a hard time getting the stakes in the ground because its always so hard). My tent which usually seems so small felt like a mansion. My dinner cooked perfectly and it was the perfect amount. The elk were making thier call down in the valley and the sound carried up, putting me to sleep. I felt more at home there at that random spot in the mountains than I ever have. I slept well.

Nothing significantly special happened today, but in years to come when I look back on the Pacific Crest Trail tonight is one of those nights that will stand out. For that evening, my whole world was unmistakably beautiful!

Tuesday, September 25th.

Tuesday, September 25th: Zero day in Packwood. As most zeros, this one was not planned. The Motel Packwood offered a cheap enough room to convince me to stay, eat popcorn, and watch TV. There was nothing good on. I filled my belly with an unadmit-able (probably not a word) amount of peaches. I've been having a thing for peaches since Bend and the ones at the general store were surprisingly good. It was a good zero.