PCT Days 130 to 139 - Tunnel Falls and Tiny Parades: Life Between Trail and Town

Day 130

Once again eager for town day and to knock out some chores, we broke camp around 5:20am and immediately hit the trail with a quick pace. The first 3 or so miles were a gorgeous ridge traverse with amazing views of the early sunrise colors projected on Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Rainier way off in the distance. A few miles in, we passed AC and his crew at the turn-off for the Eagle Creek Trail alternate. We knew how pretty this trail was, so we of course took it. The first few miles of it were pretty rough as we had to contend with heavy erosion, sandy, rocky soil, and copious blowdowns in a burn scar, all while going steeply downhill. We had to slow our pace down considerably to accommodate this, but after an hour or so, it finally began to mellow out a bit. Once we were on the actual Eagle Creek Trail and not just the steep downhill connector trail, it became much nicer with a nice wide path, zero obstructions, and even handholds in a few areas! We also passed several smaller waterfalls before passing the famous Tunnel Falls. There, we stopped for a few pictures and to explore the tunnel a bit before continuing on. The rest of the trail was gorgeous, with numerous waterfalls and wildlife surrounding us. Unfortunately, it was also full of day hikers who had terrible trail etiquette, so we had to continually stop to pick up trash or to wade through large groups who would not yield to faster hikers. We reached the trailhead around noon, filled up on water, and then tried in vain to get a hitch for the 2 miles into Cascade Locks. We waited around for maybe 20 minutes before throwing in the towel and walking along the bike path. 

Once in town, we made a beeline to Eastwind Drive-In, the local burger spot that we had fallen in love with the year before. The line was long, and it was pretty hot in the gorge, but we still waited in the sun, and we were rewarded for our troubles with large shakes, large battered curly fries, and double bacon cheeseburgers. Once we were both stuffed, we caught the bus to Hood River and resupplied at the Safeway, where we met up with Bush. We were going to try and stay in Hood River, but every room was $180 a night or more, which was too much for us. Realizing that we would need to return to Cascade Locks, I immediately caught a bus to the town's only gear store, Shortt Supply, and grabbed a can of fuel and new tips for my busted trekking poles. Once I was done there, I hoofed it back across town and met Anna at the bus terminal in time to catch the 5pm bus back to Cascade Locks. I was shot after the 20mi hiking day and then the miles of chores walked in 94 degree weather. We grabbed an affordable room at the Columbia Gorge Inn (mile 2150), showered, took care of laundry, and then tucked in with some snacks to watch Only Lovers Left Alive. Anna passed out before the movie ended, and I think I’ll follow her shortly here. It’s a shame these town stops are generally so hectic!

Day 131

Not at all eager to hike and not rested at all, we slept in a bit and took full advantage of the room we had paid for at the Columbia Gorge Inn. Around 9am or so, we ventured out for coffee, sweet tea, and a box of donuts from the market since breakfast wasn’t included with our stay. I had zero interest in the next bit of trail because it was largely comprised of steep climbs and descents through previous burn scars and logging leases. Over breakfast, I looked at the map and noticed that we could go around this section and camp at one of our favorite spots. I showed the route to Anna, and she was instantly on board. This decided, we had our breakfast while watching an episode of Nathan For You, packed our things up, and then hit the trail, er road.

Hiking out, we immediately crossed the famed Bridge of the Gods into Washington, which was a pretty cool experience except for the constant road traffic and lack of a dedicated walking area. Still, we took our time and soaked in the views. On the Washington side, we scampered out into the road to quickly get pictures between cars. We had considered walking to Carson, but the road did not have a shoulder, nor did it have a low speed limit, so we hitched instead. Not long after we put our thumbs out, a nice woman named Amy stopped by to give us a ride into town. She gave us a little info on Stevenson as we passed through and then dropped us off at the coffee shop in Carson. Due to some crummy weather blowing in, we hung out in Carson for a bit, first at the coffee shop, then at a brewery where I had brisket mac and cheese! Around 2:30pm, the storms blew through with some rain and lightning before the sky cleared up. It was now ungodly hot and humid, though. Still, we wrapped up our lunch and began to walk along Wind River Highway towards the trail. A few miles into our walk, a nice woman named Erin offered us a ride to the trailhead, and we graciously accepted. Her husband and son were sobo hikers that she was headed out to meet, so we were on our way. We cruised the few miles up the road and then got dropped off right where the PCT crossed the road. From there, we entered the lush jungle and massive trees of the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest and walked the couple of miles to Panther Creek Camp at mile 2185.3. The campground ended up being $25 even for walk-ins, so we turned around and camped for free along the PCT next to Panther Creek itself. The air is absolutely stifling, but it’s wonderful to be back in the dense forest of Washington!

Day 132

Between the dense forest, surrounding hills, and the heavy clouds, first light came much later than normal today, and it never truly became bright out. As a result, we rolled out of bed a bit later than usual. Once packed up, we swung through the official Panther Creek campground to fill up on water and make use of their facilities and trash cans. From there, we hopped Forest Road 65 to see the Panther Creek Falls instead of hiking on the relatively uneventful trail. We saw a family of deer and a variety of birds, but otherwise it was unusually still and silent along the road. 6 or so miles up the road, we arrived at the falls and took the side trail down to check them out. Sure enough, they were gorgeous as promised, cascading some 50 or so feet down with white water rapids crowning the top. After our stop there, we continued up the road for another couple of miles before turning on Forest Road 60, which linked back to the trail. For about 45 minutes, we were doused by rain in true Washington fashion, which made the already high humidity horrendous. This, combined with the 2600ft climb, meant that we were quite sticky when we arrived at the trailhead at mile 2201.1. Even though it was only 11:30am, we stopped for an early lunch just in time to see Danger Mouse get dropped off by a passing car. He had been hiking the alternate route as well, and right after the falls, someone had offered him a hitch. Not only did they give him a ride, but they also gave him a tallboy of prickly pear cider! 

We all hung out for an hour or so before Anna and I said goodbye and hit the trail, eager to get up our next 1600ft climb. The climb ended up being pretty nice due to a gentle cool breeze and an exceptionally nice stretch of trail. We passed several southbound hikers, but it was otherwise uneventful. At the top, we were rewarded with a thicket of huckleberry shrubs and views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens floating above the clouds. In classic fashion, we immediately went downhill right after the top of the climb. Once the trail leveled out a bit, we passed by the gorgeous Blue Lake, where a family was fishing. The dad had a stick with 12 trout strung on it after only 90 minutes of fishing! I guess I’ll have to come back here with my pole. From there went along a few rolling hills until we arrived at Junction Lake (mile 2210.5), our intended spot for the night. We could have gone further, but both of our feet were sore from the road walk, and there were no market or commented on tent sites for another 6 miles. It was a bit buggy while setting up, but thankfully, it was nowhere near as bad as I feared. Once we were cozy in our tent, Jaqueline and Talke, and then Danger Mouse arrived as well, so we told them all about the music festival in Trout Lake on Saturday. Hopefully everyone comes and we have a good crew!

Day 133

Eager to make it into town early and to see Twig, we hit the trail early at 5:45am and quickly made miles on the friendly grade. After our initial easy 400ft climb, the next 13ish miles were all a gentle downhill. Some of this section was overgrown, but it was gorgeous and resembled a tropical forest with massive leaves. At mile 2227, after we crossed Trout Lake Creek, we stopped for a short lunch to down a few calories before the 1200ft climb immediately after. There was a cute little tenting area, complete with benches next to the creek, which is also a welcome surprise. Stuffed with the remainder of our food bags, we hoofed it up the hill until we intersected a forest service road at mile 2228.9. On the map, it appeared to cut off an unnecessary climb at the top, and we figured our odds of a hitch or trail magic would be higher. The dirt road ended up being pretty cushy except for the occasional dual-sport motorcycle. No hitches or trail magic, but when we walked up to FS 23 (mile 2232), our road into Trout Lake, we arrived right as Jaquelin and Tolke were climbing into a hitch and leaving. I signed us into the trail register and left a slanderous message towards Bush as a joke, and then Anna and I quickly scored a hitch from some local college kids on a summer road trip.

In town, we got dropped off at the gas station and cafe, where I quickly took up residence in the bathroom as I had become quite car sick on the way in. Anna grabbed a table with Jaqueline and Tolke, and when I recovered, I joined them and ordered a chocolate shake. We all hung out for a bit and caught up, then headed over to the General Store to see Twig and get started on chores. We happily reunited with Twig and began to catch up while the local cats came and greeted us. Anna and I knocked out our resupply, and then Twig took us over to a giant potluck the town was hosting. The few hikers there all stuffed their faces, us included, and we were entertained by the small town children’s orchestra performing music that seemed right out of O Brother Where Art Thou. After dinner, we got the okay from the owner of the General Store to set up our tents in the yard, and then we continued to hang out over some ciders well into the night. 

Day 134

I awoke around 6:00am to the sounds of others around us packing up and whispering. Remembering that Twig wanted to have breakfast together, we rolled out of bed and headed up the road to the Trout Lake Volunteer Fire Department, which was feeding everyone a free huckleberry pancake breakfast as a fundraiser. Because of the free food and bottomless portions, every hiker in town was there, along with most of the town! Anna and I hung out with Twig, Alpenglow, Coffee, and Danger Mouse while we stuffed plates of food down. Unfortunately, no one was interested in going to the carnival that evening, and except for Twig, everyone else was taking the 8am shuttle back to the trail and skipping the parade. Once we wrapped up breakfast, we headed back to the general store, bought some ciders and beer, and passed them around. Waffles, another Texan who was out finishing parts he had skipped in the past, was there, and he shot the breeze with Anna, Twig, and me until parade time. We then watched an assortment of horses, ponies, dragsters, tractors, and firetrucks go by over the next 16 minutes. The whole town was out spraying each other with super soakers, and it was a great time! We never did learn what all of the festivities were for! At 11am we said our goodbyes to Twig as she caught the shuttle back to the trail. We hung around and knocked out a few chores until around 3pm when we bothered to actually look up what was going on at the carnival. Between the child focused games and late night concert, we decided that it didn’t make sense to spend the $50 to go. We also didn’t want to deal with the noise camping behind the general store again, so we caught the 4pm shuttle back to the trail and set up camp a mile in at 2233.1. It was great seeing Twig again and finally spending some time socializing with others!

Day 135

Between the dense foliage and the rapidly shortening days, it was pitch black out when my alarm went off at 5am. Not wanting to hike with headlamps, we stayed cozy in bed for a bit longer than normal and hit the trail around 6am, just after first light. We immediately hit the largest climb of this section, a 2200ft ascent over 6 miles, so the grade was friendly. I felt slow, sluggish, and slightly nauseated, so I quickly lost sight of Anna. In the early morning, the trail was exceptionally quiet, oddly devoid of both wind and birdsong. About halfway up the climb, the dense jungle was suddenly replaced with a silver forest of an old burn scar with an immense carpet of ripe huckleberries. Due to the loss of the foliage, I suddenly became aware of the incredible views of Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens in the soft, cloudy morning light. An inversion layer of low-lying clouds further added to the beauty, and I was happy to find gaps between tree skeletons to get better views. Near the top, Mt. Adams loomed large overhead and cast its immense shadow on me until I had made it to the top. At the top, we met a crew of wildland firefighters based out of Wenatchee who had just finished putting out a wildfire. We also passed a trio of southbound hikers, but otherwise the trail was mostly empty. 8 miles into the day, we rounded a corner of one of Mt. Adams’s flanks and there, suddenly looming much larger to the north was Mt. Rainier! Since we were well into the morning at that point, we stopped to have tea and cookies while we soaked in the views.

From there, we continued around the northwest base of Adams and saw its stunning, massive glaciers high up above. We also crossed a number of milky glacial streams, including Adams Creek, which reeked of sulfur. Past all of the river crossings, we continued until the intersection with the Muddy Meadows Trail, where we stopped for lunch. While we were stopped, we got to meet a lovely dog and chatted with some section hikers. As per usual, as the day wore on, we lost motivation, so we both listened to audiobooks for the latter half of the afternoon. I finished up The Fellowship of the Ring and began The Two Towers. We mostly cruised along pretty well until we ran into the collapsed bridge over the Muddy Fork Tributary at mile 2252. It looked like the river had had a flooding event, which caused heavy erosion and for the bridge to snap in half in the middle. Since it was running swiftly and appeared to be deep, we chanced crossing via the bridge remnants and easily made it across. We then pushed on to our goal of the tentsite at mile 2258.9 next to a large pond. Hopefully, we get to see some waterfowl and frogs this evening!

Day 136

We did not get to see any waterfowl or frogs, for that matter, but we did get to see several massive elk across the pond! Overnight, it became incredibly cold and damn to the point that I not only slept in all of my layers, but I also started the day hiking in my fleece! The tent was absolutely soaked when we packed up, and we were completely shrouded in dense fog for the first few hours of the day. The first 9 miles were refreshingly cushy because of the cool weather and easy terrain. From about that point, we rounded a bend and started a slow climb up. The mist began to break in sections, and we were stunned to find Walupt Lake glittering far away off to our left, and Mt. Adams suddenly looming massively behind us. The mist didn’t completely break up for a bit longer, which made the late morning light all the more gorgeous. From there, we continued our climb up as the clouds continued to melt, and then around mile 11, we rounded another bend, and suddenly we were staring down at the Klickitat River Valley and the incredible Goat Rocks! We also heard this strange whistling sound erupting all around us, which we quickly learned was a subspecies of marmot! As we worked our way up to Cispus Pass, we passed towering columnar basalt, countless pikas, and the massive glaciated valley to our right. At the pass, we took advantage of the few trees there to have lunch in the shade in soak in the views on either side. Remarkably, the terrain just became even more special on the other side, with ribbons of glittering streams and waterfalls falling off the jagged cliffs. Refreshed, we helied on, stopped briefly only to collect water. As we continued to climb higher and higher into the core Goat Rocks area, we passed a large variety of wildflowers, but we also encountered significantly more people out for the weekend. By this point, we were mostly above the clouds, and we were getting cooked by the intense sun as we worked our way up, climbing ever higher. At around mile 20, we had to massively slow down to carefully cross the Packwood  Glacier, which had a disorganized and melted out bootpack. Once on the other side, Anna and I decided to summit Old Snowy off to the side, despite it being a bit later in the day. The climb up was steep and turned into a scramble for the last little bit, but it was definitely worth it! We were rewarded with an amazing view of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens all floating above the clouds, massive and impossibly large. Since it was later in the day, we also practically had the place to ourselves, making it all the more special. We stayed for a bit to enjoy the view before carefully climbing our way down to the knife-edge trail, where we regained the PCT. The views just continued to be amazing as the evening clouds rolled in like a river below us across the saddle. Eventually, though, the trail took us below the clouds, and then we were once again quite cold and damp. Weirdly, my ankle also started shooting pain up my leg, forcing me to slowly hobble. I could tell Anna was miserable, but we didn’t want to split up in this tricky terrain and adverse weather. Using my trekking poles as much as I could to take the weight off, we slowly made it down and set up camp near mile 2282.6 a little bit after 7:30pm. We had hiked 24.5 miles, with 5,500ft of gain and 4,400ft of loss, and we were completely exhausted.

Day 137

Overnight, it became cold, wet, and quite windy, which ended up carrying on into the early morning. Between the conditions and our long day yesterday, we slept in a bit and hit the trail just before 7am. The tent was once again soaked, and the other people around us were still hunkered down. Once the clouds and rain broke, we hit the trail as we were eager to get into town at a good time. The first 4 miles were an incredibly steep 1500ft downhill, where we got out of the exposed windy ridge and plunged into the dense alpine forest below. At the bottom, we stopped for a quick breakfast and enjoyed a brief 2 mile respite of easy hiking before climbing 1800ft straight back up over 3 miles. Unfortunately, this made my ankle start to ache once again, making the remainder of the day less enjoyable. At the top, we were greeted with more amazing views of Mt. Rainier, Shoe Lake, the Goat Rocks behind us, and the massive valleys leading towards Yakima on our right. We also crossed into the White Pass Ski Area, which I had skied in the depths of winter, so it was cool seeing the runs melted out and carpeted in wildflowers. In continuing on the theme of the day, we then immediately started heading 2,200ft downhill again over 6 miles, slowly switchbacking our way down to State Highway 12 and White Pass. The trailhead was pretty empty, so we ended up walking along the road for the mile or so to the White Pass Kracker Barrel store at mile 2298.1, where we stopped in to grab our resupply boxes and a few snacks. While we were hanging out there, Anna called her family to catch up, while I checked up on the weather and charged my devices. Our original plan was to repack our food and continue to Snoqualmie Pass, but now the forecast was calling for a day and a half of heavy rain with the potential for landslides due to an “atmospheric river” flowing through the area. Heeding the warnings of the National Weather Service and Mt. Rainier National Park, we decided to hitch into Packwood and grabbed a cheap room for the night at the Packwood Inn. We had drinks and sandwiches at the Blue Spruce Saloon before calling it a night once the rain started to hit. I was a bit bummed to hop off the trail and spend the money, but I think it was definitely a good decision based on how much rain is also coming down. Also, I really liked Packwood when I stayed here back in February to go skiing, so it’s cool to be back and to show Anna around. 

Day 138

Tired from our last few days, we slept in until nearly 7am, further lulled to sleep by the sound of heavy rain outside. I was delighted to see that the forecast for once had been accurate and that we had been correct in splashing out for a room in Packwood. I got the pot of coffee going for Anna and then set out in search of breakfast for us. After scouring the grocery store and the 2 gas stations in town, it became clear that no one stocked the cheap boxes of donuts. In defeat, I headed back to the grocery store, and to my delight, found out that their hot bar had been stocked with freshly made breakfast sandwiches and their bakery had fresh donuts! I grabbed a few of everything and a large chocolate milk, and headed back to our room, triumphant! After I finished my sandwich, I collected our laundry and then walked to the office in the rain in my underwear to drop it off for cleaning. By now it was around 9am, and the weather had not abated, nor was it forecast to, so I extended for another night and managed to get a discount! 

Back in our room and without clothing, we passed the day away reading, fixing gear, and watching TV. Sometime around 1pm, I inquired about our absent laundry and was told that housekeeping had left for an early lunch. Weird. It wasn’t until around 2:30pm that we finally got our clothing back, but it was surprisingly clean. Clothed, we braved the rain in search of more snacks. I bought a pound of spicy chicken from the grocery store’s hot bar for the low price of $8 and managed to find an ice-cold Arnold Palmer. Snacks in hand, Anna and I binged Avatar The Last Airbender, which she had never seen! Around 6pm, we ventured out again to find Anna some dinner and so that I could grab another chocolate shake from the “Icecream Airstream.” The shake I had there yesterday had to be one of the best I’ve had on trail. When we came back to our room, we noticed a herd of soggy elk had returned to graze just outside our room. The rest of the evening passed fairly uneventfully, but quite restively as the rain continued throughout the night.

Day 139

Well rested from our zero, I woke up just before 6am and turned on the coffee pot for Anna. As the smell of cheap motel coffee filled the room, I checked the weather and confirmed that we were in the clear to head out today. As the coffee pot neared the end of its cycle, the gurgling sound of the water gently woke Anna up. We did a slow pack up, and I grabbed a last minute shower before we ventured out for some breakfast. The coffee shop and bakery were slammed with people headed to Mt. Rainier National Park, so we opted again for cheap grocery store donuts. Breakfast in hand, we returned to our room to finish packing and charging. Our motel neighbors were other thru-hikers, so we gifted them the items we planned to throw in a hiker box before checking out. Out on the road, we quickly got a hitch from Steve and Kit, two lovely retirees out on a multi-month road trip in their RV. On the ride back up to the pass, the squishy suspension of the RV conspired with the windy road to make me fairly car sick. Despite this, Anna and I had a great discussion with them about the current state of affairs in the world and how heartbreaking it is to see our public lands being destaffed and defunded. At the pass, we said farewell, extended our trekking poles, and hit the trail. 

We immediately noticed that White Pass was considerably cooler and more overcast than Packwood, prompting Anna to don her fleece and rain jacket despite our steep 1200ft climb. We passed another nobo hiker on the way up, but otherwise it was fairly uneventful. The trail had quite a bit of standing water on it from yesterday’s heavy rains, which further solidified that we had made the right choice in taking the unplanned zero. At the top, we immediately started on a long, very gradual downhill that lasted for 10 miles. Along the way, we passed a number of beautiful blue/green lakes and a large number of sobo hikers, one of whom was carrying a large sword strapped to his belt… We also met a few friendly section hikers, two of whom were accompanied by friendly dogs. As the trail descended lower towards the Bumping River, we had to hop over more and more mud, and we also saw the telltale signs of elk. At the river, we managed to find a tricky rock hop across, but we were thankfully able to keep our feet dry. From there, we climbed about 1000ft of a 1600ft climb and stopped for the night at an unmarked campsite on the shores of Crag Lake near mile 2314.4. It looks like we’ll have this spot to ourselves with no one else nearby, except for a large herd of elk across the lake from us. After dinner, the temperature continued to plummet, and it became surprisingly cold out. Hopefully, I do not regret my lack of pants and warmer layers!