HIKING, TRAVEL, AND THE TIME BETWEEN
Miles 32.8 – 19.6 >>> 13.2 (21.2 km) As people may know, the US does not allow border crossings from Canada to the US on to the PCT. Therefore southbounders have to walk up to the border from the south. There they have to touch off at the border and then turn back to begin …
Miles 19.6 – 0.0 – 3.2 >>> 22.8 (36.7 km) I woke up very early; before five. It was quite cold and it took me a while to get out of my sleeping bag and pack up. The weather was great though and the clouds seemed a little less leaden than the day before. At …
Miles 3.2 – 19.6 >>> 16.4 (26.4 km) We woke up to some foggy dampness and low hanging clouds. There was a chill in the air that hadn’t been there the day before. Soon we found out why. It started to snow just before nine. The landscape was soon covered with a sprinkling of icing sugar. …
Miles 19.6 – 43.2 >>> 23.6 (38.0 km) The morning began with disappointing news. John, my hiking buddy since the Greyhound station in Seattle, urged me to leave him behind. His shin splints hadn’t got any better and he felt that he was holding me up. I didn’t really like to leave a man behind, …
Miles 43.2 – 63.8 >>> 20.6 (33.2 km) I woke up to beautiful sunshine and it was actually a joy to get up and going. As I was walking along the Methow River, just south of Azurite Peak, I suddenly heard a small commotion to my left. As I turned to look, I saw this: …
Miles 63.8 – 80.7 >>> 16.9 (27.2 km) I got up reasonably early and got going, because I was keen to make it to my first town stop: Stehekin. The weather was fabulous and warm and the trail miles spewed effortlessly from my feet. I came across a modern art exhibition … … and a …
Miles 80.7 – 80.7 >>> 0.0 (0.0 km) The day began pretty lazy. Mando and I both slept in and only made it for breakfast by around ten. It was wonderful. I’ll be honest. I didn’t do a lot this day. I mostly sat outside on the big deck in front of the lodge and …
Miles 80.7 – 100.2 >>> 19.5 (31.4 km) We got up in time to catch the first bus back to the trail at 8.15 am. We didn’t have any breakfast in Stehekin proper, as the bus stops at the bakery along the way, and we’d been told to gorge ourselves on pastries and other great …
Miles 100.2 – 117.5 >>> 17.3 (27.8 km) The morning started beautifully with crystal clear skies and relatively warm temperatures. We were up and running (or rather walking) before seven. It was a beautiful but uneventful day and we hiked mostly through forested areas. Lunchtime was spent on the other side of the bridge across …
Miles 117.5 – 136.9 >>> 19.4 (31.2 km) The day began again stunning and it was a joy to get back on trail. The path quickly rose to almost 6,000 feet (1,800 m) and the scenery began to look a lot more alpine. At about 9:30 am, we came across an amazing view and decided …