WalkingCarrot

We are in Skykomish, mile 2,471, with less than two weeks and about 200 miles to go we are close to finishing out thru hike of the PCT. And none too soon. Rain has fallen almost every day the last three weeks and night are getting colder. Some very wet days and nights this week. Nearby slopes have seen snow. Today we walk back out into more rain….

We plan to reach Canada on Sept 27th, drive home the 28th and then go to the ALDHA west hiker gathering the weekend of Oct 1,2 and 3. We will be back home in Sandpoint on Oct 5th or 6th to start our …

Greetings from Cascade Locks. At mile 2,150, we are on the Oregon side of the Columbia River about to cross the Ridge of the Gods. After what seemed like and endless trek we finally finished California and crossed into Oregon. We have hiked along Crater Lake’s rim and the crest of the Cascades including the Three Sisters, Mt Jefferson and Mt Hood.

Ahead lies Washington with its majestic volcanoes and the stunning North Cascade Mountains. We are racing te foul weather of fall to the Canadian border. At his point we project that we will finish up Monday Sept 27th, ne day later than originally planned.

We have come through the most dramatic part of the Sierras; the high Sierra passes south of Yosemite and the country of canyons and stunning volcanic rock formations between Yosemite and Tahoe. The scenery stuns the senses as much as the snow stuns the feet.

The hardships of hail and rain, high altitude, freezing nights, fording swollen streams and fending off masses of mosquitoes are a small price to pay for passage through this wonderland.

We are a couple days behind schedule but looking forward to the relatively lower and flatter terrain on northern California. Time can be made up there, or not………

We are at Kennedy Meadows, a little past the 700 mile mark. The miles are just slipping away and we are 2 days ahead of schedule right now. For the last 2 to 3 weeks we have been averaging about 22 to 23 miles per day on our “full” hiking day.

We have finished with the dry desert climes of southern California, and are about to enter the Sierra Nevada mountains. The reports from all of the backcountry snow sensors or ZERO, meaning the snow melt has removed most all of the serious snow. There will be patches of snow in crevaces and on north facing slopes, but mostly the trail …

We are progressing north and are right on schedule, actually a day ahead.

The last couple of weeks have been exciting with desert crossings and mountain ridges. Extreme heat to freezing cold on the same day several times.

Our route has traversed the high ridges and peaks surrounding Los Angeles, a barrier between the high desert and the suburban malls. Our walk has been through another world largely unknown to most southern Californian’s. A world populated by Ponderosa Pines 5 foot in diameter, equaly immense incense cedar and too many wildflowers to stop and smell them all, even though we try.

We have seen several deer, a large beaver, a couple of coyote …