Day 20-24 (Aug 26-30) mile 2466.9-2554.5 (+11 hike to Holden Village)

 

On day 20 I got back on trail at Stevens Pass loaded with five days of food. I started late and got 12.8 miles in setting up camp at mile 2479.6. 

On day 21 I went through some incredible alpine scenery, with the colors just starting to turn to the fall reds and oranges. I stopped for a while at the spectacular Pear Lake and had it all to myself. I passed a very significant milestone of 1000 miles hiked on the pct combined with the desert section.

I began to see a big cloud of smoke billowing from one of the fires that is burning just a few miles off the trail. I ran into a forest service ranger who was telling hikers about the upcoming fire closure and to be cautious of the nearby airplane lake fire that is steadily growing. So far that fire hasn’t closed the pct but it might if it grows any further. I set up camp back in the smoke at mile 2502.9 for a 23.3 miles day.

On day 22 I awoke to a strong campfire smell- the wind had blown even more thick smoke into my direction from the Airplane Lake fire. I packed up camp earlier than I usually do to try to find fresher air. A few miles down the trail the smoke began to dissipate. 

There were a ridiculous amount of marmots out, I probably saw at least 50. This is weird because up to this point I’ve only seen a couple. Marmots are very funny little rodents that are similar in shape and size to beavers, and make loud high-pitched screaming noises. I was able to get a good video of one making such a noise. 

I began to see great views of Glacier Peak right after fording a swift moving milky creek. The trail conditions also began to worsen, with many blowdowns, thick brush, and eroded trail. I also saw the most incredible vibrant blue glacier fed lake called Mica Lake. I set up camp near a meadow at mile 2524.0 with wonderful views of Glacier Peak for a 21.1 mile day.

The morning of day 23 everything was covered in a dense layer of fog. There was an intense thunderstorm during the night bringing heavy rain for several hours so I had to pack up a wet tent. On the descent down from camp the trail maintenance began to deteriorate, with thick brush covering the trail. This was made worse by all the rain. After Milk Creek the foliage was even worse on the climb, and it is best described in a comment I read on farout: “Recommended gear for this next section includes: machete, hard hat, knee pads and an iron clad will to live.” 

After a nice and even trail through alpine meadow (though the views of Glacier Peak were up to my imagination due to the persistent fog), the trail descended back down into more poor trail conditions of the vista creek valley, this time with many blowdowns. Downed trees littered the trail testing my parkour skills as well as my patience. I entered an incredible old growth forest as the trail approached the Suiattle River.  The blowdowns did not stop, only increasing in size. There were several trees that had to be close to 10 feet in diameter, requiring a bushwhack to find a path around them. 

At mile 2545.9 I set up camp at the Image Lake junction for a 21.9 mile day. I was joined by a nice couple named  Will and Vivian, the first people that I had seen all day. They were section hiking from Stevens Pass to Holden. 

After a night of continuous rain, I decided to start hiking at 6:00am to try to get to Holden as quickly as possible. Blowdowns persisted and there was one 100 meter section that seemed as though the entire side of the mountain had been wiped out. The soil seemed to be intact so I assume it was an avalanche. I had my first “10 by 10” day, which is a goal hikers like to aim for of 10 miles hiked by 10 am. Just before Suiattle Pass I hit the Washington 400 mile mark! The trails began to be familiar the closer I got to Holden starting just before Cloudy Pass. It was cold and windy (and cloudy) up at the Pass, so I kept pushing on down to Lyman Lake. 

There used to be a super overgrown part of the hart-lyman lake trail, but in the last month the trail crew at holden teamed up with the forest service on an 8 day trail maintenance trip. They removed miles of brush and rebuilt dilapidated footbridges and it made this section super nice! At Holden it was great to get to see everyone again and I was able to get a room to stay in. 

I decided not to continue on to the terminus of the PCT due to all the fire closures and just a lot of logistical issues. I plan to come back next summer to pick up the last 100 miles equipped with a Canada entry permit so I can enter into Canada and hitch to Vancouver BC instead of backtracking 30 miles to the nearest road.