Trout Lake, WA to Packwood, WA

Trout Lake, WA to Packwood, WA

9-14-2013 to 9-17-2013

9-17-2013

PCT MILE: 2287.53-2303

-So cold when I woke up

-Goat hunters' fort. Ken and Jim gave us hot coffee, whiskey, and a pipe. They also let us warm up by their stove inside their tent! I love these guys! So nice!

-Hiked fast to get to town; tired of being cold and wet. 

-Rainbow (a Vortex member who has finished the trail) was doing trail magic in the area. She picked me up from where the trail came across a major road at White Pass and she drove me to town where we split a hotel room. I got a hot shower, a hot meal, clean clothing, and a warm bed. This was HEAVEN on earth, especially after what I had just been through on the Knife's Edge. 

9-16-2013

PCT MILE: 2262.02-2287.53

-25 miles today! Woohoo! 

-Wanted to walk 30 miles today, but weather and terrain had different plans for me

-Life-Death situation where I couldn't screw up or else I would die; the most afraid I've ever been on the trail; mile 2285- rocky, steep, slippery, surrounded by snowy drop-offs, rain, wind, very cold air, getting dark, above the tree-line which means no where to run for cover, snow starting to fall, hardly any visibility because of the rain and fog, on a narrow ridge line- like walking on the very tip top part of the fin on a jagged mountain, getting hypothermic when I stopped walking, soaking wet, and very VERY scary... But the whole time I knew it would be okay if I controlled my breathing, drank water, moved my fingers constantly, wiggled my toes around, stayed calm, not let my emotions conquer me, kept my bearings, decided that I could not stop walking for any reason (otherwise I would freeze to death), and told myself it would be okay if I did these things and if I could calmly and safely make my descent down past the tree-line and into the forest again. Everything turned out okay, thank God. 

-The others in my group also struggled a lot and feared for their lives too over this part. I had fallen behind them on the uphill earlier in the day which is why I wasn't with them. 

-Hiking with Shady Acres, Apache, Gone Slow, Lady Killer, Cookie Monster, Golden Boy, Solstice, and Explagrance. 

9-15-2013

PCT MILE: 2247.66-2262.02

-Woke up early to a gorgeous sunset. 

-Got on trail and floated down it. It was an AMAZING hike... the colors, sounds, smells, changing weather, fog, cool air, and my body functioning properly all made the perfect hike. 

-Hiked and ate lunch with Gone Slow, Shady Acres, Apache, and Cookie Monster. 

-Candy from Shady Acres

-Hiked really well, and was LOVING the hike! But I stopped early for the night because a huge,  steep, waterless ascent was coming up and I didn't want to tackle it at night in the rain/mist. I stopped, made camp, got water, built a fire, and ate dinner. Apache, Gone Slow, and Shady Acres joined me. Cookie Monster hiked on. Solstice stopped by our camp but kept hiking. Others joined us to camp later. They were excited about our campfire!

-Planning on hiking at least 20 miles tomorrow, if not hike 30 miles! Lol... we'll see what happens as tomorrow's hike has one of our steepest climbs we have had in a while. It's going to be difficult. Ugh. And Im running out of food, so I've got no choice but to hike hard.

-Feeling stronger, faster, and more confident about my hiking. 

-Very large river crossing... slipped a little and everything below my knees got drenched. This wasn't good for my hiking boots, because they take so long to dry out. It also wasn't good for my socks because the only pair I have is the one I was wearing! Walking with wet shoes definitely isn't my favorite way to hike, but wet shoes weren't as bad as I thought they would be. 

-Rain... gear getting wet

9-14-2013

PCT MILE: 2237.50-2247.66

-Leaving Trout Lake, WA where I woke up and ate a great breakfast!

-More friends showed up in town- Cookie Monster, Sierra Bum (Diego), Fire Hazard, Rain Maker, Solstice, Ryan, Explagrance, and Rustic. 

-Still hot here in WA!

-Trail angel James gave me a ride back to trail. I got started on my hike at around 3:00pm! A little late, but oh well. 

-Nervous about today's CRAZY and CONSTANT incline! I was dreading it. But today's trail actually wasn't that bad! It was hard but worth the sunset view. I held back tears and just sat there on a ridge looking at the Cascade Mountains right before me. 

-I've noticed that Im stronger, my breathing is getting better, I am more centered so that I find myself in a 'zone' or 'hiker trance' more often, I am more relaxed, I am more thankful, and as a result... I am hiking faster! Yay! Im finding it easier and easier to push through the pains and to find that breath to keep you going. The inhaler has helped me a ton. 

-Hiked with Cookie Monster, my old trail friend from the PCT Kick Off. 

-Camped near a river at mile 2247.66 with Cookie Monster, Shady Acres, Apache, and [I forgot his name! Whoops!]. We sat around and ate dinner and chatted for a bit. I laughed a lot. 

-In my tent and its getting COLD!!!!!! Im excited for winter! :)