NOTE: This text was originally uploaded in 2017 on my PNT hike. Lightly edited for typos.
What a section! I’m in Metaline Falls, WA a day ahead of schedule, giving me another forced zero (no hiking) tomorrow while I wait for the post office to open on Monday. It’s a nice town to spend a day in, everything is on one block, and there is a lot going on the weekend; including a Snowmobile water cross competition tomorrow which should promise to be exciting.
The Selkirks have certainly blown me away with their bald granite peaks and ruggedness. Of course, ruggedness just means “lots of up and down”, and what better way to leave Bonners Ferry than with a 5000′ climb! Noodle gave me a ride around 9 miles of paved roadwalking, so I started the climb fresh. Still, I made it 6.8 miles and 4000′ that afternoon (it is Hard to leave town…) to camp in a clearing in an area the burned in 2015. It’s quite surreal seeing trees that are standing, but shiny with charcoal and totally dead. Like toothpicks stuck in a cubed ham.
Day two brought me along the ridge to the Ball lakes. I got there at 4 after doing only 12 miles, but the relaxing evening was well worth the shorter day. Upper ball lake was beautiful, a massive granite headwall on the far side flanked by scree fields, and several big rocks to relax on and dry some socks.
Day three, oh day three. I made it through “the bushwack”, a terrible terrible place. I’ve been apprehensive about this 5 mile section since I started, and it has lived up to its reputation. You start at lower ball lake, and travel around the peak to the ridge on the other side. A mile along the ridge (which was amazing!, easy walking up top), then you drop down in the valley with Lion Creek. There used to be a trail that went through the valley, but it’s long since been abandoned, and blowdowns and alders choke the trail. I was able to keep to the old trail maybe 70% of the distance, but 40% of the time. It was some of the worst hiking I’ve done. But by 2:30, the bushwack spit me out into a major tourist destination, the Lion Creek waterslides, a natural rock formation that people slide down and swim in. I got some weird looks from tourists while I lay against my pack, exhausted. They had no idea. I did another 5 miles or so that day, choosing the skip the climb up Lookout Mountain on an ATV road, and spent the night by Lucky Creek, just outside the Priest Lake campground.
The next day was easy, and I cruised the 18 miles to Hughes meadow. Almost all flat along the lake and valley floor, it made for easy walking, and I talked with some of the vacationers enjoying Priest Lake and the surrounding area. Hughes meadow was a mosquito infested swamp though, and I made record time eating and then jumping in my tent.
Day five brought me up TR 311, and into Washington! The last state, here at last. However, TR 311 hasn’t been maintained in awhile, perhaps related to it location in a wilderness area, where no power vehicles are allowed. It was full of blowdowns and brush, though at least I could follow it. I then went south along the Shedroof Divide trail 512, and got amazing views of the Selkirks to the east, and the Colville NF to the west. What stunning scenery there was. Absolutely amazing views of the Selkirks, well worth the climb up. The last 8 miles brought me down a forest service road, avoiding the Noisy Creek fire, which filled the valley with smoke. No safety risk to me, but a lot of roadwalking to make a 20 mile day to Sullivan Creek.
12 miles of roads today, half dirt and half paved, brought me into town around 1. 5 days to do a 100 mile section, and I’m starting to feel stronger. I have some new shoes (Finally!!) and a new pack (lost weight, and the hip belt on the current one doesn’t fit anymore) in the post office for pickup Monday.
Next stop is Northport (27 trail, 17 paved road) miles from here, then Republic. I’m feeling good despite the heat and big water carries, so if the feet hold up, I’m in good shape. Here’s some pictures from the past few days.
Hiking through the 2015 burn up Parker Peak, amazing the trail was reopened the following year.
Somewhere along Parker Ridge, some dude obscuring the view.
Amazing view of the Selkirks before dropping down into the bushwalk, – the calm before the storm.
Watching the Noisy Creek fire from a safe distance along the Shedroof Divide trail.
