Washington is here at last! I’ve been looking forward to getting to WA for hundreds, if not thousands of miles, and being back in my home state so close to the end has been wonderful. However, it’s been a tough section of trail, and the rocks, roots, and steep climbs that come with epic views have definitely slowed us down. The bugs have also come back in force, with heavy clouds of mosquitos and black flies pretty much everywhere. The late snow melt has led to a late wildflower season, which has been amazing, but also a late bug season, which has been an unwelcome surprise.
Cascade Locks to Trout Lake, WA eased us into the Washington climbing with some nicely shaded climbs with soft pine duff but limited views. Still, we got some good glimpses of Adams, St. Helens, and Hood. Cascade Locks is the lowest point on the trail, and we needed to make our way back up to between 3K-7K feet.
After Trout Lake, the views start in earnest. We went around the west flank of Mt Adams, and got some excellent close up views of the mountain, as well as our first glimpse of Rainer. I think Rainer will be the Mt. Shasta of WA, as we will be able to see it for hundreds of miles as we make our way north.
Just after the Mt. Adams Wilderness we entered the Goat Rocks Wilderness, which has been hyped up as being one of the best parts of WA. Goat Rocks did not disappoint, and we even saw goats, albeit from a long way off. We also saw marmots, pika, and some pack llamas. There was a bit of rain the day we passed through, on and off throughout the morning, which limited some views, but it stopped just as we got to the scramble on Old Snowy, and the rocks were mercifully dry. Scrambling up to Old Snowy was fantastic, and the knifes edge ridge walk was amazing, if a bit sketchy.
We met my parents at White Pass, and they brought us some resupply food and some amazing trail magic for lunch. Despite some concerns about White Pass being so busy we couldn’t get showers or laundry, we were able to do both with no wait. I’m looking forward to getting further north, as the views should get more and more frequent and spectacular.
With only a few weeks left, talk has turned to what we want to do after the trail, and it almost doesn’t seem real that we soon will not be walking 20+ miles a day, living in dirt, and digging holes every morning. I certainly have mixed feelings – it will be tough going back to the civilized world, but I am definitely feeling a burnout that I did not feeling on the shorter PNT. After 4.5 months in the woods, I am craving the basic comforts of home (shower, flush toilet, a house you don’t need to assemble every night) more. On the plus side, Washington is a great place to finish, and I am immensely looking forward to seeing the monument on the border.
