Tag: Washington

Working The Kinks Out

Toby Leave a comment

Most of the hikes I’m used to range anywhere between 6 and 12 miles with a decent amount of elevation gain. However, on the Pacific Crest Trail I will being over 20 in a day once I hit my stride.  When you cover that much distance, day after day, you’ll start to notice things you wouldn’t after a day hike or weekend backpacking trip. That slight poke in you’re used to ignoring will  back will eventually feel like you’re being stabbed, that odd spot in your hiking shoe will make your feet scream. Even your clothes can become an issue, the chaffing struggle is real.

To try to get ahead of these things as much as I can I’ve been throwing all my PCT gear in my backpack and racking up some serious miles, trying to identify the pain points and adjust accordingly. My go-to spot is the Iron Horse Trail just outside North Bend, WA.  Not only is it close by but it’s long, flat and has some nice views.  Since it’s flat I can keep my pace up and really get some serious miles in.

The long flat hikes also allow me to calculate my base pace, which is currently around 3.5 miles an hour. 8 hours of hiking would put me at around 26 miles, 26 flat miles. Since the PCT is far from flat i’ll be using my base pace along with the elevation gain to calculate the distance I plan to cover each day.

During my first hike on the Iron Horse I covered 14 miles without stopping and discovered a few problem areas with my pack which came very apparent near the end. My backpack was unbalanced and the edge of my sleeping pad was poking me in the back.  I made adjustments and returned, covering 17 miles without issue, other than being a little sore, I don’t know if  I’ve ever gone 17 miles without stopping before.  I was feeling good about where I was at and decided that I was ready to add some elevation into the mix. It was also nice to practice things like snacking and drinking as I hiked as well as charging my phone and taking photos along the way.

Before taking off on my next hike I took some time to really look at what I was carrying in my backpack. To do this I turned to Lighterpack.com to track everything. I broke out a scale and weighed everything, logging and categorizing each item. I wasn’t too happy with where my base weight ended up and slimmed down what I was carrying.  The sleeping clothes I was bringing weighed over 1lb, I decided that my sleeping bag liner would keep my sleeping bag just as clean at a fraction of the weight. I didn’t need the small shovel or an extra flashlight.  I cut down what I was bringing to exactly what I needed.  Here is how everything weighed out (Click here to see a detailed list of what makes up my base weight). I’ll  continue to refine what i’ll be carrying with me and update the list as I go.

With my base weight  at 15 lbs and 3.5 ounces, with room to improve, I was feeling pretty good about where things were.  Per the 2017 PCT Thru Hiker Survey at Halfway Anywhere the average base weight hikers started with last year was 19.49 lbs and the average base weight they finished with was 16.51 lbs.  If you’re a data nerd or just want to understand more the PCT hikers last year, take a closer look at the 2017 PCT Survey, there is some really interesting information, at least I think so.

With my backpack and base weight dialed in I ventured to one of my favorite spots, Squak Mountain.  With a diverse network of trails it’s easy to hike as much as you want with plenty of challenging bits if you know where to go.  In 3 hours I covered 9.24 miles with a decent amount of elevation gain and loss. Unfortunately my fit bit didn’t seem to want to track elevation that day.  However, my pace only decreased slightly with the added elevation.  Next time i’ll use my actual GPS, which I still need to figure out.

From here on out i’ll be getting out and hiking with all my gear every chance I get, starting to practice setting up everything and packing it all up again as well. The more I figure out before I hit the PCT the better, hiking the trail itself will be enough of a challenge.

Kendall Katwalk

Toby Leave a comment

What’s the best way to prepare for hiking the Pacific Crest Trail? By actually hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail of course. A few weeks ago I set out to do just that by revisiting one of my favorite hikes from last year,  the same hike which made me decide to hike the entire PCT, Kendall Katwalk.

I woke up early and made the drive up I-90 to the PCT trailhead at Snoqualmie Pass. As I pulled into the trailhead the fact that I will be spending 5 months, give or take, on this very trail  really started to really sink in. I felt a mix of excitement and anxiety as my mind was flooded with thoughts of  how amazing and challenging the journey will be. Not to mention all the things I had left to do to get ready. However, once I threw on my backpack and started down the trail the anxiety quickly subsided leaving nothing but excitement.

The trail starts off wooded with glimpses of the surrounding mountains through the trees. The trail itself is nice and smooth with a couple of small streams to cross before opening up into talus. Hiking on rocks is not my favorite but the views more than made up for it.

You make your way back into the tress as you continue up, crossing a few more streams before hitting a clearing which offers a view of the ridge above. In some spots you have to work your way through the abundant foliage.

You will hit a few switch backs and will continue to be provided with fantastic views of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area.

Continuing on the trail you will be greeted by some prominent peaks straight ahead of you letting you know that you’re getting close to the ridge. After turning a corner you begin the final push to the katwalk. A you get closer your can start to see valleys on both sides of you.

Once you make your way to your way to the katwalk it becomes clear that you are at the top of the ridge.  Turn left and your looking down into one valley, turn right and you’re looking down into the other.

The katwalk itself is a narrow path blasted out of the side of a cliff, a few hundred yards long.  When I arrived I was the only one around so I took the opportunity to take it all in.

As you make your way along the katwalk you have a spectacular view of the mountains to the east…

… and the valley below.  If you look close enough you can see Silver Creek at the bottom.


Heading back I began to wonder what it will feel like when I hit this section of the PCT next year. Realizing that at that point I will have hiked over 2,000 miles and had taken a day or two to visit family and friends I haven’t seen in months,  only to get back on the trail and continue on to Manning Park in Canada, with some tough hiking ahead in the North Cascades. Luckily being so close to Seattle I’m sure I’ll have a few people join up with me for parts of the final push.

Bring Your Own Llama

Toby Leave a comment

Annette Lake will always hold a special place in my heart and not just because the sign at the trailhead promotes the fact that llamas are allowed on the trail, although that is one of the many reasons.  

When I first rediscovered hiking a few years ago Annette lake was one of the first hikes on my list. I recall convincing my friend Derek to join me on my first trip. We started up the trail in the afternoon not really knowing what to expect,  moving slowly and trying to figure out how far was had left ahead of us.  We didn’t have maps or cell reception but tried to make educated guesses based on the elevation data from the GPS on our phones. Not only were we lacking in navigational resources but many other essentials as well, as would become very apparent.  As we continued on the trail we began to hear thunder in the distance which not only became closer and louder,  but from multiple directions.  Luckily we were smart enough,  or more likely tired enough,  to decide to turn around.  The thunder continued to intensify until the sky opened up and poured down rain. Not wanting to get struck by lightning we began to run down the trail, trying not to slip and fall. After coming close to rolling my ankle a few times,  maybe falling once, and getting soaked to the bone we ended up back at the car and drove home.  I’d later find out that my camera, a decent DSLR, somehow got damaged to the point that it wouldn’t turn on and I had to buy a new one. 
Despite a challenging first attempt I was determined to make it to the lake. After getting a few more hikes under my belt, and making sure I had proper rain gear,  I cautiously returned to finish the hike.  As soon as I started down the trail I was surprised by a very unexpected text message from a friend,  and avid hiker, that I hadn’t heard from in a long time.  I took it as a sign that I picked the right day to come back. The hike and the lake was stunning and it felt great to finally make it all the way. 

Since then I have returned a few times,  sometimes as an introductory hike for friends. When I discovered that Cristina had never been it moved to the top of our list and in early July we crossed it off. 

Before heading up the main trail you can take a quick detour down a short trail to a nice little waterfall.  The trail itself is pretty gentle,  crossing under some power lines and across a forest road before hitting a series of switchbacks. 

As you continue on you’ll come across one of my favorite “bridges”, a couple platforms lead to the “bridge” which consists of steps cut into a large downed tree with a wooden hand rail. 

A little further up there is another smaller waterfall that cuts down through the trees.  

As you near the top you’ll pass across a couple avalanche chutes where the break in the trees reveals some nice views, which apparently I didn’t take any pictures of this time.  The trail flatens out as you approach the lake. 

The lake itself sits below some impressive peaks and just asks to be swam in.

Cristina and I made our way around the lake until we found a place to escape the heat, set up our hammocks and relax for a while. 

When we finally gave into the fact that we couldn’t stay forever we made our way back down and just like every other time I visited Annette lake I didn’t come across someone with a llama, maybe I need to become the guy with a llama. 

The Enchantments

Toby 1 Comment

The area known as “The Enchantments” near Leavenworth, Washington is one of the most popular hiking destinations in the Pacific Northwest. Due to it’s popularity a lottery for a limited number overnight permits is held early each spring, which I never seem to have lucky with.

In the lottery you specify the date you are hoping to start along with your desired zone, the most sought after being a “Core Permit”. Not only does a Core Permit allow you to camp in the Core Enchantment zone, which is what most people think of when you mention The Enchantments, it also allows you to also camp in any of the other zones as well.  After the Core Enchantment zone the most popular zone is the Colchuck followed by Snow and Stuart zone. The least desired zone in  The Enchantments is the Eightmile / Caroline Zone as it does not have a trail which allows you to access the  Core Enchantments.  After the lottery there always ends up being some Eightmile / Caroline permits available.

Even though the Eightmile / Caroline zone is the least popular zone in The Enchantments it is still a spectacular area to visit and since my lottery losing streak continued this year I picked up a permit for Cristina and I. We drove out to stay with friends in Plain, Washington, which is close to Leavenworth and The Enchantments. It is here were I tried to stuff all my gear into my backpack for the first time. After a few very frustrating hours full of swear words, I manged to get everything to fit. All Cristina ended had to carry was her own sleeping gear, toiletries and clothes, I was able to carry everything I would on the PCT. I was so happy when I got everything to fit I had to take a picture.

The next morning we headed out early to grab coffee and unsuccessfully attempted to get a better permit at the ranger station, we did however have a backup plan.  The plan was to knock out a hike up to Colchuck lake, which is the most popular day hike in The Enchantments, before hiking to Eightmile lake to spend the night.  After stopping for breakfast we drove up the surprising smooth forest road to the Stuart Lake trailhead and headed out.

The trail starts off pretty tame with minimal elevation gain, crossing a very aggressive creek about a mile and a half in. 

On our way up we passed a good amount of wildflowers as we darted in and out of the the tress, enjoying the shade they provided as it was starting to get rather warm. 

After hiking for a few miles we hit the junction with the trial up to Colchuck Lake, the main trial continuing on to Lake Stuart.

A short distance down the Colchuck Lake Trail we were again met by the angry creek and a very cool wooden bridge which leads into a small boulder field which was fun to navigate thorugh.

The trial then begins to climb with more intensity with plenty of switch backs. At one point the trail crosses across a small waterfall, we both somehow managed to keep our feet dry while crossing.

Continuing up the trail we made our way to a clearing allowing us to look back down the way we came with a stunning view of Mt. Stuart in the distance.

The trail dipped back into the tress for the final push to the lake, at one point the trail intersected with a stream which was a little tricky to navigate through. Once we arrived at the lake we were greeted by the massive Dragontail Peak and  the slightly smaller Colchuck Peak with Asgard Pass between the two, which we would have had to conquer if we had a snagged a Core permit. I think we were both a bit relived that we didn’t as watching people make their way up was a bit intimidating.

 

After I took a quick swim in the extremely cold lake we ate lunch and started to head back down where we came across a very hungry mountain goat who luckily had plenty to much on and was too busy eating to be concerned with us.

Once we made our way back down to the trailhead we hopped back in the car and made the quick trip over to the Eightmile trailhead to begin our hike up to Eightmile lake.

The sun was rather intense as we made our way up but I found myself distracted by the abundance of wildflowers and some tiny pine cones.

The trail to Eightmile lake is fairly flat which was a nice change of pace after the hike up to Colchuck. A few miles in we hit Little Eightmile Lake which is also the junction for Caroline Lake, which would be our destination the following day.

After a quick break we continued onward as the trail climbed a bit before we arrived at the lake. We found a site and just as I finished setting up the tent a group of very loud college girls decided to set up camp just feet from ours. We quickly packed up, grabbed our backpacks and made our way to another, much better, site right by the lake. Luckily my tent is extremely easy to set up and take down.

After getting everything set up again I took a quick swim in the lake, which was just as cold as Colchuck but it felt amazing after hiking in the sun all day. As we were having dinner one of the locals decided to come dine with us (yes, those are flowers in it’s mouth).

We were both pretty tired after a full day of hiking and after staying up late enough to see the stars decided to get some much needed rest.

The next morning we followed the trial around the lake, hopped over some trees and found another angry stream cutting through the forest.

After breakfast we packed everything up and made our way back down the trail to Little Eightmile Lake where we started up the trail to Caroline Lake.  While the trail didn’t seem very difficult on paper it did prove to be a challenging hike.

The trail starts out rather steep and provides very little shade, which was sorely missed as the sun was blazing as we made our way up.  We would take a break every time we came across a bit of shade.

I even resorted to hiding from the sun in the narrow shadow of a large dead tree and soaking my hat in water to keep cool.

As I looked back down towards Eightmile lake I tried to visualize myself swimming in the ice cold water, it didn’t help.

A little further up the trail we met a couple on their way down and chatted for a bit. The said that the lake was spectacular and warned us about a Coyote they saw up at Windy Pass. We were considering making the hike up to the pass  but decided to avoid it after that.

However, as we rounded a corner about a mile later we were met by a lone Coyote standing in the middle of the trail staring us down. Considering that Coyotes are pack animals I decided to skip the photo and clanked my hiking poles above my head until he decided to head off the trail and run down into the valley. We cautiously continued to the lake without seeing or hearing another.

We found that not only were there no loud college girls at the lake but in fact there was only one other couple on the other side of the lake.  We set up camp and I took a swim in the warmer but still cold Caroline lake.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing before we were forced into the tent due to an army of mosquitoes that occupied the lake.

The next morning I somehow managed to get up early enough to catch a bit of the sunrise.

After enjoying the lack of mosquitoes at the lake for a bit we packed up camp and started our hike back down to the trailhead. We both had one thing in mind as we struggled through the heat….

…..a sausage and beer at Munchen Haus in Leavenworth!  While we didn’t end up hiking through the “real enchantments”, which is probably for the best, we made the most of our time in a really amazing place. Hopefully we can snag a core permit after I finish the PCT next year.

 

Hiking In The Dark

Toby Leave a comment

At the end of last July I fulfilled a lifelong goal by climbing to the top of Mt. St. Helens.  Ok, this wasn’t a “goal” until last year, but I had always thought it would be cool to stand on the rim of the crater and look down inside, never imagining that I would actually do it.  The climb to the top was both challenging and exhausting, full of giant rocks and ash but getting to the top was worth every agonizing step.  So, when the on sale datef for 2017 permits was announced I decided I needed to go back and somehow managed to talk Cristina and my friend Shanelle into joining me.

When the permits went on sale at the beginning of February we (I) decided on June 12th for our climb.  I figured that would allow for more than enough time for a majority of snow to melt off.  However, in my excitement there were two things I didn’t account for.  The first being that last year as really dry and it didn’t snow much, so I didn’t have to deal with any snow on my last climb.  The second thing I didn’t account for is that we just had a harsh winter with a lot of snow in the mountains.  As the date of our climb drew closer it became clear that we would be dealing with snow, something neither Cristina or Shanelle signed up for.  I reassured them that the snow would actually make things easier since it would cover all the giant rocks that made things difficult for me last year and promised to teach them how to use an ice axe.  I did, however, downplay the fact that we would have to take the winter route which adds an additional 2 miles and 1,200 feet of elevation gain.

After months of waiting the day came and we headed to our campsite at Beaver Bay campground in Cougar, Washington (I may have let my inner child choose the campground just for the jokes).  Once we arrived and set up camp I began to float a fantastic idea I had..  to hike at night!  This idea was mainly due to the fact that I was slightly concerned about a couple things. One was that it was starting to warm up during the day which meant that the snow would turn to slush and make things really slippery. The other concern was that the forecast called for rain in the afternoon, which would block any views we would have from the top. I tried to sell my idea by mentioning that we could make it to the rim in time for the sunrise, which would be an awesome sight.  Somehow I was able to convince both of them that hiking at night was a good idea and we decided to head to the trailhead around 11:30 PM. Yeah, they probably didn’t think it was “a good idea” but they were on board.

The next thing I knew it was time to head out and we started to make our way to the trailhead. This presented the first obstacle to hiking at night, finding the trailhead in the dark.  I somehow missed a turn and we ended up going much further east than we needed to.  However, we did get to see a huge elk as it darted across the road in front of us; we were all suddenly wide awake after that. After our hour long detour we finally found the trailhead, which was surprisingly full of cars and tents, they must have known how easy it is miss the turn in the dark. While there were plenty people camping out to get an early start, we were the only ones that were gearing up to head out at 1 AM.  We found the trail and headed out.. to climb a volcano.. covered in snow… at night.
The trail cut through the trees, starting out gently and snow free as everyone acclimated to hiking by headlamp.  Shortly down the trail I somehow spotted a spotted owl, who i’m going to say was named Spot, perched in a tree next to the trail. I’m sure Spot wasn’t too happy about all three of us blasting it with our headlamps as we stared at it for a minute or two but it was a nice way to start the hike. As we continued on we started to encounter patches of snow with a nice worn trail, as planned the snow was frozen and easy to cross.  Once the snow became more prevalent we threw on our microspikes, which made hiking in the snow drastically easier, and continued on.  As we emerged from the trees we heard water flowing over Chocolate Falls, we stopped to take a look but couldn’t see much in the dark.  Not only was it dark but it had gotten a bit foggy as well, which caused the light from our headlamps to only illuminate the area 3 feet in front of us. We continued up the trail which eventually began to get hard to follow.  I checked the GPS and discovered another challenge of hiking in the dark, we had started to follow a different trail than planned.  Not knowing if it would eventually re-join with the main trail we backtracked and rejoined our intended trail, this is when things started to get a bit steep.

Since we were starting to really climb upwards in the snow we broke out the ice axes before continuing up the snow field, luckily none of us ended up slipping and having to use it.  Up until this point we hadn’t seen another person on the trail at all, which was really nice, but were quickly passed by two girls that we watched fly up the trail, they must have had super powers. After a bit of traveling in the snow we hit the rocky spine of the trail which was surprisingly snow free.  While it had gotten a bit lighter out at this point navigating through the rocks was a bit tricky, I don’t think I adequately explained the volume and size of rocks and boulders to either Cristina or Shanelle ahead of time.  As we continued on we heard a loud noise, which I can only describe as a cross between a roar and a screech, it seemed to be coming from multiple directions. I swear it was above us but was unable to see anything because of the clouds,  Cristina and Shanelle thought it might be elk or some other animals. We were all pretty tired at this point so who knows what we actually heard.  I still say it was a pterodactyl circling above us.

Next thing we knew the sun began to rise and the clouds appeared to erupt out of the mountainside. We took a break to take in the view, have a snack and asses our progress.  We were just short of the weather station which meant while there wasn’t much distance to cover there was still a lot of elevation gain left.  It’s at this point we decided to turn back, while everyone could have made it coming back down wouldn’t be easy, despite being able to glissade for part of it. Not to mention we were all thinking about crawling into warm sleeping bags and getting some sleep.  We threw our packs back on, and started to head back down.

On our way back down we started to pass people as they were heading up. Some of them were friendly but a lot of them weren’t, which was suprising.  We did however have fun responding to people when they asked “You already summited?!”. I think my favorite was “Yep, second time today”. The question got old really fast though.  I was surprised by the number of people hiking up with snowboards, had to be a fun way to get down. Sure enough, on our way down the snow had already started to turn to slush, it would not have been fun to try to hike through slush with rubber legs had we continued.

Once we made it back to the campsite we got some much needed rest, only to be awoken by an obnoxiously loud garbage truck emptying the abundance of trash cans scattered through the campsite.  We then decided that since we already went up it was time to go down, so we headed to the Ape Caves.  The Ape Caves, otherwise know as lava tubes, were formed by the flow of, you guessed it, lava. Apparently they are called the “Ape Caves” because some miners claimed they were attacked by apes when they were down there.  I was a bit nervous as there are plenty of bats in the ape caves and i’m not a fan of bats,  luckily there were no bats in the section we explored.

As you might expect it was a bit chilly inside, and just like during our hike up Mt. St. Helens we made good use of our headlamps. Our final destination was what is known as “The Meatball”, I have no idea why they call it that.

After exploring the Ape Caves we returned to the campsite at Beaver Bay, in Cougar, (heh) and enjoyed relaxing around the campfire with plenty of s’mores making their way into my tummy. While we didn’t summit Mt. St. Helens we still got to hike at night, which was an awesome idea. We had the trail to ourselves, avoided slipping and falling in slushy snow, met an owl named Spot, heard a pterodactyl, and got to watch the sunrise.

Serenity Now!

Toby Leave a comment

A few weeks ago I welcomed one of my best friends back to Washington by introducing her to one of my favorite easy to get to hikes, Lake Serene. While it is a bit of a drive to get to from the Seattle area the trail head is just off of Highway 2 and not down some long bumpy forest road like many others are.

We set out Sunday morning guided by Waze as I was not awake enough to trust my own navigation skills. Plus, i’m always a bit amused by how the British navigation voice pronounces things,  our favorite of the trip was “Mt. Index” (say it fast and use your imagination).  When we arrived at the trail head we found that the parking lot was already full, luckily there was still parking along the Skykomish River.  We threw on our packs and started  down the trail.

The trail starts off pretty flat along an old road which splits almost immediately. A sign points you in the right direction but every time I visit  I find myself wondering  where the other fork goes but have yet to find out. Even though the trail is a popular one, the first bit of the trail is dense with foliage that you have to work your way through before it opens up into a wooded forest.

A little more than a mile and a half in you can split off on to the half mile trail up to Bridal Veil Falls, which is beautiful. However, we had both been there before and with the parking lot as full as it was we knew it would be pretty busy, we were on a mission to get to the lake.  However, here’s a picture of the falls from one of my previous visits in case you were wondering what it looks like.

After the turnoff for Bridal Veil the trail continues through the forest  before crossing a bridge over a smaller waterfall, which is sadly mostly obscured by trees. The trail then drops down to another more impressive waterfall, but not as impressive as Bridal Veil itself. This is a good spot to stop and take in the view and have a snack as the trail is about to get a little harder.

As soon as you move past the falls the trial gets rocky and starts to gain elevation quickly.  All that flat is a thing of the past. As you head up you can take a look back and see part of the falls through the trees. The trail turns into a series of switch backs as you continue upward, some times rocky and sometimes including steps. Luckily it seemed as if  most people were headed for the falls as the trail wasn’t that crowded. Navigating around the rocks and tree roots is extra challenging when it’s crowded, especially with hikers that don’t follow proper trail etiquette.

Once you make your way a bit further up you pass through clearings where you can catch glimpses of the surrounding mountains and the river below. All that time working the switchbacks finally starts to payoff with some spectacular views on a clear day. The trail crosses through a water fall as you begin your final push up to the lake catching views that are more impressive than the last.  Right before you reach the lake you will see parts of Mt. Index shooting upwards towards the sky.

When we arrived at the lake we found that there was still a bit of ice covering it and clouds rolling down the side of Mt. Index.

As we took it all in the clouds began to shift and expose different parts of the mountain.
But as we were staring up at the mountain someone was staring at our snacks. He wasn’t as sneaky as he thought he was, i’ll give him an A for effort though.

You can begin to work your way around the lake crossing over a bridge at the top of the runoff  that turns into falls. Right after the bridge you can follow a short trail to the right to look over the valley below.

The trail continues around to “Lunch Rock” which is a big flat rock perfect for taking a break and … having lunch..  before you head back down.  We, however, had other lunch plans and after enjoying the lake started to make our way back down. The trip back can be just as challenging as the way up, if not more so. All those rocks you have to climb over on your way up are now tricky obstacles to navigate on your way down, the last thing you want to do is roll an ankle. It’s funny how quite hikers get as they are focused on their footwork.  The final stretch of the trail before the trail head, that nice flat beginning of the trail, seems to drag on forever and seems to be longer than it was on the way up.

Once you reach your car and begin your trip home you’ll face another, and perhaps unexpected, obstacle of the hike. Traffic on Highway 2. It can be very slow going on the 2 lane highway as you make your way through Gold Bar, Startup and Sultan.  When we finally hit Sultan we made a stop for lunch at Bubba’s Roadhouse.  In keeping with my tradition of getting the most ridiculous burger available after a hike, I had to get the one that had pulled pork, bacon, ham and fried onions on it. I wonder if I consumed more calories than I burned?

In a tent down by the river

Toby Leave a comment

Months ago Cristina and I decided to go backpacking over Memorial Day weekend.  We figured that we would have plenty of places to choose from by then, sadly that wasn’t the case. When Memorial Day weekend finally rolled around the snow we had gotten over the winter was still preventing us from getting to our favorite backpacking spots. The plan then shifted to car camping, a weekend full of campfires, playing in a river and s’mores. This also proved to be challenging, finding a car camping spot the week before Memorial Day is not an easy task.  I first checked the national parks and found all their were all fully booked, I then checked the state parks and found the same. It was beginning to seem like we may have to try our luck at snagging a walk in spot when I discovered that King County has a campground, which still had a couple spots available. I never would have guessed that King County had a campground. They were “hike in” spots, with the “hike” being a very flat half a mile long. Although, a hike without an elevation gain is just a stroll in the woods as far as I’m concerned. I booked the site and began digging out  my camping gear for the first time in almost a year. While it wasn’t the backpacking trip we hoped for it would allow me to to test out a few things in preparation for the PCT.

Friday afternoon we drove out to the Tolt MacDonald Campground  on the Snoqualmie River just outside of Carnation.  All the standard sites that did not require a hike to get to looked miserable, very close together with no shade and very little privacy, luckily our site was on the other side of a really cool old suspension bridge away from the crowds.  Since we had fully ditched the idea of “roughing it” in favor of the comforts of car camping we packed a wheelbarrow full of gear, food and firewood and started to make our way to the site.  After crossing the bridge we were greeted by a sign that read “Attention: Frequent bear signings.  I got very excited, I’ve always wanted to meet a bear, but not in the “Grizzly Man” kind of way.

As we “hiked” down the trail, dragging the wheelbarrow behind me I started to wonder why I felt the need to invest in ultralight gear for the PCT when I could just bring a wheelbarrow. Who needs a $300 backpack when you can pick up a wheelbarrow for $50? I already have a tarp to keep everything dry.

Once we arrived at our site we discovered that not only was our site much more shaded and secluded than the sites on the the other side of the bridge. The other 3 campsites in the areas were vacant for the night with campers arriving on Saturday, which was a nice surprise. We set up my not so light my 3 person tent, blew up the air mattress and got settled in. After a bit of exploring, finding the best spot to access the river, we started a fire and made some dinner. Later that evening I proceeded to eat 10,000 s’mores and discovered that s’mores and beards don’t play well together.

The next morning, after it became very clear during the middle of the night that I had forgotten my throw out the air mattress due to the fact that it did not actually hold air, I decided that I needed to invest in a good sleeping pad for the PCT because the ground can be very cold.  Luckily, we did have sleeping pads just in case something like with this happened.  After coffee and breakfast we spent the day doing the typical camping things like relaxing all over the place, playing in the river and reading.  I was reminded how nice it is to disconnect and enjoyed every minute of it.

Later in the day the other campers in the area showed up, the most notable being two families with a total of six small children and one very large Great Dane. Sitting next to the fire we watched as one of the guys made frequent trips up and down the trail hauling wheelbarrows full of stuff and setting up giant tents. The kids took full advantage of the fact that their parents were overwhelmed with getting everything set up, running amok and harassing each other, luckily the crying was minimal. Maybe that’s why I liked camping so much as a kid, my brother and I could get away with much more than normal because our parents were busy managing all the logistics involved in camping with two small boys.  They two families were still working on getting set up as the sun began to set, the air pump was constantly being ran to fill up what seemed like 20 air mattresses. Cristina and I made a game out of counting the number of times the air pump would run and betting on if they were done or not. I think it was completely dark by the time they were finally done.

One of the things I put to the test is wearing what I would wear while hiking the PCT.  This consisted of shorts, a hiking t-shirt and a pair of trail runners. I also had a pair of merino wool leggings and a merino wool hooded shirt for when it got cold at night. While these did a good job of keeping me warm I was reminded that I still needed a puffy jacket, luckily the fire made up for the fact that I didn’t have one. Another thing I put to the test was the claim that merino wool resists odors by wearing the same clothes for the duration of the weekend, luckily for Cristina this claim was in fact true. That night I once again ate 10,000 s’mores.

On Sunday I spent some time exploring the trails in the park a bit. They weren’t anything special but it was nice to get out and stretch my legs a bit. After exploring I spent time relaxing and finally getting around to reading that PCT book I mentioned in my first post.  We considered making the drive to an actual trail to do some hiking but decided we’d rather just  spend the time relaxing, especially considering how busy the trails would be on a holiday weekend.  Later in the day after making a run for firewood, ice and beer we ran into the guy that was making all the trips with the wheelbarrow the night before, he was now making frequent trips in the opposite direction. It seemed that they were defeated by their kids in just one night. I couldn’t help but be reminded of a quote from Varsity Blues. “I don’t want your life.”

After our final night I felt better about a few things I’ll have to deal with while on the PCT. My merino wool clothing kept me warm and didn’t end up smelling after wearing them for days straight, bathing in a river is refreshing, VIA kept me fully caffeinated, I can still sleep on a pad without rolling off of it and I can fuel myself with s’mores.  Ok, I probably wont be making many s’mores on the PCT but snickers bars will be a staple in my diet, my body knows what to do with sugar.  So while it wasn’t the backpacking trip we had hoped for it ended up being really nice to just take a few days to relax together and have a few extra comforts that we wouldn’t have had while backpacking, like s’mores (ok, we could have had s’mores while backpacking).

On our way home we decided to stop by Snoqualmie falls which did not disappoint.  It was however full of people which made me feel a little better about taking the weekend off from hiking. In fact I later read a trip report where a hiker counted 200 cars near a trail head that weekend.  Sometimes it’s best to avoid the crowds, disconnect and relax. 

 

In my head

Toby Leave a comment

When you talk to someone who has completed the Pacific Crest Trail they will often tell you that the challenge in hiking the trial is not only a physical one but also, and perhaps more so, a mental one. On my recent hikes I’ve pushed myself pretty hard, seeing how fast I can make it to the end and If I can make it without stopping. In doing so hikes have become easier physically but more difficult mentally as you don’t take the time to enjoy the hike itself.  This became very obvious on my hike up Mount Teneriffe, a 14 mile hike with 4,000 feet of gain, this past Sunday.

I hiked up Mount Teneriffe last summer and remember it being strenuous but nothing that made me hate life, while I knew I was in for a challenge I knew it was one I could accomplish. The trail starts out very easy, about 2 miles on the very flat Mount Teneriffe Road before spotting the sign directing you towards Teneriffe Falls (aka Kamikaze Falls). After the junction things start go get fun, the trail becomes pretty steep and rocky as you make your way up to the falls.  As I made my way up the trail I found myself not really taking in my surroundings and focused on making progress. I wasn’t feeling it, which I found strange, but I pushed on. I made my way to the switchbacks where you start to see the bottom of the falls, I stopped to take some pictures and spent time texting them to friends as I continued on. I finally reached the best view of the falls, snapped a picture and moved on without spending time there to take it all in.

I found the trail that continues up from the falls to the summit of Mount Teneriffe, which is so steep you find yourself using your hands to help you make your way up. This is the part I knew would be challenging.  I pushed on until I made it up to the ridge and took a quick look around, finding myself in a cloud with no views. Onward I went, remembering all the challenging bits as I came across them.  The trail becomes faint as you make your way through the trees along the ridge.  I found myself becoming annoyed as I had to maneuver over a large boulder or up a steep part in the trail, but I continued to push on.  That feeling of annoyance became more prevalent as I hit the snow. I knew there would be snow I was just hoping it would be isolated to the summit. I had trekking poles and microspikes but couldn’t be bothered to get them out, luckily my new pair of Saucony Peregrine 7‎’s have some awesome traction and I slowly made my way through the snow. The snow became more prevalent the further I ascended and the trail became more faint. Then it started snowing.

As I continued up I started thinking about turning back, not because of the physical challenge or being cold, I was actually pretty comfortable, but because I just didn’t feel like hiking anymore.  I started to rationalize turning back, thinking about how I hadn’t seen a single person since the falls and concerned that I might lose track of the trail if it continued to snow.  I knew I was getting close to the summit and should just push on, so I did. The snow had frozen solid in spots and was a bit slippery, it was becoming more difficult to navigate without sending my foot into some soft snow which came up to my knee.  I eventually came to a clearing and looked up to see a group of trees where I expected to see the summit, I wasn’t as close as I thought.  This is the point I actually turned around.

I made my way down feeling somewhat defeated but at the same time relived. Heading down I passed some people on their way up who asked me if I had made it to the top. I told them that I didn’t make it because of the snow although I knew it wasn’t the snow that stopped me an issue but rather my lack of enthusiasm for hiking on this particular day. As I continued down the snow eventually turned to rain. I slowly worked my way down the tricky parts and while my jacket did a good job of keeping me dry for the most of the hike it eventually became saturated and I ended up feeling like Eeyore stuck under my own personal rain cloud.

However, throughout all my gloom and lack of interest in hiking I knew it was only temporary.  I know there will be days when i’m on the PCT and feel like I did hiking up Mount Teneriffe and that’s OK. There will be days that I don’t hike at all and days I feel like giving up but I know I will push through. This hike was a sobering reminder that I need to prepare mentally as well, finding the balance between performance and taking the time to enjoying the hike itself.

P.S.  Don’t worry Teneriffe, i’ll see you again soon.