Hiking With Gadget Girl

August 7th: Miles 9 Lake Janus
After a wonderful breakfast this morning, our husbands dropped us off at Stevens Pass to start our adventure north. As we were preparing to hoist the packs to our backs, Jingle Bell's water bottle fell off the back end of the truck and completely smashed apart. We stood there stunned, never having experienced a water bottle blow apart like that. I gave her an extra Gatorade bottle I had in the truck. It was only a 24 ounces, but Gatorade bottles are pretty indestructible.

We were a little nervous from all the reports we had been reading about how much snow was hanging around. The first three miles were pretty snow free and then we started hiking over piles of snow which turned into more consistent snow the closer we came to Lake Vahalla.

We had to turn on the gps as we simply couldn't see the trail. Decided to have a lunch break at the lake and settled down into a small snowless section of dirt. So we are sitting there eating lunch when suddenly Jingle Bell saw a tree swaying back and forth and thought she saw something big underneath. Then another small tree started swinging! We had our shoes and socks off so we started yelling 'go away bear!' We quickly put our socks and boots back on and three our lunch stuff in our backpacks. My heart pounding furiously, I turn around and there's Sole Duct waiting to take a picture with her camera! We backtracked on our footsteps back to where we had turned in toward the lake, hooting and hollering all the way. Again we needed to use the gps to find the PCT and quickly found to about 200 feet north of us. The trail was completely packed with snow, although it was fairly easy to follow. Then here comes this guy, shirtless, running downhill in the snow with his dog. Stopped and had a chat with him and continued up the trail. Finally came to a dry, snowless section that overlooked the lake. It was a gorgeous view. Hiking onward we headed over the little pass and started down the other side. Wow, we kept running into a ton of people hiking in from the Union Gap trail. The trail on this side was on the north side and had a ton of snow on it. The further down in elevation we went, the snow became smaller piles. Continuing on to Lake Janus we really dropped in elevation and the snow piles were even less. There is snow at Lake Janus but the campsites were large, beautiful, and clear of snow. It was hilarious - we saw a toilet sign on the side of the trail almost covered in snow. 

Tomorrow we tackle another nine miles and hope to arrive at Pear Lake.

August 8th: Miles 7 Rats - a Ton of Snow
None of us slept very well last night. We blamed it on the first night jitters of being on the trail and being in bear country. We definitely saw bear prints and maybe cat prints. Sole Duct has her bear canister and Jingle Bell and I have our Ursacks. Not only do we have to store all our food and rubbish in it, we also have to put our toiletry, suntan lotion, and anything that we think a bear would like to eat. 

We woke to foggy weather, broke camp and were on the trail before 8am. It took a few minutes to figure out how to cross a creek without having to take our boots off but we did it. The trail immediately headed uphill. There were many fallen trees on the trail that we had to climb over. It was obvious that very few people had attempted to hike north of Lake Janus. The views were gorgeous! We soon came to a steep incline with deep snow and there was no way to get across without using our microspikes and ice axes. We very slowly made our way across, inching along jamming the ice axes deep into the snowbank. Halfway across, the slope was pretty steep and slippery so I took my ice axe and cut steps into the side. It was slow going - cut a step, then step into it, cut another step, and move forward. Our hearts were pounding but we made it across! We found bare trail again for awhile and then there a much longer patch of snow. Not as steep but enough to pull out the spikes and axes again. Finally back to bare trail again and we moved along switching from snow to dirt all day long. Arrived at Grizzly Peak and simply lost the trail completely.

We had been using the gps quite frequently and this time we lost at least 45 min hunting the trail down. We expect our husbands were scratching their heads watching the SPOT go round and round while we were trying to find the trail. The views of Glacier Peak and surrounding mountains were incredible. Finally found it - we only get glimpses of where the trail is and the rest is navigating by gps. The maps said we would go downhill for a few miles and we found a long stretch of dirt trail with avalanche lilies sprinkled on both sides. We were very excited - yay, we would be at Pear Lake in three miles! NOT. Came to a big snow covered area and back on went the spikes and ice axes. We went really slow and made it across, and then another snowfield, and then another... Traveling on snow is incredibly tiring. We had hoped since we were losing quite a bit elevation that we wouldn't have as much snow. In reality the ridges have less snow than the valleys. Finally, two miles from Pear Lake, we came across an oasis - a very small dry campsite surrounded by snow.

By the time it was 3:45pm and we had been hiking on at least 3-5 feet of snow and we were beat. Plus we suddenly started having troubles with the gps. The batteries were low so I switched them out, but it still wouldn't register where we were properly. I did an orientation calibration and it appeared to fix it. That was really weird. We decided to make camp at this oasis and discussed the fact that there was no way we were going to be able to make our goal of 15 miles tomorrow.

We are turning around and heading back the way we came. My husband knows that if the SPOT tracks go back the way we came, it obviously means we have turned around and are heading back for pickup.

August 9th: Miles: 7 the Return Route
It was sad that we had to turn around today but there was no getting around the fact that there is a lot of snow still here in the North Cascades. We may have pushed our way to Pear Lake only to find the lake covered in snow and no place to camp. We woke to cool and foggy weather and started hiking with our spikes on our boots. No need for the axe yet. The snow was definitely firmer this morning and the spikes were great to have. At one point we took them off for a lovely, short section of dirt trail.

We came to a the start of the snowfields again and as we were putting our spikes on again, Jingle Bell lost her water bottle down the slope. Away it went sliding down picking up speed, crashing against a rock which flew off and continued on its merry way. Finally saw it land and told Jingle Bell that she needed to fetch it since she only had one bottle left. Meanwhile a family of marmots were watching and whistling at us from the rocks. Jingle Bell didn't want to go past the marmots. "What if they bite me on the butt?". Well that got Sole Duct and I laughing our heads off. Jingle Bell was able to make her way down the rocks on the side of the snowfield and retrieved her water bottle. You brave girl, Jingle Bell! 

We made our way up to Grizzly Peak and easily made our way over it. It was still pretty foggy and the wind picked up. We were surprised how quickly our footprints had disappeared just from yesterday afternoon. We had to use the gps quite a bit to find our way in the snow for the trail. We used our spikes for much of the day and had to use the ice axes again in several places. Finally got down to a lower elevation where we could remove them for the rest of the day. Arrived back at Lake Janus to the same campsite. Wow, there are fresh pawprints all over the place. The small prints look like bobcat to me. 

Spent some time discussing what our plans are next and trying to piece together where exactly my husband will be tomorrow for pickup. We want to be dropped off at Rainy Pass and hike southward. I read that there isn't as much snow to deal with. Maybe that is where all the hikers are - they sure aren't here!

August 10th: Miles 9 Picked up for Flip Flop
Hiked out from Lake Janus. Needed gps again around Lake Vahalla. Met a northbound section hiker named Ahab who started at Snoqualmie Pass who was going to Stehekin. Met two fellows who just started at Stevens Pass and were planning on hiking to Stehekin. They were dressed in all cotton, had cotton sleeping bags, no maps, no gps, no trekking poles, ice axes, or microspikes for their tennis shoes. The one fellow was originally from Russia who now lived in Houston and the other fellow lived in St. Louis. We warned them what the conditions were like but they want to see if they could make it. We left them with a simple message to be careful and to turn around if they started to feel uncomfortable with the snow situation. 

With 1.5 miles left to the highway, who should come walking our way was my husband Dave. He walked in partway to met us. He drove us to Wenatchee to our very good friends Reid and Susan who have a beautiful house on the river. Found a Red Robin in town and sunk our teeth into hamburgers and chicken burgers. Back at the house we finished resupplying our packs and went to bed after midnight. The next day's plan is to start at Rainy Pass and hike southward toward Stehekin, and a bit past up the Agnes Creek Trail.

August 11th: Miles 7 Rainy Pass
Checked into the ranger station and picked up a permit for the national park. Sheesh, was there a lot of paperwork! Didn't know we had to reserve a campsite. I talked to one ranger on the phone who was curious what the conditions were like north of Stevens Pass. I filled him in what we experienced and he appreciated the feedback. After another long talk with another ranger on the phone about do's and don'ts on the trail, we were on our way to the dropoff point. Ran into some road work - the WDOT was tarring the road just one mile prior to the Rainy Pass picnic site. Dave was finally able to drop us off and waved goodbye to us as we crossed the highway to go southbound.

We were pretty nervous about bears and spent the first couple of hours making up songs and chatting away. Jingle Bell brought out her bear bell and it jingled merrily along. Don't know if it does any good, but we felt better! Because we didn't sleep very well the night before, we stopped much earlier than we had intended and decided to camp at Six Mile Camp. It's probably a good thing as I wrenched my shoulder and the bursa sack is pretty inflamed and I can't move my arm sideways. Took a few Advil and Jingle Bell helped wrap a hankerchief dunked in icy water around the upper part of my arm to help with the inflammation. Jingle Bell thinks she has a bladder infection. Our wonderful hiking trip is to turning into a different type of getaway.

August 12th: Miles 12 Into Stehekin
No bear visits in the night, thanks to keeping a clean site and our ursack bags and canister. We needed to do at least 12 miles today in order to get out of the national park area. Soon after we left Six Mile Camp, we met two northbound backpackers who were excited to share the news that they ran into a bear about 20 minutes south of us at the suspension bridge over the big creek. We upped our voices and singing talents to make our presence known to all who could hear us. It was pretty difficult to keep it up once we arrived at the creek as it was a very loud, rushing creek. The suspension bridge was exciting to cross, swaying to and fro. Further on down the trail we ran into a huge pile of bear scat and a ton of huckleberries hanging on their branches. More singing and loud voices, crossed the nice big solid bridge, and kept moving quickly southbound until we were out of the huckleberry plants. We also met a few backpacking parties hiking in and out and it is always enjoyable swapping information and stories about where they came from, where they lived, and where they were going. Stopped to have a lovely foot soak in a small creek running over the trail. I'm not used to wearing Goretex shoes and my feet were extremely hot and sweating. Just a few very minor blisters on my toes and easily taken care of with sports tape. Love that stuff. Jingle Bells feet were doing well, and Sole Ducts toes were starting to feel a little numb. After our break, we arrived at the Bridge Creek Camp for lunch and again soaked our feet in the creek while eating lunch. I swapped out my wet socks for a pair of dry socks. Felt wonderful. We still had another five miles to go to reach High Bridge. The day was getting very hot and it was getting difficult to keep making conversation. Sole Duct was having issues with her left ankle; it kept trying to twist under her when she stepped on rocks. Sure enough, a couple of miles before we arrived at Coon Lake, her ankle couldn't hold her up and she crashed on the ground. We rushed to help her up but she said she was having a major vertigo attack and needed to stay right where she was until she stopped spinning. Having been diagnosed with Menieres Disease many years ago myself, I knew exactly what was happening to her. It is nasty and scary since you can keep spinning and end up vomiting. Thank goodness her vertigo only lasted a few minutes and we were able to get Sole Duct up and going again. We kept her between us so we could help her immediately if it happened again. Sole Duct said it was obvious her body was telling her it was time to get off the trail and that she was planning on going into Stehekin and waiting for us there. My left shoulder was getting pretty painful at this point (almost to the frozen point) and I was only using one trekking pole for stability and we all agreed that we would not split up and we would all go into Stehekin and do an evaluation there. Just before Coon Lake, I was a little bit ahead in the lead, came around a corner and saw my first bear in the woods! I choked up, couldn't get the words out and just pointed. The bear took one look at me and made a mad dash in the bushes. For the second I saw him, I watched him nibble the huckleberries off the bushes. Did you know that bears eat 30,000 calories a day? We learned this later at a bear seminar in Stehekin. The gals were disappointed that they missed seeing the bear. I am quite relieved to finally get that first encounter out of the way. Now I know what to expect and hope all future bear encounters go the same way! 

 

We arrived at Coon Lake, took a break and made a decision on what we were going to do once we arrived at Stehekin. I had made reservations a few weeks ago at the Stehekin Landing Lodge for Sunday night for six, and my husband and friends were arriving on Sunday on the fast boat from Lake Chelan. So the plan was to make our way to Stehekin and camp at the Purple Point Campground for two nights and wait for the gang to show up. Okay, plan made, time to catch the 6:15pm shuttle to Stehekin. We made our way down the switchbacks to the High Bridge Ranger Station. Located the campground and found that it was still within the national park. Dang, why didn't that lady back in the Winthrop Ranger Station tell us that? No matter, we waited for the shuttle for two hours and talked to a couple of guys who came over the Cascade Pass. Very interesting. It seems like it is a popular thing to do. Bus finally arrived, paid our $5.00 to Stehekin and quickly found out that the Purple Point Campground was full but that there was an overflow site located somewhere else in Stehekin. Not only that, but it is required to have a camping permit everywhere you go. Lots of surprises here. I should have done a better job of researching the permitting process. The shuttle bus stopped at the Stehekin Valley Ranch to see if there were people needing a ride back to the Landing. The scenery here is so beautiful! Finally arrived in Stehekin and with help from the bus driver found the Visitors Center and was able to get one of the overflow campsites. We actually ended up staying there both nights as the Purple Point Campground only has six sites and was fully booked up. We were pretty hungry by this time (7:45pm) so we decided to eat dinner at the Stehekin Landing Lodge Restaurant (great dinner) and then ended up setting up our tents in the dark using our headlamps. Phew, what a day.

August 13th: Miles 0 Hanging in Stehekin
Horrible night sleeping with this injured shoulder. Tried to get comfortable but the only way to get a couple of hours in was to sleep on my back with my hand in the air. Had to prop the arm up with bits of stuff I had in my pack. Made breakfast and decided to get a shower and then see the sights of Stehekin. Be aware that the public shower is not free as advertised. It is twenty five cents for five minutes. Make sure you have cash as there is no ATM machine here. But VISA is taken at the restaurants, gift shop, and for over $25 at the Bakery. We had heard so much about the Stehekin Bakery that it was one of the first things on our list. Caught the shuttle bus, cost $2 each way but we ended up walking back as we wanted to stop and see the Organic Gardener. The Bakery was swamped with day visitors who just arrived on the fast boat from Chelan at 11am and only had one hour to cram in as much as they can before they left on the noon boat. Whew, what a system Stehekin has. It appears that the handful of businesses in Stehekin are owned by the same family and support each other in their endeavors. We bought a bunch of goodies at the Bakery, and yes, it is as every bit as good as the rumors said it was.

We stopped in the Organic Gardener and gawked at the tall tomato plants and all the other vegetables growing in beautiful rows. It reminded me of my own garden at home. Luckily I have friends who are taking in the bounty of my garden while I am away. The peas, green beans, black beans, onions, etc, are all coming on at the same time. We continued our walk (about 2 miles) towards the Landing marveling at the scenery and houses. By the time we reached the Landing, my shoulder was telling me in no uncertain terms that I had overextended its abilities to function any more for the day. The restaurant gave me a big bag of ice and we sat on the deck overlooking the boat harbor while I iced my shoulder. There is a wireless Internet service for email access only. I was able to send/receive email and get the word out to my husband to make reservations for the fast boat out on Monday. We also attended two free seminars offered by the national park service personnel one about animal scat and the other about bears. Excellent programs! Since we ate out last night, we decided to eat our food we packed in for dinner. Not even a comparison to what we had the night before! The visitors center keeps the bathroom door open for the overflow campers. It was lovely to have a real restroom to use.

August 14th: Miles 0 Touristing in Stehekin
Another agonizing night with the shoulder. Its time to see a doctor in Lake Chelan when we arrive there tomorrow. Today the rest of the gang showed up for an overnighter at the Stehekin Landing Lodge. We couldn't check in until the afternoon so we moseyed back to our overflow campsite and packed up our gear. My husband helped me get things packed away as it was getting difficult to do much with just one arm. My husband isnt very enthusiastic about walking/hiking long distances so he rented the only car available for transportation on the 11 miles of roads here in Stehekin. It was actually a life saver for me as I could partake in the activities - seeing Rainbow Falls, the old Stehekin School (a must see), of course the Bakery, and the old Buckner Orchard.

After doing the tourist stuff, we were able to check into our room, two bedrooms, living room, bathroom, and kitchen. Great place for six people. We ate dinner at the Stehekin Valley Ranch and it was excellent food. It was interesting to see the setup they have there. Oh, we ran into Ahab!!! He had just arrived and filled us in on the conditions past Pear Lake. He said they got much worse after the lake. Tons of snow and steep inclines. He didn't do the alternate detour route but stayed on the original PCT route over the Suiattle River. He used the new bridge - he just had to hoist himself up about 10 feet to get to the bridge decking. No steps to the decking yet. Being much younger than us and in better shape, he was still able to make 20-25 miles a day on the snow. It was fascinating to talk with him. He drinks this potion of powered hummus, grated parmesan cheese, and olive oil mixed with water twice a day and it keeps him going for hours. Does that sound tasty or what? It sounds like we made the correct decision to turn back last week and make the drive up to Rainy Pass where there wasn't any snow to deal with. Ahab is planning on continuing up to Manning Park, Canada. We wish you well, Ahab! 

Back at our room, the rest of the gang decided to go to the 8pm free seminar on the geology of the Stehekin area. I stayed behind and rested my shoulder.

August 15th: Miles: 0 Ferry Ride to Lake Chelan
We caught the ferry for the 50 mile boat ride into Lake Chelan. After we arrived, we drove straight to a walk-in clinic so I could have my shoulder examined. Yep, inflamed bursa sac. The doctor gave me a corticosteroid shot in the arm and then applied this special bandage that provided medication directly to the shoulder. It was a quiet drive back home while I nursed my shoulder. I felt bad that I couldn't continue and my hiking buddies did not want to attempt the rest of the hike without me. 

2011 PCT Section Hike - Part II

August 20th: Miles:  Steamboat Lake
My shoulder has greatly improved so Jingle Bell and I decided to do another 50 miles of the PCT, southbound from where we started last year and go southbound. Our plan is to pop out at the Wind River Ranger station where my husband will pick us up. 

The weather today was pretty warm and I was dragging on the uphills. Sheesh, take seven days off the trail and the legs feel like mush. Not much traffic on this portion of the trail. Temperature were around 80 degrees. Might be why I was dragging. Didn't see any thru hikers yet. We arrived at Steamboat Lake and there were several car camper types of people here. Not very friendly at all. I guess we are so used to friendly hikers and great environment up at Stehekin, that we were a bit taken back to the closed face attitudes of the people camping here. As we were eating dinner, a man walked past our campsite in hunting gear and carrying a rifle. Creepy. 

Not much else to report - should be a nice evening and night. I decided not to use my rain fly on the tent. It is quite pleasant out!

August 21st: Miles: 13 Indian Heaven - Bear Lake
Last night was very quiet at the lake. We originally planned on only doing seven miles but we finished up the seven miles by 11:30, so we decided to push on through to Bear Lake in Indian Heaven, which was just another 6.5 miles. We started running into thru hikers - Dirtmonger, Rhino, Titan, Waldo, and one fellow who didn't have a trail name. Since the first half of the day was so easy and fast, I assumed that we would cruise right on through to Bear Lake. Boy was I wrong! I have hiked Indian Heaven many times and have never seen so much snow in August. There is a ton of snow here. There are feets of snow here. I don't think its going to melt out this year. 

We are camped at Bear Lake now at the west end as the east peninsula campsite is taken. The mosquitoes are horrendous and have chased us into our tents. Even with 100% Deet on, I am bitten from head to toe. 

Even with the nasty mosquitoes and having to navigate through so much snow, it is so awesome to be on the trail and to be part of nature.