Pacific Crest Trail : Cascade Locks to White Pass

Miles this section : 148
Miles completed : 2292

PCT beer courtesy of Geared Up.

Washington seems pretty much like Oregon at first, more green tunnel with occasional glimpses of the world outside as I walk up past Table Mountain - Mount Adams dominates the northern horizon, and I can make out Rainier too.  The Cascades seem to be characterised by isolated giants, rather than the crowd standing shoulder to shoulder that is the Sierras.  I follow the trail up to over five thousand feet, walking along undulating ridges, Washington is not as flat as Oregon, though like the previous state it does have some level sections with many lakes, old lava fields maybe.  It is very green here, thick undergrowth carpets the forest floor, probably due to a different climate - it's supposed to rain a fair bit, but no sign of that yet, it is still pretty hot in fact.

A view of Mount St. Helens.

I enjoy a day of so much trail magic, firstly courtesy of Geared Up at 9:30am, he has tacos, and also champagne?  Well why not.  Beer ensues, this all takes a couple of hours, then Bliss says his wife will have trail magic too, ten miles or so further on, an incentive to get moving and in fact I get there for 4:30, there's more beer, chilli dogs, cake, and food to take away - fresh bread!  Somehow I manage a twenty mile day despite all this.  Of course I need to do slightly longer days now, but OK, without much food in my pack I can manage twenty-five mile days, helps to have encouragement from some familiar faces on the trail, from Cascade Locks and earlier.  There's more free food too, huckleberries fresh from the bush, most tasty.

Repairing the tent.

I'm packing up the tent with a day and half to go until my next stop, White Pass, when the elastic shock cord holding one of my tent poles together snaps, oops, well, I leave fixing it until the afternoon, it's a fiddly job, I have to sacrifice another bit of my pack, a bit of shock cord from the top intended to allow stuff to be attached there.  This takes me an hour, leaving me a little short on time, not ideal as the trail now heads into the Goat Rocks, much climbing is involved and indeed this section includes the high point of the trail in Washington.  It's a beautiful walk along a high rocky ridge, the air is very smoky though, only the nearby slopes are visible, beyond them are dark shapes in a grey void, all lit by a red sun.  I make it to camp for 8pm, there's just enough light to pitch the tent, the nights are drawing in.  From here it's just an easy morning's walk down to White Pass, where as I often do I get a burrito for lunch, then busy myself with a shower and laundry.  News here is that seventy miles of trail are closed to the north... I will find a way.

The rather splendid Goat Rocks Wilderness.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.