We did a Covid-conscious PCT J section thru hike. Rather than hitchhiking or getting dropped off by a friend, we bike shuttled it. If you don't care about bike shuttling from Seattle, skip to the PCT section or the Palouse to Cascades/Snoqualmie Tunnel section
First day, I dropped off the car at Stevens Pass and biked back to Seattle. I woke up at 4am to try to beat the traffic, knowing that hwy2 biking will be scary. The portion on Hwy 2 was terrifying but unavoidable since there were no other roads. The shoulder was full of debris or non-existent, there was a fair amount of cars by 7am already, and to top it off, it was foggy/rainy the entire time. I was glad to be off hwy2 at Sultan. From there on, the bike back to Seattle was on scenic albeit somewhat hilly country roads, then east-side streets with bike lanes. 90ish miles, mostly downhill.
Next day, my partner and I biked from Seattle along the Mountains to Sound Greenway. Overall, 70ish hard miles with packs, 5000ft elevation gain, much of it on gravel. We veered slightly from the official route because early in the trip, my bike rack broke under the weight of the packs. We took a detour to find some bike shops, but it was Sunday so few were open, and the ones that were did not have the part I needed, so I had to wear my pack.
Palouse to Cascades Trail
Eventually we got back on track and took the Palouse to Cascades trail from Exit 38 to Snoqualmie Pass, passing through the 2-mile tunnel. There were lots of ripe berries along Palouse to Cascades, especially thimbleberries, native black berries, and gooseberries. Wildflowers and splendid views were also abundant along the trail. The trail is gravel and we both had road bikes. My partner was fine, both of our bikes were fine, but I had the worst crotch-chaffing ever, probably from a combination of the extra weight from wearing my pack and my bike being a little too large for me.
Snoqualmie Tunnel
Perhaps obvious, but the tunnel was looooong, even on bike. Bring a jacket, it's somewhat chilly in there. In the beginning, you can see a tiny yellow light at the center, that we assumed was the other end, but as we kept biking, we were never sure if it was indeed the other side, or the flashlights of the numerous people going the other direction. The tunnel was oddly quiet despite many groups of people inside. When you are close to the people, they're very loud. We passed a couple crying babies that were extremely loud. But, for most of the tunnel, all we heard was stifled silence or water dripping from the walls. Speaking of water dripping, some sections, especially towards Snoqualmie Pass, were a little wet and formed puddles on the ground. Easy to avoid, as long as you have a light.
PCT J section northbound
Day 1 - Kendall Catwalk Trailhead to Ridge Lake (6mi)
We started hiking a lot later than we planned, due to some unexpected delays from my bike rack breaking, as well as the ride to the trailhead being harder than expected. At around 6pm, we started from the Kendall Catwalk Trailhead. We watched the sunset from Kendall Catwalk. The views were splendid. The cascading peaks all around us looked like violet waves, and Rainier and some other volcanoes poked out like tips of icebergs. The trail keeps on going along the ridge for a while, offering view after view, so we were able to use the remaining light from dusk to walk to the very first campsite we found - Ridge Lake. We were so tired that we immediately plopped our packs down and set up camp, but I wish we had gone a little farther. Ridge Lake is a beautiful little lake with lots of campsites around it, but it was a chilly night at an elevation of 5300ft and I forgot my sleeping hat!
Day 2
Ridge Lake to Waptus Lake (24.5mi)
We must have been too tired to notice the mosquitoes on day 1, but day 2, oh boy did we notice them. We kept on going along the ridge, but unfortunately, we couldn't stop for breaks and enjoy the view for longer than a few minutes at a time because the mosquitoes were eating us. Even in boulder fields, the mosquitoes were eating us. I think there's a lot of water underneath those dry looking granite boulders because the rock is not very porous so water can't seep through. That means lots of stagnant water underneath the boulders for mosquitoes to hide and multiply.
Taking a rather late lunch break at Spectacle Lake was the highlight of the day, if not the entire trip. The lake is huge and beautiful and lots of volcanic rock formations along the banks as well as fairly strong winds that blow across meant no mosquitoes! I took a swim to some little islands of volcanic rocks on the larger and deeper (and colder) side of the lake and sunbathed there. There were no other groups around us, although we saw several groups on the shallower and warmer side. We were picking salmonberries and thimbleberries the entire way, but Spectacle Lake was the first place we saw huckeberries and blueberries start to ripen.
Then, we descended into Lemah Meadows where we saw impressive peaks, especially Lemah mountain towering overhead. Fighter jets that flew overhead were deafening as the sound echoed from surrounding mountains. We climbed back up through burnt forest full of fireweed and ripe berries, thankful for this relatively dry mosquito-free part of the trail, and made it to Escondido Ridge just before sunset. I would have loved to set up camp there - gorgeous views and early morning sun, but it was kinda chilly and we had miles to make.
We pressed forward for Waptus Lake trough dusk, twilight, and total darkness. The switchbacks were long and extremely gradual. Sometimes we wondered if we were going downhill at all. I didn't mind the darkness though - there was no moon, the surrounding mountains were blocking any source of light pollution, and the face we were descending on was very exposed with no trees blocking the views of the stars for much of the descent. Those were the brightest stars I've ever seen in my life. The milky way was indeed milky, and the stars from the big dipper were almost blinding in their brightness. Better yet, it was the height of the Perseid's meteor shower and we saw a few shooting stars streak across the sky.
My partner however was not pleased with still being on the trail at 11pm so we hurried down to Waptus Lake and set up camp at around midnight. The night was much warmer than the previous night, and when we woke up, we noticed tons of ripe huckleberries, salmonberries, and thimbleberries all around us. We didn't pack much food and was counting on ripe berries this time of year for extra calories, so the trail side foraging was a relief.
Day 3
Waptus Lake to Glacier Lake (19mi)
We started the day slowly - watching strange looking ducks float past us at Waptus Lake, diving into the water frequently and popping back out several seconds later. We saw one little guy pop back out with a fish squirming in its beak and then struggle to swallow the poor fellow whole. Departing from the lake, we gorged ourselves on trail side berries.
We walked and walked and everything's a blur, but I remember lots of fat marmots and marmot whistles throughout the mountains as hikers approach their dens, streams and waterfalls that cascade down the entire height of a mountain, frogs that like to jump out of your way last minute as you cross small streams, and considering taking a dip at Deep Lake but deciding that the water was too cold.
When we passed under the majestic Cathedral Rock, I thought that it would be a great peak to summit, and later found out that it's possible to scramble up. Later on we would look back at the very prominent and easily distinguishable Cathedral Rock and marvel at how far it looks.
Much of the trail after Cathedral Rock was through moist mosquito-ridden forests. The upside is that we found giant ghost pipes that go up to my shoulder and a few butter boletes that were delicious. It seems like at this time of year, mosquitoes are a great indicator species for mushrooms.
We decided to go through Surprise Gap instead of the typical PCT trail through Pieper Pass. I've never seen as many mosquitoes in my life as I saw during the climb up to Surprise Gap. We pretty much ran up the steep switchbacks to get away from the mosquitoes. Once we got to the gap, there was immediately no mosquitoes! Surprise! The second thing we were surprised by was the gorgeous view ahead, with the sides of a glacial cirque perfectly framing the Glacier Lake below, sunset colors strewn across the sky and a pinkish glow reflecting from the surrounding rock cliffs. I had originally planned on doing a side trip up Surprise Mountain, but after the long day on day 2, I promised my partner that we'd set up camp before it got dark this time. We barely made it, camping right after what looks like a carefully manicured rock garden on the north side of Surprise Gap.
Day 4
Glacier Lake to Stevens Pass (13.5mi)
Day 4 was a short and slow day. It started out overcast, and as we gained elevation, the clouds became fog. The sky did clear up a little late morning and we took as many breaks as we could, trying our best to finish the remaining food we packed. We ate berries on the way uphill and sat by lakes for as long as we could stand being eaten alive by mosquitoes. We saw fish jump out of the water, probably to gulp down some mosquitoes. We saw yellow birds with long beaks perch and periodically fly quickly over the lake and back to its perch, presumably to snatch mosquitoes. (They're probably eating larger insects, but we were hoping they were going for the mosquitoes). We saw a squirrel carry an oversized pine cone past us, drop it briefly to hide, decide that the pine cone was worth the risk, and come out of hiding to continue carrying its pine cone. He reminded me of the squirrel from Ice Age.
Our first sign that we were close to civilization was a giant power line that stretched across a mountain. Soon we would walk under it, past ski slopes and lift cables. We said bye to the dusty trails, whistling marmots, ripe berries, wildflowers, lakes, and thankfully the mosquitoes, as we descended through the ski resort to our car.
Overall
The hike was extremely scenic. There was one stream crossing where the bridge is no longer there and you have to step on some logs tied together or jump over some fast moving water. Another one where you have to wade knee deep. Many parts of the trail are very dusty. The parts that weren't were full of mosquitoes. Fighter jets overhead are loud. The trail was fairly crowded by our standards. We'd pass several groups going the other direction every day. Fortunately it seemed like very few groups were northbound. Popular campground were often full, midweek. If you arrive late, expect the best campsites to be taken. However, there's plenty of nice campgrounds and we never had trouble finding a spot - its just not always a spot right next to a lake.
Comments