Twig Adventures

Day 24: Trail Magic and Town

July 29th, 2018 Killen Creek mm 2244.5 to Road 23 mm 2229 Distance: 15.5 miles We were all up very early as usual. I beat my record again of being on trail at 0520! It was nice to enjoy the growing light and cool temperatures. Also, the mossies aren’t as active that early. The trail was going around the flanks of Mt Adams all morning, so there were a lot of little ups and downs, in and outs of the fluted valleys. There were also plentiful streams and views of Adams. I could just see the tops of Rainier and St Helens through the haze. The smoke from wildfires has moved in it seems. It may have been my last[…]

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Day 23: Not Goat Rocks Wilderness

July 28th, 2018 Mm 2271 to Killen Creek mm 2244.5 Distance: 26.5 miles Today was decidedly not the exciting day that the previous day was. I took only 4 pictures and walked the long distance by 4 pm. There was lots of buggy forest and even a flat section that reminded me of the Florida Trail through Ocala. But the day ended well at a waterfall with friends, so it was still a good day. It was a beautiful morning. I woke several times in the night due to the full moon shining on my tent. I kept thinking that it was dawn. It was also so very quiet. The only sound I could hear was a distant stream coming[…]

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Day 22: Goat Rocks Wilderness

July 27th, 2018 Ginnette Lake mm 2293 to mm 2271 Distance: 22 miles This was another stunning day with a ton of pictures to sort through. This section of trail is one of the highlights of the whole PCT. Overnight I was woken by a Barred Owl, which I thought at first was a coyote howling. Then I was woken by the sounds of someone packing up at 0430. Wow, my friends wake up early! Since I was awake, I packed up and hit the trail by 0530, my earliest start yet. I covered a lot ground by 9 am and was shortly back in the high country. Once again, green meadows and snow fields dominated the landscape. I stopped[…]

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Day 21: The White Pass Vortex ends in a Nero

July 26th, 2018 White Pass mm 2295 to Ginnette Lake mm 2293 Distance: 2 miles I had the best of intentions to leave early and hike a full day. I slept well, packed early, ate a lot, and finished all my internet chores. I was heading back to the trail at 10 am just when Spatz came walking in. Skybird was just behind. So I turned around, went back to the store and promptly ordered a pizza to share. I had so badly wanted one the day before but couldn’t eat it by myself. I have been ready for some company once again and didn’t mind delaying at the store for them. About an hour later, Taylor rolled in too.[…]

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Day 20: Good beginnings and endings

July 25th, 2018 Dewey Lake mm 2321 to White Pass mm 2295 Distance: 26 miles plus 0.5 miles to store. Today started and ended great but the in between sucked, literally. It was a beautiful morning at the lake and the bugs were barely out. I was entertained by a gray jay picking around my tent during breakfast. I hit the trail at 0645 and enjoyed a nice climb out of the valley, with occasional views of the volcanoes. I was on my 8th day straight of walking solo and thinking about how silent I could be in order to see a bear. Then just as I rounded a corner and popped into a meadow, I was less than 30[…]

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Day 19: A little of Everything

July 24th, 2018 Urich Cabin mm 2347 to Dewey Lake mm 2321 Distance: 26 miles Today was fun and interesting. First I woke just before 5 am to go outside to pee, then back up to the bunk to lay in bed for about 20 minutes. When I came back down to get breakfast started, about 30 elk had filed into the meadow. All in the short time since I had gone outside the first time. It was great watching them through the window while I drank coffee. Also while I was lounging in bed, I shifted funny and tweaked my hip. There was now a sharp pain with each step and I wondered if I had just put my[…]

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Day 18: A Hut!

July 23rd, 2018 CS2371 to Urich Cabin mm 2347 Distance: 24 miles Today was a pretty all-around good day. Plus, I have now surpassed my personal best in distance hiked on one of the 3 long trails in the US. I have done the first 270 miles of the Appalachian Trail and 300 miles of the Continental Divide Trail (via the segment that is shared by the Colorado Trail). On this day, I made it to 306 miles, plus the 30 I hiked north to get to the border. Not bad in 18 days. I started off at 0645 and saw the first couple going north at the nearby spring. They must have got a pretty early start. I had[…]

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Day 17: A productive day for a Sunday

July 22nd, 2018 Snoqualmie Pass mm 2393 to CS2371 Distance: 22 miles I woke at 5 am as usual but decided that I should take advantage of a real bed and Sunday morning to sleep in. So I slept until 6 am and then couldn’t help doing stuff on my phone. But I still lounged around until about 9 am. I had breakfast in bed–a Mountain House scrambled eggs and ham meal that I pulled from the hiker box. Plus 2 cups of coffee. It was great. Finally I packed up, said goodbyes to all the hikers still hanging around, and was on the trail by 1030 am. I had hoped to hike out with Andrew but he had to[…]

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Day 16: I-90

July 21st, 2018 Mm 2404 to Snoqualmie Pass mm 2393 Distance: 11 miles I just wanted to add that the day before involved 7900′ elevation gain and 5300′ loss. No wonder it felt so hard! I was on the trail by 0630 am, despite a chilly start. I didn’t sleep very well because it was so cold. I left most of my layers on until an uphill where the sun was hitting. The morning light on Rainier and the other mountains was again outstanding. The day before I was able to see 3 of the volcanos. Rainier was obvious and based on the map, the other two were Mt Adams and Mt Hood, the latter of which is all the[…]

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Day 15: Magical Mountain Moments

July 20th, 2018 Waptus River mm2428 to Magical Mountain camp mm 2404 Distance: 24 miles It was another day that finished magnificently. I was on trail at 0645 am and moving upward. A million swichbacks brought me 2500′ higher to the top of an unnamed pass and a million more right back down. I spent the whole morning (5 hrs) going 13 miles just to cover 3 miles, as the falcon flies. The trail passed a series of creeks and one large stream that had to be forded because the bridge had been swept away. It was a two-wet-feet deal but I dived right in. There were a few others there who were really concentrating on the crossing. They might[…]

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