Twig Adventures

Category: Pacific Northwest Trail

PNT Day 1: Oroville…what the flip?

Pacific Northwest Trail

Friday July 1st, 2022, 1530-1920Whistler Canyon Trailhead @ HWY 97 to top of hill, WEBO mm 578.8, Segment 5 Okanogan Highlands10.8 miles, Gain 3300′ , Loss 500′, elevation 3750 I’m glad I downloaded the section overview maps from the PNTA website beforehand, because this should help followers understand ‘what the flip’ I’m doing for this hike. See the highlighted section of the Okanogen Highlands above? After a whole lot of back and forth on what to do about record levels of residual snow in the Cascades and Rockies, this was where my PNT thru-hike began: in the middle, working my way east. Once I made it back to Glacier National Park, I’d repeat my train\bus\ride travels to pick up the trail[…]

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PNT Pre & The Big Split

Pacific Northwest Trail

June 21st- 30th, 2022 This is a long-winded explanation about why and how I changed my plans to start the PNT at the mid-way point near Oroville WA. It explains some of the in’s and out’s of flip-flopping. I’ve never had a hike begin with so much uncertainty and last minute decisions! Previous experiences prepared me well for being flexible and resilient, but this adventure really put this to the test. It didn’t help that I set myself up with some pretty complicated logistics beforehand, beginning with a flight segment to Denver almost 2 weeks before I was set to start the hike. Buying 2 separate one-way tickets (Miami – Denver & Denver – Kalispell) turned out to be a[…]

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Pacific Northwest Trail 2022

Pacific Northwest Trail

For my 10th long-distance thru-hike, I’m attempting the 1,200 mile PNT, which traverses along the Canadian border from Glacier National Park in Montana to Cape Alava/Pacific Ocean on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. This route serves as a northern connector of the PCT and CDT, as it shares a brief part of each trail. The majority of the PNT is through Washington…a section I really loved on the PCT, so I’m looking forward to seeing more of this beautiful state. The conditions will be a huge change from my recent time spent in the desert SW and along the east coast on the AT. Water will be plentiful (snowpack is still way above average), bushwhacking will be the REAL DEAL,[…]

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