August 23

I am in Skykomish, Washington now. I completed this leg a day earlier than expected- I hope my pace stays high. The next section is supposed to be the most difficult in all Washington and Oregon. In the 1998-1999 winter, Mt. Baker (adjacent to the pct) got 1140 inches of snow- 95 FEET! I've been hearing that the section is passable, so perhaps the warm weather these last few weeks has been melting the snow like crazy.
Today was really cold- I didn't put on my sunglasses till after noon because I was in clouds all day.

August 20

I spent the last few days with Benny in Tacoma. He is training for a marathon so I went for an 8 mile run with him and kept up! It was good to see him and get some rest and good food.
I got to Snoqualmie Pass today! It's been a great last few days of hiking. I hiked out of Chinook Pass with Benny. We drank some beers and watched the stars, planets, satellites, and meteors.
The next day I headed up the PCT and Benny went back to civilization. I saw a good size marmot, and got some video of it on my camera too. I walked above Crystal Mountain ski area, which was weird because it's an unusual perspective of a recreation area. My phone's gps app also glitched and thought I was at 40,000 feet!
I only have 2 more towns to get through until I arrive in Canada- skykomish and stehekin. About 260 more miles of hiking!

One state down, one to go!

I made it to Cascade Locks on Oregon's border with Washigton! In the past 4 weeks I covered 500 miles. I plan to complete Washington in about 3 weeks. I am traveling longer mileages - in the last 4 days, I had two days with over 26 miles.
Coming the last leg from near Sisters, Oregon was pretty grueling. I crossed mount Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Mt Jefferson, and Mt Hood. It had been about 170 miles without a shower or laundry so Cascade Locks was especially rewarding!
Freshly clean and full of excellent food, I crossed Bridge of the Gods into Washington. I opted for the alternative route that cuts 21 miles from the PCT official route and goes past a couple breweries. Unfortunately the breweries were closed, but at least I am getting a nice look at a few Washington towns.

Day 30

Finished the longest leg of my journey today- about 117 miles from highway 242 to Timberline Lodge! I walked past Belknap, Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack, and Mt Jefferson. Today I climbed two passes up to Mt. Hood's Timberline lodge. There were a few exciting parts: normally on the east side of Mt. Jefferson, there are three glacial creeks that need to be forded early in the morning (glacial creeks are less turbulent earlier in the day). I was getting to these fords in the evening, the worst possible time to cross. Luckily, there were snow bridges across each creek so I had no problems. I later met up with two equestrians and their 1200 pound horses had made it across these snow bridges safely!
A few other highlights: I crossed the 45th parallel: I am now closer to the north pole than I am to the equator. I also walked my longest distance in a day so far: 27 miles!

Back on the trail!

Today I am headed back onto the pct. I took 3 consecutive rest days because I had not taken a break in 3 weeks of hiking. I have covered approximately 300 miles and have another 700 or so left. This next section is my longest leg, at over 100 miles before my next food stop at Timberline lodge on Mt. Hood.
Taking time off was really relaxing. I got my quota of good food and cheap beer. I got to resupply, see family, and sleep in.
I weighed my backpack- I have 4 liters of water and about 30,000 calories of food (5 days at 6,000 calories a day) and it weighs a little more than 60 pounds! I had been thinking it was about 40, but it's actually quite a bit more than that!

Day 15

Got to Shelter Cove today! Last few days I took an alternative way because of the snow. The Oregon Skyline Trail is an older trail than the pct, and parallels it through Oregon. The OST stays at lower elevations so there are more lakes and streams to see while the pct stays close to the crest of the cascades through Oregon. I road-walked almost 20 miles to reach windigo pass, then the next day climbed Mt. Cowhorn via the pct. The views were amazing! Lots of snow so I decided to detour to the OST when it was possible.
I am getting used to life on the trail I think. I am getting quicker at setting up and taking down my tent, bandaging my feet, and doing laundry, showering and resupplying!

Day 12

Today I descended into diamond lake. The trail off the rim of crater lake was pretty treacherous- lots of snow, even in mid July! My new traction devices worked great but I still had a close call. This convinced me to avoid Mt. Thielson because the north face will be even more difficult to navigate than he rim because there are fewer navigational aids. I lost the trail for about a mile but knew where it would be because it ran parallel to a major road. By Mt. Thielson, I would not have that luxury.
I had a lot of energy today so I ran the last 5 miles to the lake! I can confidently say I am much stronger than when I started this hike.