Are We Having Fun Yet? (Part 2 PCT Section K)

Assessing the damage in the morning light, it did seem Heather's chances at any warmth for the coming nights were slim to none. "Let's ask Woodstock what he would do" was her solution, and it seemed a good one. This is when he told us about slipping while crossing a high running stream and going under. Everything sopping wet, he thought he truly might succumb to hypothermia that night, and didn't know how he would have made it if the clouds had not parted, allowing him to make a fire and dry his stuff. So he scoffed a little at our "her bag is soaked" evaluation. "It's a little damp" was his conclusion, "you just need to break midday and set it out in the sun a couple hours." Easy for him to say; the PCT thru hikers are walking machines and get almost three times as many miles in as many hours as I can. Two hour breaks are not in the cards for those of us with speed issues.  

Glasses Lake

Heather with Heather Lake. Had to do it.

I let Heather know she was not obligated in any way to stay with me. I didn't mind being alone a couple days...if you call having dozens of hikers passing you a day alone. But Cynthia, who tends to be a bit of a worrier, was having none of that, and offered her bag as a replacement. Heather was still on the fence when one of her trekking poles wouldn't lock. "Maybe it's a sign?" she pondered, but ultimately decided no divine intervention was at work; she would figure it out eventually, or just use the one pole and all would be fine. 

So we said our goodbyes and parted ways, and within the hour Heather had broken out her stash of duct tape and had two functioning poles again. I told her I wanted to give her the nickname "MacGyver", which she was into; but later I would find how truly difficult it is to come up with an original trail name. Plus I don't know how many miles you have to do before you "qualify" for one, so for now we are still just Heather and Kelly. (I do know the "someone else has to give it to you" rule, but that is as far as my trail name knowledge extends. All the thru hikers had one, of course)

Day two was supposed to be an easy 9 miles to Pear Lake, which we needed because we knew we'd get a late start with the other gals leaving...but I did not expect it to take us a full 9 hours to get there. (Take a two hour break? Yeah, right!) Heather was so excited to show me a "Pear Lake" sign as she exclaimed, "We made it!" It broke my heart to point to the little arrow pointing to the trail heading up. That last mile seemed like an eternity.

Packed up at Pear Lake and ready to roll

The wind was whipping across the lake when we finally arrived just before dark, and you could smell that rain was on it's way. We boiled the water for Heather's nalgene bottle and prayed it would be enough to keep her warm. I don't think it ever was...although, she's not dead, so it was good enough. ;) But she did warn me, if she got too cold or hungry, I might be sorry she came. I'm still alive too, so again, it was all good. 

Are we having fun yet?

Yes, we woke to rain, and had nothing but rain the entire day. I totally should have put more water repellent on my very worn out boots, because they failed miserably at being anything other than little sponges. Despite it being a long, wet, 11 mile day, we were in mostly good spirits. Regardless of the weather, it was beautiful; and thankfully not as difficult as the prior day, so we made good time and got to Lake Sally Ann well before dark. Best of all, we had a brief reprieve from the rain and had just enough time to get everything set up before the real storm hit. 

SOOO happy to see Lake Sally Ann

Enjoying the last of our Fireball and playing cards while we listened to the gusts of wind and rain hit the tent was immensely satisfying to me. I felt like I was cheating misery...like I should be suffering, but it was fun and therefore a big "f### you" to Mother Nature. Thankfully she wan't too angry with my arrogance, and we were blessed with a beautiful sunrise in the morning that looked like a promise of better weather ahead. 

And it was. In fact, it was so much better--so beautiful, so wonderfully gratifying and enjoyable, that I may declare it the best hiking day of my life. It was almost my longest day of the trip at 13 miles (next day was slightly longer at 14) but just about every mile of it made my jaw drop. Sometimes I feel like I am the luckiest person alive. To say I am grateful does not seem enough. 

A sweet spot at Reflection Pond

This day was also the "crux" of the "mother plan"...the day the planets needed to align so that everyone's day went smoothly and no catastrophe messed with the two groups meeting up. Next post. 

Next post? When is this going to end! ha ha.

The Mother of All Plans (Part 1 PCT Section K)

"The Plan" is always the hardest part of any multi day hike; at least for me. So many choices...so many possibilities...so many details to work out; it always feels like there is no way it is all going to come together. And with the added complication of 8 other people coming in or out during these 8 days, I would call this year the "Mother of All Plans"! (Hey, I just came up with my title!) I'm afraid trying to even explain it is going to take up half this post; so I'm not going to. You will just have to follow along as best you can.

I have one of the most courageous people I've ever known as a good friend. Cynthia's life has been pretty much been an all uphill climb. I could write a book listing all her struggles, but her diagnosis of a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy in her fifties has really been a tough one. But like she has done with every challenge that comes her way, she has faced it head on...which is why I wasn't surprised she asked if I would take her on her first backpack (as an adult...I'm not counting the one she did as a teen ;)) this summer. After purchasing her 8 pound battery operated ventilator machine required for her to breathe at night, and still insisting that she wanted to carry everything else she needed, she texted me "Do you think I'm foolish?"  I thought to myself, "What you are is stubborn!", but of course that is also what makes her so strong and determined. I am in awe of her. I was SO upset when our earlier plan to do Grand Park fell apart. I didn't think we would get another opportunity until next year.

My hero

But as "the mother plan" was developing, I realized that my first day was going to only be 3.5 miles in--making it the perfect opportunity for Cynthia and I to do our backpack together! She was more than willing to be my drop off person...except she no longer drives. So, I had to recruit someone who would want to hike in for one night with us, and then out with Cynthia and drive her and my car back home. Enter peep #2, Anne; an incredibly good sport and friend of Cynthia's whom I have never met and who has never backpacked a day in her life. Peep #3 would be Heather, who has backpacked with me a couple times, but was itching for a longer adventure and wanted to do four days with me. So, a group of four would hike in on day one, and two would hike out on day two, and one would hike out on day four...but who would she hike out with? I told you this was complicated! We will get to that later.

Say hello to my little friend!

The easy first day was due to the fact I decided to resort to cheating (again...I do that often!) and opted for a short cut trail onto the PCT. Smithbrook is a little steep and rooty, but it's only about a mile up and it saves you seven. Normally I would not have wanted to miss out on Valhalla (the first lake you come to if you hike in from Steven's Pass) but I got that one under my belt last year, so I didn't mind skipping it. 

Everything went to perfection (well, after we finally got Anne's borrowed backpack on...for the first time ever...and had to adjust every single strap on it!) and the newbies powered up the tough mile to the intersection with the PCT without care. We made a big deal here to notice the junction, because even with the obvious signage, it's easy to miss if you're looking down and chatting away. (which I later learned is exactly what happened the next day; but thankfully they realized right as they passed it and successfully made the turn off.) 

Two person tent?

A couple more easy miles, and we found ourselves at Lake Janus without another hiker in sight! (we did pass one guy going out; who gave us dire warning of how cold a night he had. Ugh.) I plopped my stuff down at the gorgeous big site next to the lake without a single thought about the advantages of tree cover. Unbeknownst to me, Heather, (who was a little obsessed with the idea of staying warm) was giving a lot of thought to it; but didn't want to burst my "look how pretty!" bubble. 

Speaking of pretty, Janus has nothin' on Heather!

After we got settled, another group of PCT thru hikers came in and took the smarter (though uglier) spot in the forest above us. This would become the norm; in fact, we had PCT hikers camp with us every night except the last. "PCT" hikers, for those who don't know, are doing a multi MONTH hike on the "Pacific Crest Trail", which starts on the Mexican border and ends when you enter Canada. You know them by their smell, and the fact they will eat anything you offer them. This turned out to be a real blessing, because none of these girls knew how to pack food! Holy crap, when Anne opened her "snack", it looked like lunch for a boy scout troupe!

Go Hawks!

At this time I was following the "store your food 100 feet away by hanging in a tree or using a bear bin" rule, so I was a little concerned how we would fit all this extra food in my already full of 8 days worth of food bear container. I was much relieved when the thru hikers took the FOUR HUGE sandwiches off our hands. Turns out it was Anne's husband who had thoughtfully made them for us, ("kiss him for us", the hikers told her after they devoured them, "we forgot how good lettuce tastes!") but I soon discovered that it really didn't matter, because ALL the through hikers keep their food in the tent with them. The more I talked with them, the more it seemed that lugging along my bulky 3 pound "Bear Vault BV 500 Food Container" was completely pointless. Though, I often use mine as a chair, and I like knowing my garbage is not going to leak in my pack, and that mice are not going to chew through my tent to get at my food...so, I stand by my decision to continue to use mine. Heather, on the other hand, was cursing hers (which I did NOT make her buy, so don't listen to her!) and I think was seriously contemplating throwing it over a cliff. So, if you are in the market for a bear bin, I'm thinking you may be able to score a pretty good bargain if you call Heather! 

Another thru hiker, Woodstock, who camped right between us!
He had some great stories, including near hypothermia!

My angel and her halo!

Poor Heather. All her fears about being cold came true. I failed to stake my new "2 person" (ha!) tent properly; making an already tight fit even worse. Consequently, the rainy night made it's way in, and Heather's down sleeping bag wet. (mine is synthetic and water resistant, thank God) She was having serious second thoughts as the drop off crew and her last chance at a warm night were leaving that next morning. To be continued...

Party of Two at Green Point

I love the idea of a big party on Ross Lake. The campsites there are so nice--I mean, it's not often can you backpack to a place with a boat dock! Even my non hiking friends could do the mere mile down the Ross Lake Trail to catch the boat taxi, which can ferry a group of 6 to any assortment of different spots along the lake. (I had my sights on Devil's Junction for my birthday bash in 2013...though the weather thought differently. Read all about it on my Ross Lake East Bank Trail post) 

In my illusory world, it would not be a problem to secure all the campsites the day of (because you cannot reserve in advance) and we would have the whole place to ourselves to have an extravagant blow out. And who knows, maybe someday that dream will come true. But this year, it was going to have to be a party of 2. 

My husband does not come with me very often, so don't get me wrong, I was absolutely grateful. And if this trip was a trial run for this grand future fantasy event, it did provide some lessons. Mainly I learned I need to lower my expectations, because scoring all the sites in any single location is not a very reasonable presumption. I failed to consider the boating community, which I can only assume usually snags their spots for several days at a time; making finding a window where all the spots are free a near impossibility. We barely got the last available site when we stopped to register at the Wilderness Center in Marblemount at just before noon on a Tuesday. 

Ken is taking a picture of moss. Gotta be a first.

As we pulled into the packed parking lot at the Ross Dam trail head, Ken seemed a bit concerned. (crowds are not really his thing) But surprisingly, the trail itself was fairly people free. Once we got going, he immediately commented on the smell, which reminded him of his mountain hometown of Idyllwild. Even though Ross Lake is only a 2 hour drive from Skagit Valley, and not even over the pass, it is notable how different the air feels there. 

Because my big party plans did not materialize, we opted to do the 2 easy miles to Greenpoint without bothering with any boat rides. One thing to keep in mind though--the shuttle over to Ross Lake Resort is different than the actual boat taxi you would reserve to take you to the camp destinations. Those taxis are not cheap, ($115 one way to Lightning Creek, although that is for the whole boat and not per person) but the shuttle to the resort is only $2 per person. So, if one wanted, they could cut this already short hike almost in half for very little cost. (Greenpoint is probably a quarter mile hike from the resort) Except then you would miss walking over the dam, which is kinda the best part. (BUT, it would make packing in a good amount of adult beverages a little easier-just sayin' ;))

Looking down on the boathouse where I had a wonderful picnic lunch with Kimberly.
(see "Washington Rules, Colorado Drools" post)

Behind Ken you can see Ross Lake Resort

Once we arrived at camp (warning: the incline after the dam is a bit more difficult than you might expect from a lake shore stroll) we found that the best sites by the water were already occupied. But no worries, the ones on the hillside were nice too, and I liked that they felt slightly more private. 

The best spot...maybe next time

Not bad. Each site has a two separate pads,
so you could fit a pretty large group on each one.

Sitting on the dock and watching the large group of kids play made me nostalgic for when ours were little. Ken reminded me of when they crafted their own raft, not too unlike this amazing pirate ship. These kind of memories are so precious, and even though I didn't know any of these people, it made me smile knowing this day was probably one they'd remember the rest of their lives. 

Land ho, matey!

Later embellishments; quite a piece of art

We considered hiking down to check out Ross Lake Resort on our way out the next day, but concluded the short but steep detour was not worth the effort. Besides, we wanted to make it to our favorite Birdsview Brewery right at the noon hour so we could have a leisurely lunch. 

We did decide one extra stop on the drive home was worth the effort, because there is always time for a wine tasting! Sadly, our go-to winery has closed it's doors (RIP Challenger Ridge) so we gave Glacier Peak a shot. It may be smaller and less cute, but I wasn't disappointed. That may be, though, because I'm learning to keep my expectations down a bit. And y'know, the truth is, things don't need to be grand or extravagant to be a good time.