Rachel and Benny Hike the PCT: PCT Plus

July 24, 2013 (transcribed)

From the Journal: July 13, 2013
We are camped at Lutz Lake, about 13 miles south of White Pass. The morning was gloriously relaxing. We sat at the Kracker Barrel and had lattes and danishes and deli sandwiches and pizza. We hung out with Nat and Jane, two southbounders we met a few days ago. There were several section hikers that came through as well and we had a little impromptu hiker trash gathering. It was so fun to talk with people and hear about their journeys. We walked out with Nat and Jane at about 12:30. They are a super awesome couple from Alaska. We walked up and over the ski area and eventually climbed into the Goat Rocks wilderness. It is stunning - views of Adams and Rainier, dramatic craggy ridgelines, the daunting knife edge in the distance which we will cross tomorrow. It is fun to have new company and have a bit of a group to hike with. We had dinner together and swapped stories. Today was a very good day, and a wonderful start to out last Washington leg.

July 14, 2013
The moon guided us into camp tonight after a truly stunning day of hiking. We climbed up to nearly 7000 feet with spectacular views of Mount Rainier. Wildflowers of all colors dotted the hillsides. The trail follows a narrow ridgeline, which was luckily free of snow. We took a break to revel in the sights and left BJ on top of the world with a view of one of his favorite mountains. At times it feels as if the trail is ready to crumble under your feet so it is imperative to step carefully. The trail comes to a junction where you can traverse the slope or go up and over Old Snowy Mountain. Ben and I chose the traverse, Nat and Jane opted to go up. It sounds like they chose the more enjoyable route. Our snow crossings weren't bad but climbing across the loose talus was like walking on pieces of broken ceramic, like the earth is breaking away under you. We rejoined our friends on the other side and crossed the Packwood Glacier. I was sad to leave the views of Rainier but they were traded for the silhouettes of Adams and St. Helens. We dropped lower for a few miles before entering a lush green valley crowned with breathtaking cliffs. We passed above and below rushing waterfalls and climbed over Cispus Pass. There were a few snow traverses, which are rumored to be our last. I took a short slide on the backside of the pass but was able to arrest quickly. We had dinner at one of the many Sheep Lakes and then Ben and I walked another four miles. The light was beautiful shining through the trees. We caught glimpses of Adams, illuminated pink in the alpenglow with a crescent moon rising behind. The beauty would literally stop me in my tracks. Today was 17 miles of reveling in the beauty of this country.

July 15, 2013
As of today, we have been on the trail for a month. It feels more like home each day. I felt overjoyed all day, walking with our friends, listening to music, taking breaks, soaking in the views. Most of the day was easy forest walking with occasional views of Rainier and the Goat Rocks behind. We stopped at Lava Spring, a water source with a spring flowing under the lava rocks flanking Mount Adams. We had dinner next to a cascading waterfall at Killen Creek right at the base of Adams. I'm laughing as I write this, thinking it sounds too good to be true. I will say there are mosquitoes and my feet still hurt. After dinner we climbed up the High Camp Trail. Ben and I decided to transition to snow, while Nat and Jane stayed on rock. The slope was a lot steeper than it looked and too steep to safely traverse as we had intended. We headed up. Ben believes it was at least a 50 degree slope. It was very hard for me to stay calm and control the climbing mind space, but I managed. We made it safely to the top of the slope to admire the sun burning red and illuminating the skyline with Rainier and St. Helens dominating the horizon. There is layer after layer of mountains. Adams was lit up a rusty red in the alpenglow. Yesterday we admired her from a distance, tonight we sit at 7000 feet ready to carry over from Northwest Ridge to the South Spur in the morning.

July 16, 2013
I am so exhausted but it was such an incredible day that I have to get it down on paper before I go to bed. First of all, we had our longest day in hours today - 17, from 5 am to 10 pm. I have no idea how many miles, but we were able to carryover Mount Adams, which was amazing! Our net elevation change was nearly 14,000 feet, which explains my throbbing feet. When I woke up at 4 light was just starting to touch the edge of the eastern sky. We gained elevation, Rainier and St. Helen's glowed in the first rays of sun. The flanks of Adams shone a rosy pink. It was an exquisiste morning, the first sunrise I have seen on the trip. I love my snooze button, what can I say? We slowly and steadily climbed up the ridge. A lot of the climbing was on loose volcanic rock and soil, so that you take a step forward and slide half a step back. The route was less complicated than it appeared from below, it kind of revealed itself to us as we went up. I got noticeably lethargic from the altitude between 10,000 and 11,000 feet but was able to drink, eat and push on. At about 11,500 feet we transitioned back to snow and topped out at 12,281 feet. The views were incredible! We had Rainier and the Goat Rocks to the north, St. Helens to the west, and Hood and Jefferson to the south. I truly felt like I was in the heart of the Cascades. Ben and I dispersed BJ's ashes - he is now on every major peak he climbed except Hood....weather was coming in, it was cold, windy and snowing, so we quickly headed down. We made good time, walking and doing some epic glissades until we got to a protected spot for lunch. Toward the end of our break rain clouds and distant thunder and lightening rolled in. Just a reminder that we're still in Washington. There were some steep snow slopes on the descent that I honestly didn't have the mental reserves for. I am so excited to get rid of my ice axe tomorrow. We finally made our way down to the trail that circumnavigates Adams, walked 6 miles back to the PCT, then made it another 4 miles before setting up camp on the trail yet again. The last part of the day was spent walking through a more recent looking burn. The moon shining through the dark and skeletal trees casts a ghostly beauty over these woods. Nat and Jane camped about a mile back. It was sad to say goodbye, we have had an amazing time with them through the Goat Rocks and Adams. It is amazing how the trail can bond you. I'm sure we will see them down the trail in Oregon. Tomorrow morning we only have to walk 2.5 miles before meeting Mom and Mike for a hot breakfast and real coffee!! And then Blue Heron will get to walk with us for five days. I am so excited!!

Note: I do not have any access to pictures from this stretch, a small limitation. I do have pictures that Rach sent me that include photos from Hart's Pass up to Snoqualmie Pass. I will include some of those which are a testament to the amount of snow and beautiful (though exhausting) terrain they've crossed.