PCT Southbound - Day 10

This was a long, dusty, hot hike today. We left Six Mile Camp around 8 a.m., both still tired from the previous 18-plus-mile day. We were trying to catch the shuttle bus from High Bridge to Stehekin. Because we move slowly, it turned into about 11 miles of steady rushing to make the 3:00 p.m. bus or miss it by just a few minutes and wait until 6:15 p.m. The last half of the day was hot and humid, and rushing through it was not pleasant. Not something we would choose to repeat.

On the positive side, we made the 3:00 p.m. shuttle with about 15 minutes to spare. Stehekin is a lovely, quirky town. The shuttle stopped at the local bakery on the way in, and we picked up four fresh spring rolls and a lemon bar for a snack.

I had reserved one of the five sites at Lakeview Campground, so we were able to set up the tent, soak our feet in the lake, and have dinner on the outside deck of the lodge restaurant. There’s no cell service in town, but when the local lake ferry is docked at the main marina, it broadcasts a free Starlink signal, which allowed us to upload an Instagram Reel from the previous section.

Hike Details ⬇️

📍PCT SOBO Mile 69.5 - 80.7

🥾11.3 Miles

📈 1585 Ascent, 3061 Decent

🕘 7 hours

PCT Southbound - Day 9

We left camp at 6:30 a.m., about two hours earlier than normal, hoping to get most of the climbing done before the sun cleared the ridge. That turned out to be a good choice, as the switchbacks coming out of Granite Pass were rough. The early part of the day brought excellent views, and we stopped often for photos. This section of the trail is stunning, and it's been my favorite of the parts we have hiked so far.

We navigated one particularly sketchy washed-out section of side hill with a sheer drop-off on one side. Jason went first and convinced me that it was doable if I kept my trekking poles dug in and a hand on the uphill side. He tried to get a shot with the 360 camera. Yikes! High type-2 fun, for sure. 

After that, we made the long scrabbly climb and then descent to Highway 20 at Rainy Pass.

At Rainy Pass, we reached a decision point. Because of a national park boundary, our camping options were either outside the park or six miles farther in. We chose to continue, making it an almost 18-mile day. The final three miles were hot, brushy, and pretty miserable.

We’re glad to be in camp now. We soaked our feet in the creek, ate, and are now resting in the tent while our camp neighbors—apparently a duo of soft rock/folk music aficionados are having an impromptu jam session nearby.

Hike Details ⬇️

📍PCT SOBO Mile 51.8 - 69.5

🥾17.9 Miles

📈 1480 Ascent, 4652 Decent

🕘 11 hours

PCT Southbound - Day 8

It's been a brutally hot, all-uphill day. We started from our campsite right on Brush Creek and immediately got well exfoliated while pushing through three miles of overgrown brush along the creek. 

After crossing the Methow River, the trail finally turned uphill. Bonus blueberries along the way, plus a short stop for conversation with a very social chipmunk.

The climb was a steady, slow slog—very, very slow on my part—gaining about 2,500 feet. Thankfully, most of the day stayed below tree line and offered some shade, because blue skies and 80 degrees felt hot.

We broke above tree line at Methow Pass and continued across about 1.5 miles of ridgeline scree trail to the cutoff for Hidden Lakes. We found a lovely campsite in a grassy clearing with a spring flowing beside it. The flies are relentless in the heat, but we managed an afternoon nap in the tent and later cleaned up in the spring. Great views of the surrounding mountains and burritos for dinner. We’re alone so far, but there’s space here for several tents if anyone comes along.

Hike Details ⬇️

📍PCT SOBO Mile 43.2 - 51.8

🥾8.6 Miles

📈 2500 Ascent, 581 Decent

🕘 6 hours

PCT Southbound - Day 7

We are back on trail today after our first zero day back at the Lion's Den. The day off helped. Showers, clean clothes, and two visits to the local pub had us feeling mostly restored and ready to hike again. It was hot today with clear skies and temperatures in the 80s. Despite applying sunscreen in the morning, we both managed to get a little sunburned.

The mountain views today were excellent as we crossed Grasshopper Pass and descended into Brush Creek. There were plenty of chances to look ahead or back and see the trail tracing along the opposite ridgeline, which never gets old. It was mostly downhill, which is a bonus. Blueberries showed up about three miles before the creek and immediately slowed our pace.

We camped next to Brush Creek. Jason nearly gave himself hypothermia after a hot, sweaty day when the sun dropped quickly and he got wet filtering water. The evening was spent shivering under both quilts while wearing every piece of clothing he owned.

I made smashburgers in tortillas on the small bridge near our tent, and we were in bed by 8. Tomorrow is looking at 2,500 to 3,800 feet of elevation gain, depending on where we decide to stop.

Hike Details ⬇️

📍PCT SOBO Mile 30.6 - 43.2

🥾12.6 Miles

📈 1476 Ascent, 3369 Decent

🕘 9 hours

PCT Southbound - Day 6

Hike Details ⬇️

📍PCT SOBO Mile 17.1 - 30.6

🥾13.5 Miles

📈 3163 Ascent, 2041 Decent

🕘 8 hours

PCT Southbound - Day 5

We woke up at the lake to cool air and overcast skies. We packed up and started the climb back up to the ridge above Hopkins Lake by 8:30 a.m. The climb turned out to be far less terrible than I had imagined it would be. A day without heavy packs had clearly helped, and we were both feeling stronger today.

The views showed up again as we passed through Woody Pass and headed toward Rock Pass. The climb up Rock Pass was pretty brutal, but two marmots were playing along the trail, which helped distract from the effort and felt like a fair trade.

From there it was a long downhill to Holman Pass, where we stopped to position ourselves for another big climb in the morning. We camped with plenty of other hikers tonight, since this is a popular midway stopping point between Harts Pass and the border.

Dinner was a chicken burrito bowl followed by banana pudding. Both were welcome. We were in bed by 7:30. It was a long day, but we felt good.

Hike Details ⬇️

📍PCT SOBO Mile 6.4 - 17.1

🥾10.7 Miles

📈 1854 Ascent, 2882 Decent

🕘 8.5 hours

PCT Southbound - Day 4

Border Day!

Sunny and breezy this morning. I slept restless and not sure why. Maybe it was the excitement of reaching the border today, or maybe it was the thought of leaving our things by the lake and knowing we would have to climb 2,000 feet back up to them at the end of the day.

We left our tent and most of our belongings at Hopkins Lake and set out with just Jason’s pack loaded with emergency gear and food for the day. I carried it on the way down to the border, about 2,100 feet of descent, and Jason carried it for the climb back up.

The trail down was mostly gradual and wound through pine forest. We stopped often to pick blueberries, which were everywhere along the trail and made our pace slower but much more pleasant.

When we reached the border monument there was one other hiker hanging around. We waited him out in a silent war of attrition to see who would get the monument to themselves for a moment. We prevailed and took a few pictures and videos before starting the long climb back to Hopkins Lake.

There was an unexpected moment right before we left the monument. A Canadian police helicopter swooped down and hovered over us for a full minute, close enough that we were caught in the downdraft from his blades. Maybe they were looking for border sneakers. Possibly.

Hike Details ⬇️

📍PCT NOBO Mile 2642.3 - Canadian Border - PCT SOBO Mile 6.4

🥾13 Miles

📈 2234 Ascent, 2162 Decent

🕘 8.4 hours