Tuesday, 27th September 2016
Summit Inn hotel at Snoqualmie Pass - cowboy camp at designated hiker campsite below Chilkamin Ridge
Mile 2391 - 2405
Total 14 miles
After yesterday's refreshing sauna and a good night's rest in a comfortable warm bed of the Summit Inn hotel, I started a new day by a luxurious breakfast of fresh fruit, black coffee and rye bread toast together with one of my good hiker friends with whom I had shared my spacious hotel room. Checkout time was 11 AM: enough time to write one more blog post, make precise measurements of my food supplies for the next four days until Stevens Pass, donate the remaining food to the hiker box, and carefully study maps and ask the "PCT class of 2016" about possible escape routes in case the weather turns wintery between Stevens Pass and Canada. For the upcoming four days the forecasted weather was mild and mostly dry, just with scattered showers in the mountains. Seeing patches of blue sky was an encouragement to keep on hiking: at least for the next four days until Stevens Pass. With my backpack feeling light and my muscles feeling strong, I crossed the interstate 90 (last Interstate highway south of Canada crossing the PCT) and was happy seeing the familiar "PCT" trail sign and the narrow path, leading me up a steep forested hillslope by her gentle switchbacks. Soon a sign "Alpine Lakes Wilderness" appeared. I filled up my water bottles at one of the numerous streams and springs, and felt incredibly light, almost like an osprey or hawk, following the narrow path higher and higher.
Higher up, rays of the afternoon sun appeared, warming up my fingers and making the bright colors of maple and huckleberry leaves even brighter. No sound of cars could be heard any more from the highway deep in the valley; the only sounds to be heard were the chitchat of chipmunks, squirrels and the deep voice of ravens, soaring high in ascending air currents on steep rock faces.
More views from the ridge.
On the other side of the ridge, a deep blue lake could be seen.
Then the trail reached the very top of the sharp crest, traversing it by a "catwalk" carved into steep rock faces that were formed tens of thousands of years ago by glacier action. On the catwalk I greeted two very friendly section hikers, wishing me well on my way north.
Soon the marker "2400" appeared. I was thankful that the path of the PCT had led me this far and that more wilderness was lying ahead.
With evening approaching, fluffy clouds with silver linings started spilling over the crest, hiding the path in a mysterious veil.
Then the rocky and rather rough trail started following a contour with steep slope above and below it. I tried to increase my pace to reach a safe camping spot before it got dark.
When the sun was already hidden, the trail reached a narrow saddle below the rocky Chilkamin ridge. Short look y after the saddle I saw a sign "hiker camp". The side trail led me to a five-star campsite surrounded and protected by thick mountain hemlock trees. There I pulled out my tarp and cooked a cup of hot couscous for supper and then watched a sky full of stars shining between tree branches above my head until I fell asleep, again cowboy camping in the midst of the serene Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
Summit Inn hotel at Snoqualmie Pass - cowboy camp at designated hiker campsite below Chilkamin Ridge
Mile 2391 - 2405
Total 14 miles
After yesterday's refreshing sauna and a good night's rest in a comfortable warm bed of the Summit Inn hotel, I started a new day by a luxurious breakfast of fresh fruit, black coffee and rye bread toast together with one of my good hiker friends with whom I had shared my spacious hotel room. Checkout time was 11 AM: enough time to write one more blog post, make precise measurements of my food supplies for the next four days until Stevens Pass, donate the remaining food to the hiker box, and carefully study maps and ask the "PCT class of 2016" about possible escape routes in case the weather turns wintery between Stevens Pass and Canada. For the upcoming four days the forecasted weather was mild and mostly dry, just with scattered showers in the mountains. Seeing patches of blue sky was an encouragement to keep on hiking: at least for the next four days until Stevens Pass. With my backpack feeling light and my muscles feeling strong, I crossed the interstate 90 (last Interstate highway south of Canada crossing the PCT) and was happy seeing the familiar "PCT" trail sign and the narrow path, leading me up a steep forested hillslope by her gentle switchbacks. Soon a sign "Alpine Lakes Wilderness" appeared. I filled up my water bottles at one of the numerous streams and springs, and felt incredibly light, almost like an osprey or hawk, following the narrow path higher and higher.
Higher up, rays of the afternoon sun appeared, warming up my fingers and making the bright colors of maple and huckleberry leaves even brighter. No sound of cars could be heard any more from the highway deep in the valley; the only sounds to be heard were the chitchat of chipmunks, squirrels and the deep voice of ravens, soaring high in ascending air currents on steep rock faces.
More views from the ridge.
On the other side of the ridge, a deep blue lake could be seen.
Then the trail reached the very top of the sharp crest, traversing it by a "catwalk" carved into steep rock faces that were formed tens of thousands of years ago by glacier action. On the catwalk I greeted two very friendly section hikers, wishing me well on my way north.
Soon the marker "2400" appeared. I was thankful that the path of the PCT had led me this far and that more wilderness was lying ahead.
With evening approaching, fluffy clouds with silver linings started spilling over the crest, hiding the path in a mysterious veil.
Then the rocky and rather rough trail started following a contour with steep slope above and below it. I tried to increase my pace to reach a safe camping spot before it got dark.
When the sun was already hidden, the trail reached a narrow saddle below the rocky Chilkamin ridge. Short look y after the saddle I saw a sign "hiker camp". The side trail led me to a five-star campsite surrounded and protected by thick mountain hemlock trees. There I pulled out my tarp and cooked a cup of hot couscous for supper and then watched a sky full of stars shining between tree branches above my head until I fell asleep, again cowboy camping in the midst of the serene Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
Great pictures!!!
ReplyDeletewish I was there!
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