Over, Under, Around or Across

8/20/13

PCT mile 2490-2505 - 15 miles

Elev  5561-5475 

It was cold all night so we were bundled deep into our sleeping bags. My tent site was sloping so all night I hitched my mattress up to adjust to the slow slide toward the end of my tent. I looked outside to see clouds and mist all around us which made for a pretty sunrise as we walked in the early morning light. Down off Grizzly Peak we had good trail and as the clouds cleared we met and passed a group of 4 people in their 30s,  3 guys and 1 girl and an older gentleman and his dog, Jack, who I made friends with.  Around mountain sides over saddles and into new valleys we were thrilled to see a glacier hanging off a mountain that we thought was Glacier Peak ( where we'll be in 2 days) as well as a far off view of Mt Rainier behind us. This is the glacier peak we saw.

We began to see more logs over the trail to be climbed over in any way possible!  Here's Peggy going over one.

We saw evidence of work on the trail ( we found out it was by WTA, Washington Trail Assoc.) here's an example of a trail being raised above the wet, marshy ground.  We so appreciated all the work being done to keep the trail open for us to enjoy.

Edged by logs held in place by wooden pins with  deep trenches to run water off and down a side ditch, great work!

I've never seen a ladder to help you get down a slope but I imagine in rain it would be really helpful not to slip and slide down!

Anyone can call the PCT and volunteer to do trail work. They train you and will match your desire to a project they have going. It's a good way to help preserve the trail for the next generation. 

We passed a field of huge boulders that I had fun with.

We ran into a trail crew working on downed trees with a crosscut saw. No power tools allowed in these wilderness areas. They said to prepare to climb over many downed trees up ahead.

He's holding his long crosscut saw, one guy  will be on each end pulling back and forth.

After our lunch break we came upon many more downed trees, there must have been a big storm up here last winter! What a mess. I ended up walking the length of some, others I would sling a leg over & use branches or another tree to wedge my foot against, grab the rough tree bark as a hand hold to swing over and back down onto the trail. Some can be so challenging that your pack needs to come off to be tossed over or shoved under then get yourself over then put your pack back on. One time I got so carried away walking the length of logs that I completely missed that the trail switch backed the other way. I would have figured it out sooner or later but Peggy called me back!

Many good blueberry opportunities were passed up in our effort to make miles today, with so many people on the trail we felt like we needed to get a campsite before the groups got there. We didn't realize how many sites around the lake there were,  we needn't have worried.

This is Lake SallyAnn, a beautiful, deep blue color. We arrived early enough that we washed and dried out socks, rinsed off and rested a bit. My feet hurt like the soles are bruised so I soaked them in the cold water, and taped them and added moleskin to the tender spots.

We heard that El Tortugo, our friend from the last town stay at Dinsmore's,  is well ahead of us. He was trying to do 30 mile days and get done so we're glad to know he's doing just that! 

We also heard that there are more trees down and harder trail ahead in the last section. I got water filtered for tonight and tomorrow so both Peggy and I lay down in out tents to rest before dinner. 

Blue sky, no clouds, looks like a good day for tomorrow too.