PCT mile 2603-2620 - 17 miles
Elev 3240-5575
I woke to rain at 5:30, there seemed no way it was going to clear after looking at the sky so we got packed up and ready to go. Daniel and his friend were underway at 6:30 planning to go 28 miles to Hart's Pass, farther than Peggy and I can hike in one day. We got a late start at about 7:45 and started for Cutthroat Pass just 1 mile ahead. Once up there we could see the trail disappear around a stark mountain peak. Remote and rainy, clouds creeping over the ridges, I felt like we were walking into someplace where we might never be seen again.
Wearing my Poncho/packcover, contemplating our next hurdle.
This is the view I was looking at in the photo above. I was also realizing the rain would be around for awhile, look at those clouds piled up against the peaks!
2 1/2 more miles and we reached Granite Pass, almost devoid of trees, loads of granite rocks littering the landscape as we followed switchbacks down from the peak to cross over to the next mountain.
We were to traverse the side of the peak in the middle (with the cloud on it) where, later in the day, we would climb over Methow Pass.
The valleys were filling with clouds before our eyes the mist rising faster than we could imagine, creeping over saddles and at times enveloping us only to clear as it poured over the next peak. The rain never let up, we sought an overhang to take a quick snack break. Water ran down the mountains creating more creeks than the maps had listed and we sloshed through all of them.
By this time we were each hiking in our own little world, hands cold and cramped. Coming to Methow Pass the skies really opened up to pour a deluge on us. Out of that deluge appeared another hiker, Walking Home, a thru hiker from Winthrop near Hart's Pass. He'd started at the Mexican border in April and quite literally was walking home.
He passed us quickly and we all started the downhill section. I was wet except for a small square of torso, my hands so numb I had trouble working the clasps of my pack if we stopped for food.
Neither of us ate or drank as we should have today, it was just too much trouble to get to stuff and stand there dripping as we ate.
We had about 8 miles of forested trail to do, dark and dreary. We came across a creek that had flooded it's banks pushing yellow mud and boulders to obliterate the PCT for about 20 yards. Standing there studying the scene, we saw where other hikers had marked the resumption of the trail with a pyramid of rocks. We picked our way across the mess, at this point not caring whether or not we were wading in water, we were soaked anyway. This is where we started asking each other "When's the trail not the trail? When it's a creek!"
Our 15 mile day would have ended when we went through a long section of brushy hillside trail, but it was only 2:30 and too early to stop. We decided to filter water for a dry camp and tackle the next climb hoping for a better campsite. Our mantra was "Let's get this misery over with."
2 1/2 miles & 981 ft up we came to a site just below Glacier Peak between 5 & 6,000 ft elevation. We knew it could be cold but really wanted to stage ourselves in order to get to Hart's Pass sooner rather than later.
We pitched our camp, rather, Peggy got her tent up, I got mine up but had to dry puddles from the inside floor and try to dry it somewhat before putting my gear inside. Meanwhile it rained on and off. My down bag, damp for the 3rd night, concerned me. I was worried that it could fail to keep loft and warmth if I couldn't dry it soon.
I'd worn the same wet socks for 3 days because I wanted to keep 1 pair dry for emergency warmth. I tried wrapping my damp shirt around my torso to get it to dry while wearing my down jacket in camp. I was hoping to get some clothing dry before I had to put it on again tomorrow morning. Dinner was eaten whenever we were able, between rain showers and tent set up. Mine consisted of instant mashed potatoes and a packet of Spam, a surprisingly satisfying meal when all else was failing!
I'm proud of what we put behind us today, neither of us enjoyed it but we put our heads down and got the job done hiking more miles than anticipated which put us in a good position for getting to Hart's Pass tomorrow.
I hardly took any photos today, it was just too wet to find anything nice about the hike today. Grumpy.
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