PCT Hike, MM 2216 - 2236, Meadow Campsite

Wednesday: (08/06) Up early, on trail 0720. Lots of lakes passed today. I disturbed a heard of elk above the trail. Good thing it's not rutting season so I wasn't chased. This was the first wildlife seen except for a chipmunk? Then I saw a couple of frogs. At lunch, a flock of tiny birds the size of hummingbirds but round like a cotton ball with wings joined me buzzing around my head in the bush next to me totally unconcerned with my presence. Nice that there is actually wildlife. Made 19.7 miles today but I'm calling it a20 mile day. I didn't want to pass the campsite by a meadow MM 2236. After I was settled for the night I saw a light moving outside another camper. I met. Swept Away a southbound girl in the morning.

PCT Hike, MM 2202 - 2216, Mosquito Lake

Tuesday: (08/05) On trail at 0815. I rearranged my pack. When I started from Cascade Locks I used my cheap little day pack to haul my jacket, stove and daily meals. The straps ripped so all that stuff went in the pack and my sleeping bag was tied outside. Since I'd consumed some of the food, I now had room enough. Met All Or Nothing,Tenderfoot, and Living Sweat for dinner at Mosquito Lake. Earlier I found All Or Nothing and Tenderfoot by the trail. They were busy grading on wonderful huckle berries. That slowed me down because I started grazing too. Camped at Junction Lake. Mosquito's here and not at the previous lakes? I had been warned about the mosquito's here but this is wilderness and you can't camp just anywhere. Good thing I have a mosquito net for my hat.

PCT Hike, MM 2188 - 2202, Panther Creek

Monday: (08/04) Awoke at 0540, up at 0630, on trail at 0815. What's the hurry. Breakfast Essentials drink and salami, a good combo started the day. 0945 key Eskimo Boy at Panther Creek where I had brunch. He is the remaining member of Eskimo Boys, a couple of Southbound hikers. From there it was an eight mile waterless climb. Met Leaf Man, Grasshopper and Caboose. Leaf Man is solo and slow like me so we ended up  camping together at MM 2209. I also saw Ice on the trail about noon. She hikes fast but somehow I had gotten ahead of her.

PCT Hike, MM 2174 - 2188, Wind River

Sunday: (08/03) Stopped for breakfast at the real Rock Creek, a river actually. The climb up trail from there strenuous and waterless for seven miles. Made it to Trout Creek, another nice river where I stopped to bathe and rinse my sweat drenched clothes, then had dinner. I hiked several more miles to Wind River where I camped. MM 2188.



Wash and dinner here.

PCT Hike, MM 2161 - 2174, Rock Creek

Saturday: (08/02) I stopped to take a nap at 1600. Several hikers passed. Met Chris and Gabrielle from Boston. They hiked all the way to Burney, CA last year and are now completing their hike.  Met Ice from Texas. also met Mark and Holly. After the nap I continued on. Stopped for the night near a road. I had thought I had passed Rock Creek where a campsite I intended to stop at wasn't seen. It turns out it was a half mile up trail from where I stopped. Note to self, "use the phone app to check position". I was tired and it was near dark, so didn't think.



My campsite.



Breakfast the next day at the real Rock Creek.

PCT Hike, MM 2154 - 2161, Cascade Locks

Friday: (08/01) Up at 0500, breakfast at an IHOP Pancake House near the transit station. While there it started to rain pretty good. I caught the 0700 Skamania County Transit bus to Cascade Locks. I arrived at the Bridge Of The Gods, the bridge crosses the Columbia River to the Town Of Cascade Locks in Oregon at 0805. I walked across the river to the Post Office and picked up my "resupply", or in this case my supply box of food. I didn't want the extra weight on the train. Then I stopped at the market across the street to get tortillas, water and Fritos. Since this was supplies for 12 days for my planned 10.5 day, 147 mile hike to White Pass where I'll resupply again.
I met Late Nights at the local snack bar where I got a small peanut butter milk shake. Cascade Locks is at the Pacific Crest Trail Mile Marker (MM) 2154. I was on the PCT trail in Washington by 1130. Fortunately, the weather was nice, the rain wasn't here. At 1250, I stopped for lunch at MM 2159 at Gillette Lake by a nice cold stream. There I met a South Bound (SOBO) through hiker named String Bean. At 1740 I stopped for the evening early because the next identified campsite is seven miles up trail and because I haven't slept well these past two days. I was joined at camp by Twelveth Man. Camped at MM 2161.


Bridge Of The Gods connects Oregon to. Washington

Gear List

PCT Planning 20140725 - Pack List (2)