Week 12 Mileage: N/A

Game Over

My shoulder started bothering me a week ago. I thought it was something that would work itself out. I felt a pop while I was reaching for my phone. I dropped my pack and sat for 5 minutes. It was over at that point, and I knew it. Now the problem was getting out. I was 13 miles past the last road and on my way to nowhere. There was a ranger station 3.6 miles away. I couldn’t carry my pack. Every step was unbearable. I was hunched over like Igor from Frankenstein. The longest two miles of my life, just walking right through the river crossing, unable to rock-hop. I made it to a trail junction and saw that I had service, which I couldn’t believe. I called a friend, up ahead on the trail, and asked her if anyone was at that ranger station. She said no and that it was a remote outpost without any roads in or out. I’m a big advocate of getting yourself out if you can walk, but with my pack, there was no way. I called 911. The only way to get to me was by helicopter. They would be there in 1 hour.

I heard the chopper coming. There wasn’t any place to land, so they sent a dude down on a wire. He unhooked, came over, checked my shoulder, wrapped a quick sling around me, threw my pack on, hooked me up and gave the thumbs up. I was 200 feet in the air, dangling from a helicopter, as I just stared at the spot they had pulled me from. Too pissed off to care about the current situation, a second rescuer grabbed me and yanked me in, landing me on my shoulder. I laid there for a minute in excruciating pain as they slammed the door and took off toward the airport. An X-ray showed a clavicle separation, right where my pack strap sits. My shoulder hasn’t been 100% for years. I was just hoping it would hold out for one more record. Well, it didn’t, and that’s how it goes sometimes. You win some, you lose some. I had it. The PCT was as perfect as I could’ve hoped. The transition to the CDT was flawless. To lose it while doing so well hurts more than the shoulder. Now I’ll be in doctor’s appointments, surgery, and P.T. Not how I pictured it, but that’s the way it goes. Thank you for all the support. Sorry I couldn’t get it done.

Week 11 Mileage: 230.3

PCT Mileage: 2655.2

Canada!

The Alpine Lakes Wilderness was working me pretty good. By 8:30, I had done 9,200 feet of elevation gain and 33 miles. With a heavy pack, my legs were a little jelly-like and I was dreading a river crossing coming up. I had been thinking about this particular crossing since before I started this hike. It’s not your typical river. The map guide has it listed as a stream, but I knew this would be anything but that. With the snowpack lingering late, and the recent temperatures pushing triple digits, I knew this would be sketchy. The “stream” comes off the top of a mountain, down steep, almost like a weak angled waterfall and continues down eventually to a meadow where it becomes normal. Unfortunately, where the trail crosses, it’s abnormal. It’s also a rocky canyon. All the rocks in and around the river are sharp, angled, broken pieces of the canyon walls. Just as I expected, it was raging. Just before I crossed, I decided to put my phone in a Ziplock bag, and into a stuff sack. I wrapped my pack-top tight and cinched the strap down hard. I put my wrists through my trekking pole loops and unbuckled my chest strap (remember, I don’t have a waist belt). I took three steps into the foaming beast, got my foot hooked on a rock under the water and that threw my off balance just enough. The current took me down and I found myself swimming down this ravine. I tried not to panic. The water was cold as hell and as I kicked, I could feel my legs and knees hitting rocks underneath. I grabbed onto a boulder. After regaining my breath, pulled myself up and onto the other side. Completely soaked and shivering, I hiked another 1.5 miles and pitched my tent. I had enough for the day. Trail-1, Chezwick-0. Assessing the damage at camp, I had a good chunk taken out of my shin. It was hard to get it to stop bleeding. There was also a cut on my right shin, and I had banged my knees up a bit. I also soaked a pack of cigs and lost a half a bag of BBQ Twist Fritos. NOOOOO! That was the first time in over 20,000 trail miles I had been swept down a river, it was bound to happen.

The next day I pushed hard in the hot sun and pulled a 40-miler, passing Steven’s Pass around 3:30 and being thankful for the start of section K. The mosquitoes even seemed to calm down which helped my morale a bit. I wanted to make it into Stehekin by Monday morning and get the first shuttle into town. This would require two big 40-plus mile days and each one in the 8,000 feet of elevation gain world. I started seeing a lot of South-Bounders (SOBOS) who all thought I was finishing a section from a previous year. I was early, I am fast, but I have to be. After a 36-mile day, I followed that up with a 45.5-mile day.  The uphills were long 6-8 miles, and the trail was terribly overgrown in a lot of sections. It took me 15 minutes to cross Kennedy Creek suffering from a little PTSD from the other night. By Monday morning, I was walking the forest road to the shuttle pickup for Stehekin, 179.6 miles in 4 and a half days. A car stopped and a cute girl offered me a ride into town. Her name was Sage and she was a PCT thru-hiker from 2012. She let me shower at her place and even let me take her car to get my resupply box at the post office. Thank you!! Back on trail at 12:30, I was able to get beyond Rainy Pass and finish with a 36.5. Not bad with a 4-hour town stop. The next days, I pushed hard with a 42.4. I wanted to break 76 days on the PCT. Went to sleep just before Woody pass with 11.3 miles left to hike.

On the trail at 4:45, I wanted to touch this friggin’ monument. Four times on this trail now, and never getting to it. I met a section hiker named Jeff and we talked and hiked all the way to the end. At 8:43 am on July 17^th, I completed the Pacific Crest Trail! 75 days, 20 hours, and 49 minutes. A flat 35 mile per day average. That’s what I wanted and that’s what I got. Some blood, sweat and bullshit to get it, but there I was, tan, skinny, dirty and happy. After the typical monument photos and 15 minutes of hanging out, the celebration was over and now my focus was on getting to the CDT. As great as an accomplishment as that is, I still have 4,859.8 miles to go. Jeff offered to give me a ride to the train station the next day which made the logistics so much easier. Huge, in fact, because that would save to at least half a day of dealing with shuttles, busses and hitches. He would meet me at the hostel in Mazama the next day. The following morning, I arrived back at Harts Pass completing the 30 bonus miles back and was quickly told by a PCTA official and a forest ranger that the trail directly south was on fire. Highway 20 through Rainy Pass was closed, and no hikers were able to go into Stehekin. If I was a day and a half slower, these fires would have messed a lot of things up for me, but I crushed the PCT and all that was no longer my problem. After a shower and laundry, Jeff, who goes by the trail name “Mary Poppins”, picked me up in Mazama and at the end of week 11, I was heading to the CDT in an air-conditioned car, clean and with a full stomach. I am one lucky SOB!

Week 10 Mileage: 268.8

Wicked Hot!

I felt refreshed after my night in the hotel, but just an hour out of town I was drenched in sweat. So much for the shower. I packed out 4 days of food and had 147 miles to the White Pass Kracker Barrel, (not the restaurant chain, a convenient store.) As hot as it was, I wanted it to continue so whatever snow was left in the mountains would melt away by the time I arrived. Apparently, Washington had a below-average winter but a cold spring, so the snow lingered. Washington is harder than Oregon, longer climbs, longer descents. My goal for this state would be to do the 505 miles in under 14 days. Tough but doable with my confidence high after doing Oregon’s 457 miles in 11 days and 4 hours.

Mt. Adam’s Wilderness, Goat Rocks Wilderness, and Alpine Lakes Wilderness were my snow problem areas. Goat Rocks has a knifes edge that can be sketchy with big snow. The climb out of Cascade Locks is long and I finished from 10:20 am with a 27.8 for the day. The next day I wanted to pull something in the low to mid 40’s but the heat was working me pretty good and so were the winged devils. By 9:30 pm the mosquitoes were so bad I had to concede the day. I had 79.9 miles to make it to White Pass by 6pm on Sunday before the store closed or I’d be forced to slow down and wait until they opened Monday at 8. I didn’t like that option, so I was up, and on the trail just before 5 the next morning. The full-on assault by the mosquitoes started almost immediately, but I was wearing my rain pants and bug net. Luckily, the trail was easy for the first 12 miles. Ascending into the Mt. Adams Wilderness, the mosquitoes backed off over 6,000 feet and by 11:30, I had already done 16.8 miles. Passed the big mountain and pushing hard through the snowpack, I made it through with only a couple slips and falls and entered Goat Rocks Wilderness, going until 11:30 and finishing with a 48 for the day.

I wanted to be at the store by 5:30 so I had time to shop and eat. The only thing standing in my way were 31.9 miles. The ascent up to the ridge was completely covered in snow, something like 4 miles, but by 11:30 I was on top. Aside from a couple short sections of snow that I could see, everything looked clear. Without stopping for no more than 20 minutes in the next 15 miles, I made it to the Kracker Barrel by 5:40. The women working remembered me from two years ago, she asked me what I was up to and after telling her, she said that I couldn’t beat the guy from last year. She said it kind of matter-of-factly. That was all the motivation I needed. After resupplying and eating all the leftover hot food they were going to throw away (which I got for free), I headed out just after 7 with another 6 miles as my goal. But as I started the ascent, the mosquitoes swarmed. It was so hot, I was drenched and after only 1.7 miles, called it.

By Wednesday at 11, I had made it to Unique Pass. I resupplied for 5 days to Stehekin, met a hiker named “Maps” and took off at 2:30. This section would be my hardest since the Sierra. The Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Steep, hard hiking with multiple switchbacks. 3 hours later I was on top of the Kendall Catwalk. I could see the trail rimming along the outside of the valley and snow in a lot of spots. With a full resupply it was tough going, but as hard as it was, the views were incredible. Mt. Ranier looming in the distance, this was, and is, real deal hiking.

Other hikers ask me often how I do the miles I do, 40 through this kind of stuff. It’s hard to explain, I guess I just don’t let my legs stop moving, and every time I want to stop and rest, I just tell myself,  “the trail isn’t going to hike itself.” The days are long, but I’ve been hiking this way for a few years now and it’s becoming the only way I know.

Week 9 Mileage: 256.6

Trying to keep pace with food babies…

It took another two hours to get out of the snow and another 3 hours to get to Shelter Cove campground. It was only going to be a light 2-days resupply ( I had a box waiting north.) Luckily there was a hiker box filled with all kinds of goodies, so I indulged and grabbed 3 days-worth of food, ate some microwaved junk and a pint of ice cream, and headed out. Another 10 miles and camped for the night. This section was flat and easy. Probably the easiest section of the PCT. I was running low on cigs and figured I do a quick pit stop at Elk Lake Resort, so I pushed hard and did 34.4 miles by 5:15. Made it to the lodge and they didn’t sell cigarettes. So, I ate pork nachos. The bartender sold me a pack of his. I then proceeded to get an order of wings, which were huge. I probably shouldn’t have finished them all and instead, taken them to go. But I crushed them all and left there with my belly distended about 12 inches. I wanted another 10 miles out, but I ate way too much and just wanted to sleep, which I did.

I had 40 miles to do the next day. I needed to reach Big Lake Youth Camp no later than 9 pm, and after ending the previous day early, it was going to be a hard push. I had to Contend with Three Sisters Wilderness, which was all snow pack and slowed me down a lot. I really wanted to take a shower and do laundry at the youth camp but that wasn’t in the cards.  I just needed to grab my box. I couldn’t wait until the morning to get it. I arrived at 9:15. 40.8 miles.

My next stop for Oregon would be Ollalie Campground. This would mean some sketchy hiking past 3 Finger Jack and some burn areas, and some significant snowpack. 3 Sisters had a lot of snow, but it’s relatively flat. This section had trail sections cut out of the side of mountains. Falling wouldn’t be good. As I started getting into this section, I passed a tent and a guy came running out to me saying that his friend had to turn around up ahead because she said “Ice axe and crampons mandatory. To fall would be certain death!” I thanked him for the warning and pushed on. There were tough sections, and a casual hiker would probably think that way.  I just wish I could have done more than 3 miles in 2 hours. I also kept losing the trail. Part of the reason for pushing the pace so hard through this section was to make it to the Timberline Lodge for their AYCE buffet. And if my timing was on, I’d arrive almost exactly at the end of month 2. A great place to finish.

Getting to Ollallie’s was 13.4 miles, by 10:45 am I was there. I had 24 hours and 51 miles to go. I remembered from previous years that this section north to the lodge was an absolute cruiser, like a 50-mile version of Whittaker Woods. I finished at 11:30 with a 48.5, and 16.3 miles left in the morning.

Made it to Mt. Hood by 11am. Crushed 5 plates of the buffet and after hiking across the still open ski area trail, I made it about 5 miles before needing a power nap on the side of the trail. From there I went another 15 miles to end with a 37.

The following day was tough. I had 31.6 miles to make it to Cascade Locks, build a resupply box for the tiny town of Stehekin in Northern Washington, and send it out before the post office closed. It was July 3^rd, and they would be closed the next day. I pushed hard and did it. Got the box sent and grabbed some new shoes. I even stayed at a hotel in town. I figured it was time for a shower and laundry. It had been 12 days and a month since I slept in a bed. But shit, 11 days 4 hours and 30 minutes to hike Oregon. Very happy with that! 40.2 mpd average.