Fannypack's PCT2001 September journal w/pics

Day 163- Sun, September 30 
- 26.7/2651.5 miles -start-0830 end-1845 -sunny hi-80 -tent on PCT 2/10 mile into Canada -elevation-4240' 
Up at 0650 working on journal and hiking at 0830. This morning it is warm so I walk with my short sleeved yellow shirt. We climb 200 ft or so to a ridge and then drop a couple hundred ft before we descend 1000 ft in 4.4 miles. Not many views. I see 2 guys backpacking south. They are returning to Hart Pass after hiking into Holman Pass yesterday (about 14 miles, I think). At 1125 I reach the bottom of the descent at Holman Pass. I take a 25 minute break in a sunny spot in the middle of the trail. I haven't any other thru-hiker, except Puff when he passed me, sine leaving the yurt. We must climb to 7126 ft (high point on PCT in WA) in about 8 miles or so from the elevation of Holman Pass which is 5050 ft. The trail traverses up 2 miles or so till we reach an area w/o tree cover. I have to pinch myself sometimes to see if I am dreaming or am I really here when I look around & see all this beauty & wilderness. I will not soon forget (probably never forget) this journey. I reach a ridge & see the long switchbacks below and start down knowing that as soon as I get to the "bottom" I will be climbing again towards the 7126 ft peak. After the 1 mile descent I start to climb & I have to admit "this is a tough climb". It steep as we head towards Woody Pass which is misnamed, it is actually very rocky there. At Woody Pass I can see snow covered peaks in Canada. I traverse up for about 3 miles till I reach the 7126 ft peak (it has no name) where I stop for a break. It is sunny & warm as I eat my last snacks (4 crumbled chocolate chip cookies & 4 Starbust pieces). my only food left is 2 dinners which I will eat tonite. At 1610 I begin the 8.5 miles that are between me & the border. These 8.5 miles are all downhill (really). As I descend towards Hopkins Lake I see a fella coming up the switchbacks with only water containers. We stop to talk. He is Remy from France and he started his thru-hike on April 14 but this is the 1st time I have ever seen him. He is a 58 yr o ld computer programmer. He says he went down to the lake for water & now he is returning to his pack on top of the hill. He will camp there. I continue on & finally reach the border and Monument 78 at 1845. Puff & Smokelees have left a note saying that they went 2/10 mile north to a campsite by Castle Creek. I took a few pics & continued on. They had a fire going and it felt great. I setup my tent & enjoyed dinner by the fire. The 26.7 mile hike to get here is well worth it & I feel proud of myself (kinda like I have accomplished something big). But u know there is no band playing or no one there congratulating me but remember "long distance hiking is a personal thing and most people have no idea what & why long distance hiking do what they do". So don't expect a lot of persons to congratulate u on your successful hike because most of these people are still questioning why u chose to do the hike. There is a great bond between long distance hikers because we understand what it takes to hike a long hike and can identify with the hardships that another may be describing. Finally, I am NOT asking persons to congratulate me. All I can do is try to give everyone as good a picture, as possible, of what I am doing. Go backpacking & enjoy the outdoors, just try to be prepared to have a great time. Now I am off my soapbox, Good nite.   Pics from 2001-09-30

Day 162- Sat, September 29 
- 22.6/2624.8 miles -start-0725 end-1725 -sunny hi-70 -stayed at the yurt at Windy Pass -elevation-6260' 
Up at 0650 and hiking at 0725. For the 1st mile or so I am walking downhill. About 0800 I come upon the campsite of Puff & Smokeless. Smokeless is just hiking out & Puff is still in his sleeping bag. For the next 3 miles or so we are walking on "level" tread. At 0930 I come to a stream where 4 persons (3 women, 1 man) are camped. I find that they are doing a w/e hike from Hart Pass to Rainey Pass. At 1000, after a break I continue on up the next hill. I is a climb of 2000 ft in 4 miles or so. After 2 miles I pass Glacier Pass where I see Citrus, Marcus & Robin taking a break. During this climb I am in & out of tree cover, unlike earlier this morning when I was completely under tree cover. As I climb after Glacier Pass I can see several glaciers on the other side of the canyon. Also I lose the tree cover and now start on switchbacks that will carry me up to a ridge at 6700 ft. The wind is brisk and it is chilly when the sun goes behind the clouds. After reaching the top of this climb I start to see day hikers coming south towards me. I find that they start their hike at Hart Pass. I came upon Smokeless & Puff taking a lunch break at a campsite which had water about 75 yds down a slope. I stopped for a break and soon Marcus & Robin joined us. They said Citrus was taking a break reading a book only a short ways back. We discussed our plans for the rest of today's hike. We plan to stay at the yurt at Windy Gap which is another 11 miles north. Also we decide to go down to a campground near Hart Pass and get water and eat dinner since we at not sure if there is water at Windy Pass. Marcus, Robin, Puff & Smokeless get at least a 1/4 to 1/2 mile ahead of me so I ran to catch up with them by the time they reached a spur trail to a road leading to the campground. Yes, I said I ran. The trail is nicely graded, "a piece of cake". Along the way I see about 20 day hikers and 10 backpackers. The view is great. U can see down into the canyons and identify the routes of past landslides & avalanches. The trail is a traverse of the slopes rather than a walk on the crest. There are many spots where there are wet areas on the trail that is or has been frozen recently. So these wet spots are slippery so u must watch your step, as always. We don't find any water at this primitive campground near Hart Pass so all 5 of us walk the road up to Hart Pass where we find a trail register & we sign in. We meet a ranger who tells us that there is water on the trail just a short ways north of here. Note: the guidebook doesn't mention this water. We are happy to hear the water is close so now I will pack 4 liters (8 lbs) of water to the yurt & will eat dinner there. At 1530 we leave Hart Pass and immediately traverse 1.1 miles up 600 ft to a ridge near a trailhead parking lot. From this point the trail is a relatively flat traverse for 3.8 miles to Windy Pass. As we approach Buffalo Pass, 9/10 mile south of Windy Pass, I see the yurt down to my left in a clearing. The yurt is canvas covered building that is round (maybe 30 ft diameter) and sits on a wooden platform base) which raise the floor (actually like the 2nd floor cause it is not at ground level) of the yurt to about 8 ft above the ground. The yurt is used in winter as an emergency shelter and is privately owned & maintained. Obviously this area gets a lot of snow so that is why it is necessary for the "floor" of the yurt to be raised 8 ft. We have been told that in winter a heli-skiing outfit regularly uses this yurt. This is the 1st time I have encountered the word "yurt" so I will be looking in up in the dictionary and will give u a definition in a future journal entry. The inside of the yurt is plush by hiker standards. There is: 6 beds, a gas stove, a stove that burns firewood very efficiently, pot & pans, maul to split wood, yaddah, yaddah, yaddah, in other words, an oasis. Also there is a stream running about 50 yds away. By 1830 everyone (Smokeless, Puff, Marcus & Robin, Citrus & I) has arrived. I have 2 freeze dried meals (each meal supposedly is a dinner for 2, ha, ha) and soon we are talking about making it to the US/CANADA border tomorrow. This is a 26.7 mile hike but if u are psyched up for a long day at this point, well........ I think all of us are ready to be finished. The weather has been great, sun shining brightly and we love to enjoy the scenery, the people, etc for a few more days or a week but October is just around the corner and the 1st major snowfall will hit this area soon. I am tired and cannot stay awake to converse so I am off to bed. Did I say "bed"? Life is good. Good nite.   Pics from 2001-09-29

Day 161- Fri, September 28 
- 24.9/2602.2 miles -start-0915 end-2055 -partly sunny hi-70 -tent 2.5 miles north of Methon Pass -elevation-5100' 
Up at 0700 to use the pit toilet (oh, what a feeling) which is high up on the hill (100 yds away.) I stay in my tent till 0855 working on my journal. Citrus says it is 36 degrees. Everyone is gone when I hike out at 0915. We are hiking along Bridge Creek, 500+ ft above it. The trail is pretty easy after an initial climb. I get to a junction for Fireweed Camp and continue straight and soon I come to another junction & it doesn't say which way the PCT goes. I look closer at the sign and in the upper left corner someone had written "PCT" in pencil with an arrow to the left. I went left. In another couple tents of a mile I come to a sign that says PCT 2 miles and is pointing left. I look at the guidebook map & this seems to be where the PCT is. I go left. After an hr I meet 4 guys from Seattle who say the PCT is just ahead. I continue on & finally come to a junction that says "PCT". I continue up the hill towards Rainey Pass. I get water at another crossing of bridge Creek and continue to the crossing of Hwy 20 at Rainey Pass where I find Marcus & Robin taking a break. It is 1420 and up to now we have been mostly under tree cover. They say that Puff & Mokeless just left & they haven't seen Citrus. At 1500, as we are leaving Citrus comes out of the woods. Citrus got lost back where I said the signs were somewhat confusing. After comparing notes, it seems that the guidebook has a different route that what is marked on the trail. The guidebook takes u across a bridge of Bridge Creek near Fireweed Creek & the u stay to the right of the creek as u travel north. The signs show the PCT going left near Fireweed Camp (I think this is correct) and then u stay to the left of Bridge Creek until u ford it a couple miles from Rainey Pass. I start the 5.1 mile 2000 ft ascent to Cutthroat Pass from Rainey Pass. We stay under tree cover till the last mile. This climb, IMHO, is the best graded 2000 ft climb on the trail. I arrived at Cutthroat Pass at 1730 an as I go to the other side, I find that the wind makes it much cooler. I stop to put on my rainsuit jacket and gloves. I come around a corner & find little patches of snow & the ground is frozen. I descend to Granite Pass and continue towards a large campsite with water where we may camp. At this point everyone is ahead of me except Citrus. As we approach the large campsite I see Citrus about 100 yds behind me. At 1910, we arrive at the campsite and find no one there. Citrus says he is gong on. I need water, so Citrus goes on as I get water. By the time, 1923, I start hiking again it is pretty dark but the moon is already out. I hike the 1 mile to Methow Pass. The trail is a lot of loose dirt & rock and there is a huge drop off to the left of the trail. I arrive at Methow Pass and start down. I now have a 2000 ft descent in 4.2 miles to a creek. I don't think I will go 4.2 miles in the dark, nor do I want to do these miles in the dark. I am tired and want to stop & eat. I am looking for a flat spot to tent with no luck. At 2055 I see a fire and it is Citrus, Marcus & Robin. I stop, setup my tent, cook and sit around the fire till 2200. Another long productive day cause now we are only 22 miles from the yurt at Windy Pass. Another day in paradise. Good nite.    Pics from 2001-09-28

Day 160- Thu, September 27 
- 12.3/2577.3 miles -start-0530 end-1805 -sunny hi-65 -tent at a camp just after crossing Bridge Creek -elevation-2540' 
Up at 0340 and did a little housekeeping and back to sleep. Up again at 0440 and hiking at 0530. I find that I had camped at 1/2 mile south of Trapper Creek. This morning I am moving as fast as I can cause I want to make the 0800 bus (oops, 0090 bus). I am going downhill but it is still a rolling (ups & downs) trail. When, 0700, I reach switchbacks going down & hear the water I know I have made good time. I walk down to & across the bridge above the Agnes Creek. U can definitely see we are in a gorge. I walk 2/10 mile to a road then 1/10 to the right to the High Bridge Ranger Station which is where the bus stops. I arrived at 0720 so I now I had to wait 100 minutes for the bus. It is cold since I have stooped hiking. I would guess the temp in in the mid 30s. The bus pulls up at 0900 and I give the driver the $6 one way fee to Stehekin (10+ miles). Two ladies also get on the bus, they had just competed a section hike. The bus driver gives us a "tour" of the valley on the way to Stehekin. We stop at a ranch & pick up a bunch of senior citizen types who are staying there. Some of them are going for day hikes while others are going to Stehekin. We drive by the following places: Rainbow Falls (stop for view), an old apple orchard, the old Stehekin School (still operates with 5 to 15 students each yr), the bakery (stopped to get some goodies). The bus finally made it to town a little after 1030. I was pleasantly surprised to find the following thru-hikers: Citrus, Puff, Smokeless, Marcus & Robin. They are catching the 1415 bus back to the trail. I think I can get the following chores (wash clothes, shower, get food drop from PO, eat) done & join them. I gt everything done & went to join them for a double cheeseburger. Just as we were going to lunch Hagit arrived on the 1200 bus. She is catching he 1400 boat (ferry) to Chelan. She is going to the Aldha West, http://www.adhawest.org, Gathering which is Sept 28, 29 & 30. Chris Knight is giving her a ride from Chelan to Lake Wenatchee for the Gathering. Well the 1415 bus is here. At 1520, we started hiking from the High Bridge Ranger Station. It is steep switchbacks for awhile. After 5 miles we meet a fella at Bridge Creek who is taking pics of thru-hikers as they walk by. We are trying to do 11 miles to a campsite. But at 1805 (7.9 miles of hiking), just after crossing a bridge over Bridge Creek, Citrus & I saw a note saying: "Puff & Smokeless will sleep here." So we went 50 yds to a nice big campsite with easy access to water. We built a big fire and sat around talking to about 2200. Topics of discussion included, "what is best trail town, what is the worst, ..." . A very tiring day but very satisfying especially since I am now hiking with 5 hikers I enjoy being around. Good nite.     Pics from 2001-09-27

Day 159- Wed, September 26 
- 27.8?/2565.0? miles -start-0745 end-2045 -foggy/rain hi-63 -tent just south of Trapper Creek -elevation-2070' 
Up at 0650 and hiking at 0745. Hagit left about 15 minutes before me. Today we hike down about 3000 ft in the 1st 7 miles. As I approach Vista Creek u can hear the roar of the water. I am thankful for the bridge across this stream. Fording many of these streams would be impossible, so thanks to the builders of these bridges. I see Hagit crossing the bridge. After crossing I stop to check the mileages in the data book. It looks like we have about 10 miles to Hemlock Camp which will give us a 12 mile walk to the bus stop for Stehekin. Of course, we must climb 3000 ft to Suiattle Pass before descending to Hemlock Camp. Just before starting the last 1000+ ft of the climb I meet a couple from Seattle hiking south. They are retired and started in Canada & will go as far south as weather permits. The climb to Suiattle Pass has the usual switchbacks but one thin that is not usual is that Suiattle Pass is not above tree line even though it is at 5990 ft. I descend a 1/2 mile to a junction to the Agnes Creek Trail (the old PCT). I take this trail to Hemlock Camp because it is 1.8 miles shorter than the official PCT, it is ALL downhill and because I want to. HIKE YOUR OWN HIKE! When I finish this hike I will have hiked 99+ per cent of the official PCT so I will not call myself a thru-hiker. This is my choice just like it was my choice to skip sections & take alternate routes. Enough said. I reach Hemlock Camp at 1715 and decide to hike on since I have 2 hrs of light which means I can get at least 4 miles closer to the bus stop. I am walking along side Agnes Creek & there is a mtn that has slopes that are very steep on the other side of the creek. After 4 miles, 1850, I decide to hike on. I want to catch the 0900 bus to Stehekin so maybe I can return to the trail on the 1415 bus. It is totally dark by 1945 and then I use my headlamp. I only have trouble staying on the trail in one spot. I crossed a stream & there were alot of "trails" so I searched a little, a couple of minutes. I sure don't want to take the wrong trail. By 2015 am getting tired & looking for a flat place to tent. Finally at 2045 I stop and tent within 3 ft of the trail. No hot meal for me. Some snacks and I am asleep. To recap, the plastic bags (used by grocery stores) worked great (feet stayed warm) and the bags seemed to cut down on the friction that has been causing me a great deal of pain on my let little toe (corn/callus). I did a 27+ mile day in the rain & fog. Tomorrow I only have 4 to 5 miles to hike to the bus. Good nite.    No Pictures today, sorry.

Day 158- Tue, September 25 
- 18.1/2535.4 miles -start-0730 end-1850 -sunny/foggy/rain hi-68 -tent at Dolly Vista campsite -elevation-5830' 
Up at 0655 and hiking at 0730. I had considered starting this morning at 0430 but I read in the guidebook that Kennedy Creek (only 1.2 miles north) crossing could br treacherous. I didn't want to do the crossing in the dark. After walking a short ways north I started descending & I thought I should be ascending so I retraced my steps and re-read the guidebook and realized I was on the right trail but I used about 30 minutes when retracing my steps. At 0850 I can to Kennedy Creek and it was a tough crossing. I saw some tracks going downstream so I followed them. I found a log crossing. I went across the logs on my hands & knees. Since I got rid of my hiking poles I have been very unsure of myself when doing log crossing. I now start a steep climb of 1000+ ft to Glacier Creek. All of the creeks that I am crossing are fed by glacier melt. Sometimes these streams are a milky color from the sand, etc. that also is washed downstream by the glacier runoff. as I climbed I could see some fog rolling. The fog was a long ways away but it was moving my way. After a break at Glacier Creek I continued on. I climbed briefly before descending to another creek. I am in & out of tree cover. This creek crossings are just rock hops. I descended to Fire Creek and took a break before ascending the 1000 ft to Fire Creek Pass. As I sat by the creek a lady SOBOing came up. She told me Hagit was a little ahead of me. About 1225 I started the climb to Fire Creek Pass. The climb was not bad, nice grade with switchbacks. I met a older man (maybe 70s) going south. He said he was from Houston and only doing 30 or 40 miles because of Parkinson disease that he suffers with. I continued on & reached the pass about 1300. As I descended from the pass it became windy & a little cool. The view from the pass was nice but not as spectacular as yesterday's view from Red Pass. Also I remember that a SOBOer, Ben Armstrong aka Japhy Rider from the AT in 1998, told me that this pass, Fire Creek Pass, was tough because of all the snow & ice. Note, Ben started hiking from Canada on July 2. BTW, Ben should be near Kennedy Meadows now. I started descending the 2700 ft to Milk Creek. I passed a pretty Mica Lake. BTW, from Fire Creek till now I had been w/o tree cover. As I descended towards Milk Creek I could see the fog coming up the valley from the left. I reached The bridge crossings of Milk Creek about 1525 and took a break. I was changing my socks when I felt a drop of rain. I quickly put on my rain suit, Frogg Toggs, put my camera in plastic bags inside my pack, and put my pack cover on. I began the 2000+ ft climb at 1545. The vegetation was wet from the drizzle and my pants got very wet but I stayed warm & dry. Of course I was sweating but the rain suit blocked the cool air. About halfway up my feet become completely wet and water is sloshing between my toes. The 1st 2000 ft of the climb is on switchbacks under tree cover. When I reached a ridge I came out of the tree cover and it was a little cooler but not bad. I m planning to stop at a campsite that is another 2+ miles where the trail starts to descend to yet another stream. I picked up water from a creeklet running in a boulder field. My feet are beginning to get cold. I just want to setup my tent & get in my sleeping bag. I finally reach the top of the climb & begin to descend. In 10 minutes I find Hagit at the campsite. I setup my tent & got in my sleeping bag. I have only hiked 18.1 miles today so now it appears I will make Stehekin on Thursday. This means that I will not finish Sept 30. By finishing on Oct 1 I will be cutting it close, i.e., for making my Oct 3 flight from Seattle. I sat in my tent & reached outside to boil water for my freeze dried meal. After eating I am ready for sleep. Good nite.    Pics from 2001-09-25

Day 157- Mon, September 24 
- 23.8 / 2517.3 miles -start-0730 end-1910 -sunny hi-82 -tent at Sitkum Creek -elevation-3850' 
Up at 0640 and hiking at 0730. Hagit left about 20 minutes before me. It stayed very warm last nite. It is about 60 degrees when we start hiking. Today we will be doing a lot of ascending & descending. BTW, we haven't seen Dave & Derek since before Lake Janus yesterday. Dave is a thru-hiker & Derek is his cousin & he is hiking from Snoqualime Pass to Canada with Dava aka Che. They are from Alabama. After descending a bit we switchback 1100 ft to a crest. I come upon Hagit taking a break at Lake Sally Ann. There was 1 duck swimming in the lake. Either this duck is lost or injured. This lake is at 5500 ft and has plenty of campsites. Also there are a couple of side trails that intersect the PCT near Lake Sally Ann. Earlier this morning the clouds rolled in & it looked like a possibility of rain but now the sun is shining brightly. When we leave Lake Sally Ann we have views since we have no tree cover. We can see do into the basins (valleys) and u can see the path of past avalanches. It appears that the next water source is in 7 miles. I am really enjoying the views as well as walking with the temperature about 80 and a cool breeze on my face. This is definitely the place to be. As I have said before, "Another day in paradise." After descending to Indian Pass, 5000 ft, I climbed up towards the next water source. As I traversed up the side of a mtn I came upon a stream that I couldn't pass up. I stopped for a drink of water. I filled my Camelback and continued on. In less than a mile I found Hagit at a pond. We agree that we will still try to go to Sitkum Creek to camp. This will be a 24 mile day. We leave the pond on our way to Red Pass, 6500 ft. We must climb 1000 ft to reach Red Pass. On the way up we see where Tarman & Grizzly have scratched their symbol (a star & a grizzly paw) in the dirt along the trail. As we approach Red pass the traverse becomes very steep. The climb is definitely worth it. When I reach Red Pass Hagit is already t here taking pics. We see a basin below and the trail goes down into it. As Hagit says, "it is amazing". In the next 7 miles we will drop 2800 ft. On our way down we see glaciers high above us. After 3 miles we have dropped 1800 ft and we are now under tree cover. We cross streams 6 or 7 times and all but 2 have bridges. Those 2 have a log to cross on. Many bridges are destroyed by avalanches & high water. We reach the Sitkum Creek, our campsite, at 1910. Once again I have 2 freeze dried meals for dinner. I am in my tent by 2015. It kinda seems odd to be going to bed at 2015 but I do welcome the rest. Tomorrow I hope to get in enough miles so that I can catch the 1800 bus to Stehekin on Wednesday. Good nite.    Pics from 2001-09-24

Day 156- Sun, September 23 - 21.9/2493.5 miles -start-0805 end-1930 -sunny hi-80 -tent near 2 creeks just before Saddle Gap -elevation-4800' Up at 0600 at Chris Knight's home in Gold Bar, WA. Around 0700 Chris will take Dave, Derek & I up to Stevens Pass. We & our backpacks were packed like sardines in Chris's car. I was hiking at 0805. The 1st 2 miles are on an old roadbed so it was easy. After 5.5 miles I am at Lake Vahalla. There are a lot of weekenders. Hagit passes me just before we come upon Meadow Ed's campsite. We talk with him for awhile and ask him what thru-hikers he has seen. After 10 minutes or so we continue on. We are under tree cover so the views are limited. I get to Lake Janus and find Hagit taking a break. Since this lake is only 10 miles from Stevens Pass there are a lot of weekenders here. After Lake Janus we climb 1000 ft in 1.6 miles. The switchbacks are very helpful during this climb. We are getting glimpses of Grizzly Peak. We are trying to do 22 miles and reach 2 "fairly reliable creeks". The last climb of the day takes us thru a boulder field then up to a crest. We then drop 500 ft in 2.4 miles to the creeks. At 1930 Hagit is already setup when I mosey in to camp. These days I am having a hard time averaging 2 mph. Since I am carrying 8 freeze dried I have 2 of them for dinner. Good nite.   Pics from 2001-09-23

Day 155- Sat, September 22 
- 0.0 / 2471.6 miles -start- end- -sunny hi-90 -Chris Knight's home in Gold Bar, WA(35 miles east of Stevens Pass) -elevation-4060' 
Up at 0700 at Chris's home. I turned the weather channel on & it looks like great weather for the next few days. I looked outside & the sun is shining with not very many clouds in the sky. Chris & I went to breakfast at te Mt Index Cafe. We both french toast, um, gooooooood! We returned Chris's home about 0930 and Chris showed me the view from the deck On the back of his house. U can see he Skykomish River about 50 ft below. It is beautiful. He does a lot of fishing on this river. Dave, Chris's brother, came by about 0945 to help Chris load some garbage on his pickup. He will make a run to the dump later today. I am currently soaking my left heel in hot water. It only has to hold up for 187 more miles. At 1025, Chris just got a call from a couple of thru-hikers, David & Derek, from the payphone at Stevens Pass. I don't recognize the names but I am sure there are thru-hikers behind me haven't met. They want a ride to Skykomish. Chris just left to give them a ride. I want to share a bit of patriotism going here in Gold Bar, WA. A few days ago a restaurant here had a "fund raiser" that had all monies donated going to the American Red Cross. All the wages of the employees for this day were donated. All revenue for this day were donated. Some people were paying $50 for a cup of coffee. The American spirit is alive and well here in the great state of Washington. This kind of selfless gesture make u proud to be an American. Well I have decided to take a ero day here and I will hike out on Sunday morning. It is a bright sunny day here. The http://weather.com site says it is 70 degree high here in Skykomish but it feels like 90 in the sun on the deck next to the river. It is 1600 and Che aka Dave and Derek and I are going to the store to get hamburger, etc for a cookout. Dave, Chris's brother & Chris also will join us for burgers. It is now 1800 and we all stuffed after eating 2 burgers that are 1/2 lb each. At 1930 we are going to visit Hagit at the motel in Skykomish. At 2000 we (Chris, Che, Derek & I) drove (a 20 mile drive) to Skykomish to see Hagit. We walked a block to the Whistle Stop, a bar with pool table. We played the jukebox and Derek & Che played pool. Hagit and Chris conversed endlessly. I played a lot of oldies on the jukebox. We left the bar about 2245. BTW, Che aka David is 22 today, happy birthday Che. Chris is taking us to Stevens Pass at 0700 so we should be hiking by 0800. Good nite.  Pics from 2001-09-22

Day 154- Fri, September 21 
- 8.1 / 2471.6 miles -start-0630 end-0945 -drizzle hi-59 -Chris Knight's home in Gold Bar, WA(35 miles east of Stevens Pass) -elevation-4060' 
Up at 0555 and by 0600 I heard a little bit of rain on the tent. Drizzling pretty good by 0630 as I hike out. I climb about 700 ft before descending about 500 ft. I pass a couple of nice campsites next to lakes. I climb to the top of a mtn where some ski runs start. I have 2.1 miles down to Hwy 2 at Stevens Pass. I see the ski resort and the road. I arrive at Hwy 2 at 0945 and call Chris Knight to see if he can give me a ride. He is not home. Citrus crosses Hwy 2 at 1015 and promptly calls to see when the Greyhound bus comes thru Stevens Pass going to Leavenworth. The bus comes at 1250. We both hitch, Citrus to the east & me to the west. No luck hitching. At 1100 I call Chris again & he is coming to pick us up. Citrus continues to hitch & gets a ride at 1115. Chris should be here by 1145 & he will give me a ride to the PO in Skykomish then to Leavenworth. I will give another update when I reach the motel in Leavenworth. Chris picked me up at Stevens Pass at 1145. We went to Skykomish PO but they are closed from 1200 to 1300 so we go to a restaurant on Hwy 2 for lunch. I have french toast, home fries, and a cheeseburger. At 1330 we returned to the PO and picked up my food drop, shoes, 2 empty CF cards, and more. We looked thru the register and it appears about 75 hikers have signed in this year. Chris then drove us back to his home. We chatted about the trail & other things. Chris finished in Manning Park on Sept 4 and when he returned home he found that he had no job to return to in Seattle. Chris seems to be very content to work around the house & is talking about hiking some more on the PCT this fall. He is definitely planning on going to the Gathering, http://www.aldhawest.org  at Lake Wenatchee on Sept 28, 29 & 30. About 1600 I go to the barber & get haircut & beard trim. We go by the grocery store and I pick up several things for the trail. The main thing I got was 2 bags of cheese Doritoes. This chips taste great on the trail, ask any hiker & they will agree. I also picked up 6 apples. We returned to Chris's home and Chris's brother came by. I did laundry and then Chris, Mike (a friend of Chris) & I went to dinner. I had prime rib & a salad. We returned to Mike's home & surfed the net. We looked at pics on my site, http://hikercafe.com. BTW, this w/e my brother hopes to have the website updated with pics thru Sept 11. If u go to http://hikercafe.com u will see the date of the latest website update, e.g., currently the latest pic update is Aug 19. About 2300 we returned to Chris's home. I crash about 2430 after watching TV (CNN). Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-21

Day 153- Thu, September 20 - 22.2/2463.5 miles -start-0720 end-1800 -sunny hi-70 -tent at Hope Lake -elevation-4400' Up at 0640 and hiking at 0720. In 400 yds I walk pass the campsite of the sleeping Citrus, Marcus & Robin. I missed the right turn made by the PCT and had to return to the junction when I realized my mistake. I rock hopped across the outlet of Deep Lake and started the 1200 ft climb to Cathedral Pass. After crossing Cathedral Pass, I stopped for a 20 minute break to enjoy some of my snacks. I didn't bring enough bags of M&Ms (plain & peanut). In the next 3.5 miles we drop 1900 ft and then cross a couple of streams before climbing 400 ft to another pass. I have only seen Citrus once since Cathedral Pass and that when he was crossing a stream just ahead of me. On one of the stream crossing I got my feet wet so I stopped at a stream about 1120, took off my shoes and socks and just enjoyed the sunshine for about 20 minutes. After walking for only 90 minutes I stopped for another break. I drank a liter of water & ate snacks. I walked another 3/10 mile & found Citrus laying on a rock in the sunshine. I told him "let's go all the way to Hwy 2 parking lot." I got no response. I started the 900 ft 2 mile climb to Pieper Pass. During the climb I had great views to my left. I could see at least 3 alpine lakes across the "valley". There were glaciers above these lakes. At the pass I am at 5900 ft and I scoot thru to get views of another basin. I see Glacier Lake about 1000 ft below and also see Glacier Peak about 65 trail miles to the north. I then drop over 1100 ft before ascending 800 ft to Trap Pass. The trail goes from huge boulders to soft pine needles. It is difficult to describe the beauty of this section. It is awesome. I must come back & hike the state of Washington again but next time I will do it at a much slower pace. I meet a couple of guys from Seattle. They say they saw 2 thru-hikers (Allen & Harry) early this morning near Stevens Pass. This means that Allen & Harry hiked the 75 miles from Snoqualime Pass to Stevens Pass in less than 2.5 days. The y are moving. The climb to Trap Pass is steep but I am determined to get 22 miles in today so I push on. As I descend from Trap Pass into another basin I see 3 marmots. I hope the pics of them are good. I drop another 900 ft before climbing 300 ft to a notch. I go thru the notch into another basin and drop of 800 ft. I reach Hope Lake at 1800 and see 2 tents across the lake. I am now 8.1 miles from Stevens Pass & I decide to tent here. I setup & boil water for another freeze dried meal. I also start a fire. A fella from across the lake comes over & tells me fires are not allowed above 4000 ft near lakes. I said that I have only seen signs saying fires are not allowed above 5000 ft. He said that there are no signs here but it rule here prohibits fires above 4000 ft near lakes. i le the fire go out. Citrus rolled in at 1845 and tarped. Tomorrow Citrus is going to Leavenworth to re-supply & he will stay the nite. I must go 14 miles west at Stevens Pass to Skykomish to get my food box & new shoes at the PO. Then I am thinking about hitching to Leavenworth to share a room with Citrus. We will see. BTW, once I reach Stevens Pass I will have 187 miles to Manning Park. I will only have 1 more town stop, Stehekin, which is 98 miles north of Stevens Pass. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-20

Day 152- Wed, September 19 - 22.5/2441.3 miles -start-0750 end-1920 -sunny hi-70 -tent near an unnamed stream -elevation-4400' Up at 0650 and hiking at 0750. Citrus soon walks away from me. This morning we are climbing 2200 ft in 5.3 miles. The switchbacks are nice & easy. The trail is mostly dirt, a few rocky sections. We have views across the basin to the glaciers on some jagged peaks. I reach the top of the climb about 1100 and take a 20 minute break. I devour most of the big bag of Doritoes I am carrying. I try to carry at least one big bag of cheese Doritoes out of every town. I continue on and see Citrus about 10 minutes ahead of me. I reach the Waptus Burn Trail about 1200 and start a 2100 ft 4.8 mile descent. In a few minutes I reach an overlook that has a view of Waptus Lake and I see Citrus laying down here. I decide to also take a break. This view is the kind u think about all the time but very seldom get it. We both fall asleep for about 30 minutes. After yesterday's fog & cool temps, today's sun feels outstanding. We continue on and within 15 minutes come upon a hiker with a dog going south and we chat. His trail name is Flying Burrito and he is from Ellensberg, WA. He hiked on the PCT in 2000 north from Walker Pass. He and his wife, Eggplant, hiked a lot with 'H', Pretzel and Stitch. Also he and his wife hiked the AT in 1996. He started the AT on March 24 and summitted on Oct 13. My father & I never met them, I guess they were always behind. We started on March 12. The Flying Burrito is hiking from Stevens Pass to Snoqualime Pass. Citrus & I continue down towards the Waptus River. Just before reaching the river, Marcus & Robin pass me. We get water at the river & walk 100 yds to a sunny spot to take a 45 minute break. We have another 8 miles to where we "plan" to camp. There is a 1000 ft climb in 3.8 miles that is the last part of this 8 miles. Soon all 3 of them are ahead of me & out of sight. At 1910 I reach the side trail to our "planned" campsite and I see it goes downhill steeply so I decide I will not go here but walk on. I reach a stream in 5 minutes & decide to tent here. It is really getting cool so I setup quickly & boil my water & eat my freeze dried meal in my tent. Another day in paradise. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-19

Day 151- Tue, September 18 - 22.2/2418.8 miles -start-0800 end-1900 -foggy/partly sunny hi-60 -tent near the Lemah Creek -elevation-3200' Up at 0640 and as I walk across the lobby to leave I see Harry. Harry is going to breakfast si I decide to join him. I have french toast for the 32rd time and it is still excellent. Harry tells me that he started his hike in Mojave and bailed at Lone Pine cause of daily thunderstorms in the Sierras. He got back on at Reds Meadow. He is thinking about completing the Sierras this year, weather permitting, then hiking south to Campo from Mojave. I start hiking at 0800. Allen & Harry are just ahead of me. I see Harry at the trailhead parking lot side trail & then he is gone. Just like the AT in 1996, I couldn't keep up with Harry then. Of course Harry went by the name Early Mon on the AT. I start a 2400 ft climb in 6.5 miles. At 5300 ft I meet a day hiker from Seattle. He is using an ice ax (with a wooden shaft) for a hiking stick. We talk for 20 minutes about my hike. He says he will checkout my journal when he viits his sister in Oregon. It is chilly and foggy this morning. I am hiking very slow today, probably no more than 2 mph. By 1300 I am completely engulfed in fog and have no views. The temperature has not got above 60 degrees yet. I have to put on my ling sleeve Patagonia shirt. My legs stay warm even though I am wearing shorts. I have not stopped for a break cause it is too darned cold. The up and downs continue. Around 1430 I see Citrus coming down the trail behind me. He soon overtakes me & I hike with hm a while till he walks away from me on a downhill section. About 1730 at the bridge across Delate Creek I catch Citrus taking a break. I take a break, my 1st of the day. We have another 3 miles and a 700 ft decent to reach our "planned" campsite for the nite. Citrus walks away from me again on the downhill and I finally see him again at Lemah Creek at 1900. We camp here. About 1915 Marcus & Robin arrive. Citrus starts a fire and I crawl in my tent after dinner. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-18

Day 150- Mon, September 17 - 0.0/2396.6 miles -start- end- -foggy hi-50 -Snoqualime Pass, WA, Best Western (425) 434-6300 Rm 114 -elevation-3030' Up at 0330 & I worked on e-mails. I eat 2 orders of french toast and this is the best french toast I have had on the trail. I see Harry aka Early Mon in the lobby. He checked in last nite about 1900. I also see Hagit in the hallway & Harry says she just checked in. I sit in the restaurant & chat with Harry. I also meet Chet from Tuscaloosa, AL. He started the trail on June 1 and just took the bus from Yakima to here so he can meet a buddy who is coming out from Seattle. Citrus is hitting the trail by 1200. I go over to the grocery store to check the hike box. I scored 5 candy bars & left 3 dinners. Abut 1130 as I walked back to the motel I see Allen & invite him to our room. He says he will take a shower but he is hiking out today. I see Marcus & Robin are still here. They had said that they were hiking out today also. I hope George & Dave the Tourist make it in today. I go to the hot tub to soak my wet and after 15 minutes Matt aka Bobby Nolichucky walks in. Matt, David aka Lars Thunderfoot & Jason aka Willie aka Confucius finished the PCT on 9/13 and rented a car in Bellingham, WA and are driving home to New England. They expect to be in New England in 2 days. Matt starts back to work next Monday. My brother Rob, his wife Megan, their 10 wk old child Caroline showed up on schedule at 1300. They were not thrilled with smell of our room so they didn't come in. We went about 30 miles east on I-90 to a strip to lunch & go to a grocery store, Safeway. I bough Ben & Jerry's, watermelon, nectarines. Oh I forgot to say Megan brought me 8 apples. Thx Megan. I will carry 5 of them out of town tomorrow. My sister Becky brought me a newspaper article from the Aug 5, 2001 Washington Times entitled: Hiking at 60 mph. Obviously u know Bill Bryson is involved in this article. It is a hoot. Find it in the Washington Times archives. Thx Beck. It is now 1800 and I have had enough f the Phillies & Braves game. Citrus is a BIG Philly fan. He went to PSU. Oh, Dr Buckholder, Citrus off-trail name is Todd Query. I just got an e-mail from Rufus, mailto:rufus10@att.net and he is in Seattle & expects to get a ride to San Francisco soon. He hiked WA with the Nolichucky Boys (Matt, David & Jason). Guess what? His Paris trip was postponed to mid October. He plans to be at the Gathering, http://www.aldha.com , in Hanover, NH. I forgot say that the Nolichucky Boys sighted Meadow Ed hiking near Glacier Peak. Glacier Peak is south of Stehekin. While here in the lobby I spotted a hiker and introduced myself. The hiker is Foxtrot. Foxtrot took 5 weeks off the trail & went to Alaska. Well almost time to eat. Gotta go round up the troops. Of course, it is always time to eat for long distance hikers. Hey give us a call at Best Western (425) 434-6300 Rm 114. Citrus, Allen & I went over to the Chevron for dinner (sandwiches, chips & pop). We returned to the room & watched ESPN most of the nite. Foxtrot came by aboout 2130 and shard some info about northern WA. He has hiked from Manning Park to here (Snoqualime Pass). He said the mice are bad and some are the deer. The deer come into your campsite all nite. Foxtrot is busing to Seattle tomorrow & flying to Maine. He will hike south on th AT from Mt Katahdin to Rt 30 in PA (near his parent's home). He expects to do approximately 1100 by Christmas. Tonite I have talked with Ausable Mike (AT2000 and Ole Fhart (AT1998). Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-17

Day 149- Sun, September 16 - 19.2/2396.6 miles -start-0450 end-1345 -sunny hi-80 -Snoqualime Pass, Best Western (425) 434-6300 Rm 114 -elevation-3030' Up at 0400, finished my journal & then hiking at 0450. The trail is not very rocky and this is helpful since I am hiking in the dark. I cross several roads w/o any problems. At 0610 I was able to urn off my headlamp. At 0620 I come upon a tarp & it looked like the one Marcus & Robin have. I went over & called for Marcus. It is Marcus & Robin. This is the 2nd time I have woke them on the trail. We chat for a while & I continue on. This morning there is a lot of dew on the bushes. My pants, socks & shoes are soaking wet. I am having a hard time doing 2.5 mph. My left heel is not hurting cause I am taking so much Ecotrin but I am still favoring this foot expecting it to hurt. About 0930 I take a break to get water. While breaking Marcus & Robin pass me. After I struggle up the hill to Mirror Lake. There are 2 or 3 weekenders there as well as Marcus & Robin taking a break. I continue hiking hoping to make Snoqualime Pass by 1300. At 1130 I started to see day hikers coming south. I stopped & talked to a couple from Seattle. I am hiking under tree cover w/ no views. I reach a road where the day hiker cars are parked and I am hiking w/o tree cover but it is not hot. Since we at now at 3600 ft and dropping, I expect the temperature to rise. In a couple of miles I see I-90. The last 1/2 mile of today's hike is on ski run. I finally reach Hwy 906 at 1345. I see Citus coming out of the Chevron which is next to the Best Western. Citrus asked me if I wanted to share his room & I said yes. Citrus and I had lunch in a restaurant in the same building as the Best Western. Marcus & Robin came in the restaurant & they are staying at the Best Western also. I saw Hagit walk over to the grocery store and she found in the register the number of trail angels that is going to let her stay the nite with them. I picked up my food drop from the grocery store. Also I washed clothes, actually Citrus washed them with his. Citrus got here last nite by doing a 30 mile day & he will leave tomorrow. I am trying to reach Chris Rinehart aka Tripod to ask him about the difficulty of the PCT north of Snoqualime Pass. BTW, I have noticed in WA that the PCT is labeled on trail signs as TR. 2000 aka Trail 2000. Remember in Oregon many of the signs had PCNST aka Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. My brother Rob, his wife, 10 wk old girl & my sister will visit me tomorrow here at Snoqualime Pass. I spoke to Tripod about the upcoming 262 miles of the PCT and he said 20 to 25 mpd is still possible but more difficult because of the roots & rocks (sounds like Maine on the AT, u know that OTHER trail). Citrus & I met Macus & Robin for dinner in the restaurant. When I returned to the room, about 2100, I fell asleep right away. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-16

Day 148- Sat, September 15 - 27.1/2377.4 miles -start-0725 end-1945 -sunny hi-84 -tent next to weather station, 19 miles south of I-90 -elevation-3950' Up at 0620 & hiking at 0725. Hagit left before me. The guys staying at the cabin this w/e are 4 wheeling buddies from Seattle area. After about 1 mile I come upon Hagit near a road crossing in a clear cut area. We went up the road a ways & there was a sign that seemed to say to continue up the road. I continued up the road while Hagit checked out a path next to the sign. After I walked 1/4 mile I came to another road & the guidebook says take this road 20 yds & u will see the trail. Well I walked right by the trail. So did Hagit. We backtracked after wasting 10 minutes & found the trail & continued on. Hagit hiked on & soon I didn't see her. We are hiking thru a lot of clear cut areas. Also we are hiking thru a burn area from 1988. We can still see Mt Rainier. At 0930 and after 5 miles of hiking I find Hagit at a spring. The next water source will be 14.4 miles so after drinking a liter I carry 4 liters with me. Today there seems to be a lot of little ups and downs. I see some mtns to the north & east that appear to be big (not sure what mtns these are). About 1630 I find Hagit at the next water source. I stop for a 30 minute break. I hope to make 8 more miles to a weather station which has water. This would be a 27 mile hike today which would be very satisfying. The last 8 miles go up about 2000 ft and drop an equal amount so our day of hiking is having a tough bit of hiking at the end. I come upon Hagit at 1920 as she sits on a log about 1 mile from the weather station. I told her That I am going on and she joins me. We reach the road to the weather station about 1940 and we see a sign directing us to our right (up the hill). We find water from a water faucet and also we see that on Sept 8 Miracle Mike, Cam and Skywalker left some fruit here for hikers. They had just completed their hike and they were going home and they stopped here looking for hikers. We read the register and I see that Citrus signed in here today. We will probably see him at Best Western at Snoqualime Pass. I setup my tent near the water faucet. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-15

Day 147- Fri, September 14 - 22.8/2350.3 miles -start-1100 end-2030 -sunny hi-82 -in shelter at Camp Urich at Govt Meadow -elevation-4720' A report from the Continental Divide Trail (CDT): I r'cd a voice msg on 9/12 from Semper Fi Drew. He was at Twin Lakes, CO and has 360 miles to complete the CDT. He said a week ago he had 18 inches of snow. I will pass on info from Drew as I receive it. Up at 0500 this morning at Squaw Rock Resort. I will be hitching the 30 miles to the PCT soon. Well, it is 0800 and I have been hitching since 0545 with no luck so I have walked across the street to the Black Bear Cafe for breakfast. At 0930 I finally get a ride for 4 miles and some after this another ride for 10 miles. At this point a couple rides by on their bicycles and the guy stops & asks where I am going. I tell him Chinook Pass & he says he will get his car & give me a ride. This couple returns about 15 minutes later and I put my pack in their trunk & we are off. The couple is Roy & Wynona and they drop me off at the trailhead parking lot. They are then off to pick huckleberries and at 1100 I head up the trail. Roy, Thx so much for the ride. I pass a couple of day hikers as I climb to Sheep Lake. At Sheep Lake I see Hagit hiking out. Hagit had hiked 31 miles yesterday from White Pass to Sheep Lake. Also she got new shoes in Yakima. She tells me that Allen has just hiked by. As we climb she slowly walks away from me. It looks like today that we will be hiking up to a pass or gap and going thru to another basin. This section looks very similar to the section north of Castella. I get to my 1st gap and find 2 men & 2 women who are day hiking. I see Hagit descending below me and also see that the trail traverses across the slopes and appears to be very easy hiking. After 5 miles I come upon a day hiker, Bruce from Seattle. I find out from Bruce that Seattle is only a 2 hr drive down Hwy 410 to Chinook Pass. Bruce plans to hike in 8 miles then return to Chinook Pass parking lot. Bruce says this section is easy hiking but when we get to Snoqualime Pass the trail will get more rocky & therefore more difficult. At 1430 Bruce headed back to his car. I passed 3 women day hiking south. At 1500 I took 3 Ecotrin because my sore left heel is slowing me down. As we hike along here we can see Crystal Mtn ski area off to our left. A little after 1700 I catch Hagit and she says she is going to a shelter a few miles ahead. I am walking pain free so I am a ble to walk 3+ mph. At 1830 we reach a side trail with a sign saying SPRING and we both are thinking we will see a sign saying SHELTER. As We descend I realize we have passed the shelter so we see hat there is another shelter 5 miles ahead so we go for it. It is getting dark around 2000 so we have to use headlamps to hike the last 30 minutes to the cabin/shelter. We find 4 or 5 guys already here. They are out for the w/e. Hagit and I bed down on the 1st floor of the cabin and then eat. We read the register and see Citrus was here earlier today. From here I have 46 miles to Snoqualime Pass. We both hang our food bag from a nail in a ceiling beam. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-14

Day 146- Thu, September 13 - 9.0/2328.5 miles -start-0705 end-1130 -sunny hi-82 -Hwy 410 at Chinook Pass, then to room at Squaw Rock Resort, 30 miles east of PCT -elevation-5432' Up at 0625 and hiking at 0705. I have a few ups, as always, but most of my hike to Hwy 410 at Chinook Pass is downhill. I am hiking by quite a few lakes and I have a few views of Mt Rainier. I see an older fellow from Seattle hiking north. I ten see 2 guys hiking south. I saw these same 2 guys in Goat Rocks day before yesterday. They tell me that all college football games are cancelled so that means I will not be in a big rush to get to Snoqualime Pass on Saturday (looks like Sunday now). I passed Dewey Lake just before Hwy 410 and this is a nice area to camp or day hike. Just before reaching Hwy 410 I begun talking with a bow hunter. He is a climbing guide at Mt Rainier. He tells me that there is a restaurant / store about 15 to 20 miles to the right (south?) on Hwy 410. I reach Hwy 410 at 1130, so I have hiked 9 miles today. I start hitching and it is now 1430 and I am still hitching. There is a lot of traffic & a lot of day hikers doing this loop trail which is partially on the PCT. Well it is 1500 & I got a ride from Betty, a hiker who lives near Yakima. We are now at the Whistie Jack Restaurant / store / motel and I am going to have a thick juicy steak. The adventure continues. I forgot to mention that I met a SOBOer who is a friend of NOBOers, John & Sharon (who are now hiking south). It is 1630 & I am hitching 4 miles to Squaw Rock Resort to stay for the evening. I will be able to soak my left heel in hot water before hiking the 59 miles to Snoqualime Pass. I plan to be hitching back to the trail early tomorrow morning. I learned that Yakama is the Native American spelling of Yakima. We learn something every day. After getting a ride with Bruce, I am at the Squaw Rock Resort & have a room. I bought a 1/2 lb burger to pack out tomorrow. I hope to reach Snoqualime Pass by early Sunday afternoon for a little R&R. Since I have approximately 330 miles to reach Manning Park, a 20 mpd average will have me finishing midday on Sept 30. This should give me plenty of time to get to Seattle for my Oct 3 flight to Richmond, VA. Tonite I have relaxed by watching more TV in this one night than I have watched the whole hike. See ya on the trail. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-13

Day 145- Wed, September 12 - 20.5/2318.5 miles -start-1130 end-2050 -sunny hi-85 -tent at junction w/ Two Lakes Trail -elevation-5660' Up at 0300 working on e-mails & journal. Back to sleep and up at 0630 soaking my sore left heel in hot water. My heel feels much better today so I will hike out rather than take a day off. Bruce from San Diego is taking today off because of sore ribs caused by 2 falls yesterday in the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Bruce said he was on flat ground for both falls. BTW, Tony also feel face first yesterday & twisted his ankle. I fell face first 3 days ago with no damage done. Marcus & Robin are hiking out and Tony is waiting to see if his National Guard unit will be activated because of the terrorist attack. I went to the store at 0800 and washed & dried my clothes. As I am leaving at 1030 I see a hiker coming down the hill. It is Allen, I had mistakenly said he was ahead of me but he is doing 20 mpd and doing a lot of reading. At the store I meet Harry aka Early Mon, AT96. We talked briefly & I was finally off for the trail. 1130, I am on the trail & get lost about 1/4 mile north of Hwy 12. There are several roads, a trailhead parking lot campground and the trail is not well marked. After 10 minutes I found the trail & I am going north again. I have a gradual climb ahead of me. I encounter 3 persons on horses who ask what trail is this... I tell them the PCT and they ask where the Jug Lake Trail is and I check & tell them they just passed it. I had lunch (freeze dried chicken & rice and candy) at 1330. After descending to a stream I start a long steep climb. I see a bow hunter. He is hunting elk. I see a lot of elk hoof prints on the trail each morning. I hike till 2050 (in the dark for 50 minutes) until I see a campsite & I decide to tent. I am happy with my day since I was able to do 20 miles. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-12

Day 144- Tue, September 11 - 19.2/2298.0 miles -start-0555 end-1700 -sunny hi-85 -Village Inn on Hwy 12 at White Pass, WA -elevation-4405' Up at 0515 and hiking at 0555. Prehistoric Tony & I start hiking up the 1 mile to 7000+ ft. At 0630, on the way up we come upon a tarp & it is Marcus & Robin. They had passed us last nite about 2100 on their way to a 31 mile day. I stopped to talk with them & then headed up the hill. I passed the Yelverton Shelter. This "shelter" is just 4 stone walls 4 ft high & that is 12 ft square. There is no roof. Shortly after the "shelter" I come upon a 100 yd wide snowfield. The snowfield is flat & frozen solid. I take my time getting across this snowfield and Tony is sitting on the other side of it. Tony is waiting for me cause he doesn't have the guidebook for tis section & there are 2 trails just beyond the snowfield. I read the guidebook & find that the lower route across a steep slope of Old Snowny Mtn is the "new" PCT & the upper route is the old PCT. We take the lower route. We have to cross a 20 yd snow patch & Tony ends up throwing me his hiking poles so I can do the last 20 ft safely. Marcus & Robin are right behind & they go down & around the snowfield since they do not have poles. After about 1/4 mile of walking of shale we come to spot where the trail is on a narrow ridge. The views are fantastic. This is the beauty of the Goat Rock Wilderness. Tony points out 10 mountain goats which are a couple thousand ft below us. We are currently at 6800 to 7000 ft elevation. The trail is very treacherous cause of little rocks & loose dirt which cause hikers to slip. This is not a spot where u would want to do a header. The hiking is slow thru this area. After a few miles we drop down to 4900 ft and we get water from glacial melt. We see probably 10 other backpackers in this area. This area is so beautiful & I took allot of pics. As we go down we return to tree cover & stay there until we climb again to 6600 ft. At this point we see Mt Ranier again. About 1330 we meet a hiker who tells us about the terrorist attack on New York & the Pentagon. Tony & I then meet CrestRider, a woman riding the PCT on a horse. BTW, Tony is in a National Guard that does intelligence work & he says he may be called to active duty cause of this terrorist attack. At this point Marcus & Robin are ahead of us. At 1440, we get to narrow ridge which is at 6600 ft and from this point it is about 6 miles to Hwy 12 & White Pass. It is all downhill from point to Hwy 12. I get to the Chairlift Trail at 1555 & take this trail down the hill towards the motel & store at White Pass. Tony & I walk on a dirt road till we reach Hwy 12 at 1700. Marcus & Robin are already at the store. They arrived at 1600. Marcus & Robin are hiking on and Tony are getting a room at the motel. The store closes at 1800 so we scramble to eat & get some food to take to the motel. At 1800, Tony & I are in our room and Marcus & Robin change their minds and join us at the motel. We have a queen size bed & 3 bunk beds so we have plenty of room. About 1930 we see Bruce from San Diego walking towards the office & we call to him to join. BTW, the room is $49 for 2 people of 5 people so there is no additional cost for Marcus, Robin & Bruce. We all wonder why George & Hagit have not been hiking together since Cascade Locks. We will all do laundry at the store tomorrow morning when it opens at 0800. I hope to be on the trail by 1030 or 1100 so I can do the 96 miles to Snoqualime Pass by Sat nite or Sunday morning. Lights are out about 2230. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-11

Day 143- Mon, September 10 - 22.2/2278.8 miles -start-0800 end-1930 -sunny hi-82 -tent near the Junction w/ Trail 96 -elevation-6420' Up at 0650 and hiking at 0800. Before leaving I spoke with Ron. I found that he lives in Seattle. Also he is meeting someone at White Pass on Thursday so he will only be hiking 12 miles a day for the next 3 days. I hope to see Ron when I come to Seattle. Also I learned that Ron met Hagit at Clingman's Dome during her 1993 AT thru-hike. It is very cold this morning, about 32 degrees. When I start to hike my toes are very cold because my shoes & socks are still wet. By 0900 my feet have warmed up. I am hiking under tree cover until about 1100 when I reach a ridge. I can see Mt Ranier and as I descend see Mt Adams. I tae a 15 minute break before climbing to my next water surce, Walupt Creek. I am now hiking more in the open (no tree cover) & have great views of several ponds below & a lake in the distance. I have not seen any mountain goats yet. GI Jane & Junkfood Jen told me in an e-mail that they saw 6. We are now hiking in the Goat Rocks Wilderness. I met 2 southbound hikers as I climbed towards Walupt Creek. At 1500, I arrived at Walupt Creek and found Bruce & Tony basking in the sun. The creek does not have much water but it is flowing so I get some & boil water to eat a freeze dried meal. Actually I ate 2 meals. Bruce left about 1545 & he was headed for a "shelter" (no roof) 7+ miles away. Tony & I are thinking about stopping at this shelter also. The shelter is at 7000 ft so it may be cold there. Tony & I hike out about 1640 and soon Tony is a bit ahead of me. He stops at Cispus Pass (6400+ ft) and adjusts his boots & I put some vaseline on my little toe that is irritating me. When we hike north from Cispus Pass we are hiking down into a beautiful canyon. This section of trail resembles the Sierras. Tony gets ahead of me about 1/4 mile as I stop for water & take pics. We pass a 20 ft waterfall that u could probably take a bath under. We are traversing around Old Snowy Mtn as we get in position to hike up to the shelter at 7000 ft. I am a l ittle apprehensive about staying at 7000 ft in this so called shelter. So at 1930 when we are 1.1 miles & 600 ft elevation gain from the shelter, I told Tony that I prefer camping here. There are some trees about 20 yds away so we walk over & find a fire ring & some flat spots to camp. Tony said he would stay here also. Our main reason for trying to make it to the shelter tonite was so we would be 1 mile closer to White Pass & we would get the climb out of the way today. I tented and Tony is not. I feel good about today cause I got in another 22 mile day. Of course, we have 19 miles to hike to White Pass so we plan to start early. We also plan to get a room there & do laundry so it would be nice to get in before 1400. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-10

Day 142- Sun, September 09 - 23.3/2257.6 miles -start-0800 end-1920 -sunny hi-75 -tent at campsite next to Midway Creek -elevation-4690' Up at 0650 and hiking at 0800. In the 1st 6 miles I climb 1900 ft. At 1010 after 4.9 miles at a trail junction I stop for a break. I eat an apple, Starbursts, peanut M&Ms. A fella from Kingston, WA is hiking south and we chat for awhile. He is hiking from White Pass to the Columbia River. He hikes on and I hike north about 1050. Up until now I have been under tree cover but now I am getting more views of the south side of Mt Adams. As the PCT makes its way to the north side of Adams, I see day hikers, weekenders but no thru-hikers. I am in the open allot & have views of the glacier that resembles a frozen waterfall on the north side of Mt Adams. Also I see Mt Ranier to the north. At 1330 I reach Middle Fork Adams Creek and look upstream for a place to rock hop across. After looking for 20 minutes I tried to cross & got my left foot wet so I just forded & got both feet wet. The trail has been soft & easy hiking all day but getting my feet wet was not a good thing. I am not carrying any Tevas so if I ford I prefer to keep my shoes on. In 2+ miles I come to Killen Creek in a nice big meadow so I take a break here & let my shoes, feet & socks dry out. I leave Killen Creek about 1540. Soon I come to a sign that says "Detour PCNST" and there is a note saying a bridge is out. I reach the Muddy Fork (where the bridge is out) about 1700 & decide to ford. The stream is about 30 ft wide & there is only 1 deep hole. In this hole the water is rushing by at the middle of my thighs. This water is very cold. I would guess the water is glacier melt & earlier in the day u probably could rock hop across. After dumping the water from my shoes I continue on. About 1800 I reach Lava Spring which is a cold spring flowing from under a huge pile of boulders that line the right side of the trail. I take a few drinks of this cold water. Then I hike 1.6 miles to a tar & gravel road. After crossing this road I walk 2 miles on a jeep road which crosses another dirt road. At the end of the walk on the jeep road I see signs for the Detour, so this is where the detour returns to the PCT. In case u want to know, PCNST stands for Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. In Oregon & Washington I have seen many signs with PCNST rather than just PCT. At 1920 I reach Midway Creek & take off my pack to look at the data book to decide if I will get water here & go on. I hear someone yell "are u a thru-hiker?". I don't recognize the voice but I am happy to hear it. I walk over & meet Ron Strickland. He started hiking on May 15 & has been off the trail several times since then & most recently he started hiking north from the Columbia River. He says Prehistoric Tony had hiked on from here only 20 minutes ago. Tony plans on hiking till 2100. I decide to tent here. I boil water and have a freeze dried meal for 2 of chicken & rice. BTW, while in Portland I purchased a plane ticket from Seattle to Richmond. I leave Seattle at 0745 on Oct 3 and arrive in Richmond at 1600 or 1700. Now I have a deadline for my hike. I have approximately 400 miles to hike from here to Manning Park. So if I hiked 20 mpd for 20 days (no days off) I would arrive at Manning Park on Sept 29 (a Saturday). I will be trying to follow this agenda. This will man that I will not take a day off in Washington which will be a new experience for me, i.e., hiking 500 miles w/o a day off. I will be attempting to hike 25 mile days so I can "earn" a day off. If I arrive on the w/e, i.e., Sat the 29th or Sun the 30th, I figure that I may have a good chance of catching a ride to Seattle (hint, hint.....) from someone picking up another thru-hiker. Also I am looking for a place to stay in Seattle, any suggestions? Gotta go to sleep. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-09

Day 141- Sat, September 08 22.1/2234.3 miles -start-0635 end-1905 -sunny hi-70 -tent at Swampy Creek -elevation-4020' Up at 0330 so I ate my breakfast, 8 Fig Newtons back to sleep. Up at 0525 and hiking at 0635. The trail is pretty easy for the 1st 6.5 miles, a little up & mostly down. No views until I see Mt Adams as I approach Road 24. At 0850 I take a break at Road 24. 3 pickups pass me as I sit on a rock eating an apple & M&Ms. About 0905 I begin hiking thru an open field next to a car camper. The trail is gentle and mostly downhill. I reach the outlet for Mosquito Lake and find that the water doesn't look so good. I decide to hike 5 more miles to Trout Lake Creek for water. I had only hiked 15 minutes when I came upon a couple of streams running under the trail. The water was good & cold. Of course, since I am walking mostly under tree cover & it is only 70 degrees, I have only drank 1 liter of water. At 1230 I stop at Trout Lake Creek and I stop for a 15 minute break. When I start hiking again I must climb 800 ft in 2.1 miles up to Road 8810. I arrive at Road 8810 at 1335 and begin walking this road the approximately 3 miles to USFS 23. From this road I have a good view of Mt Adams, just as Tripod told me I would. I also see another snow covered peak to the north. I am not sure whether this mtn is Mt St Helens or Mt Ranier. I arrive at USFS 23 at 1430 and begin hitching the 13 miles to the Trout Lake store & restaurant. It is 1500, Tony & Hagit have just arrived. 1610, Tony & I are at the cafe. Tony & I are eating cheeseburgers & fries at the Trout Lake Cafe. Greay food & fast service. We ate outside at the picnic table while talking to some folks about our hike. BTW, the snow covered mtn in the distance was Mt Ranier. I sent & rc'd e-mail. I called Chris Knight and he has only been finished his PCT2001 hike a few days. He says he is trying to adjust to the off-trail world. I told him that I will try to get in touch with him when I reach Stevens Pass. There is a payphone at Stevens Pass. The last time I saw Chris on the trail was at Robin Bird Spring just north of Mojave, CA. I got an e-mail from Nightingale aka Shady Girl who says that she had to get off the trail at White Pass & she hopes to be at the Gathering, http://www.aldha.org, in Hanover, NH on Oct 5, 6 & 7. Got Milk, AT98, says he will be at the Gathering. After eating Tony & I went to the Trout Lake Grocery Store. I bought snacks & an apple. At 1730, we started hitching th 13 miles back to the trail. At 1800 we got a ride from John. John lives in the Trout Lake area. He told us the view of Mt Adams from the north is a much prettier picture. John dropped us off about 1825 and Tony & I walked the 140 yds to a stream that was full of sodas, courtesy of PCT2000ers, Tripod & Dawn. Thx John for the ride and Thx Tripod & Dawn for the magic. Hey Chris, I left 12 Mtn Dews in the stream. Tony hiked on up the hill. We will gain 900 ft in the 1st 3.5 miles. I believe Tony wants to reach Sheep Lake which is 10 miles away. I am satisfied with hiking 1.2 miles and then calling it a day. So I stop at 1905 and 22.1 miles hiked and a 4 hr break for the trip to Trout Lake for burgers. This has truly been "Another Day in Paradise" or as Chris Knight would say "just a walk in the park". I camp next to a stream & I imagine I will be alone here tonite. I forgot to mention that the following signed in today at Tripod's cooler: Ahab, Allen, Phluff, Noid, Hagit, Tony & I. On 9/7 Citrus signed in. Well Good nite from a very dry & pleasant state of Washington. Pics from 2001-09-08

Day 140- Fri, September 07 - 25.9/2212.2 miles -start-0710 end-1830 -sunny hi-80 -Bear Lake, tent on the Elk Lake Trail -elevation-4790' Up at 0555 & hiking at 0710. We want to do 4 25 mile days so we will have a short hike into White Pass on Tuesday. Per normal I get left when doing the 1st climb. We climb from 900 to about 3000 ft in the 1st 2 hrs. I do not see the rays of the sun till about 0815. I am under tree cover except for a short traverse where I can see Mt Hood. At 1000 I find Tony & Hagit talking a break. I join them. At 1015 we starting hiking again. Soon Hagit & Tony are out of sight. At 1130 I pass a sign pointing to a water source. I continue on cause I have 2 liters. At 1340 after descending for a mile or so I come upon a picnic table at Crest Campground. There is no water here but I take a break at the table. Tony & Hagit join me about 10 minutes later. At 1425 after eating some M&Ms I start to hike the remaining the 11 miles of what I have planned to hike today. I climb about 1300 ft & have views of Mt Hood, Mt St Helens & Mt Adams (snow covered & over 12000 ft). I reach Blue Lake about 1700 & see some campers. I realize that it is Friday afternoon & there are several trailheads nearby (within 6 miles) so there will probably be allot of weekenders joining us. I speak to a lady camped at Blue Lake & she says there is another thru-hiker just ahead of me. I leave Blue Lake at 1720 to hike the final 3 miles of the day to Bear Lake. I pass Bruce from San Diego just before reaching Bear Lake. We end up going down a side trail about 1/4 mile to find a big flat spot to camp. Tony & Hagit join us. So I have stopped early (1830) again but at least we did get in 25+ miles. I have chicken teriyaki w/ rice for dinner & retire to my tent at 1730. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-07

Day 139- Thu, September 06 - 14.7/2186.3 miles -start-0805 end-1650 -sunny hi-70 -tent at Panther Creek Campground -elevation-930' Up at 0700 and packed & hiking to the Bridge of Gods by 0730. I am walking over to Stevenson, WA, i.e., I am taking an alternate route up to Panther Creek Campground. By taking this alternate route I will walk 14+ miles to Panther Creek rather than 32+ miles on the PCT. I am hiking with Hagit and we stop about 0910 at the Spar Tree(sp?) Inn for breakfast. Good food & allot of it. I then went to grocery store where I bought & ate a cantaloupe. Hagit started walking out of town at about 1100. We stopped at a hardware store looking for a cord lock for my stuff sack (the stuff sacks I purchased at REI didn't come with cord locks) & Hagit was looking for a P38, i.e., a can opener. I went next door for a large soft serve ice cream cone & when I returned a local gave Hagit a P38. Now we are really walking out of town & we see a hiker in the distance ahead of us. We walk along the side of Hwy 14 for about 3 to 4 miles till we get to road where we go left towards Carson, WA. We reach Carson at about 1300 & we stop at the IGA grocery store to get a soda & to rest our feet. We see Prehistoric Tony over at the PO. He comes over to join us at the IGA. Tony has been making phone calls to try to get things straight for a hike in China, actually a hike on The Great Wall of China. About 1400 Hagit start hiking towards Panther Creek Campground. We have about 7 more miles to walk on the road. When we get off the main road on to Panther Creek Road, we meet a local riding his bike. He invites us to his his house for water. We accept. We sit & talk for awhile then walk back to the road & Tony is walking up. We walked the remaining 3 miles to the campground which is only 1/4 mile from the PCT and we have a picnic & water from a pump. We are the only people camping. I am in my tent by 1830. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-06

Day 138- Wed, September 05 - 0.0/2150.2  miles -start- end- -sunny hi- -Marina RV Park, Cascade Locks, OR -elevation-' Up at 0600 to complete my journal for yesterday. By 0715 I have finished journal and have started to re-package my freeze dried meals to be used in WA. Around 1100 Oz & I went to breakfast & then to the grocery store. When we returned to Chris's home around 1330,  I started packing my food drops going to White Pass, Snoqualime Pass, Skykomish & Stehekin. I am carrying 6 days of food to make it to White Pass. At 1600 we went to pickup Chris from work. We then went to the PO to mail our packages. We stopped for burritos for dinner the headed for Cascade Locks. We dropped Oz at the Marina RV Park so he could seam seal his tarp. Chris aka Tripod and I rode out to the PCT to replenish his cooler. We drove about 58 miles from Cascade Locks to the trail. We left some sodas in a stream and we saw that Gilligan had signed in today. Simply Seeking & Joe Moon came by on 9/3. Tripod drove me back to the Marina & RV Park where I am. Hikers can stay here FREE and shower FREE. When I get there I find Oz & Hagit. Phyllis is parked nearby. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-05

Day 137- Tue, September 04 - 0.0/2150.2 miles -start- end- -sunny hi-75 -Tripod's home in Portland -elevation-' Pics on the website are updated thru 8-19, thx Dan. Up at the Best Western in Cascade Locks at 0530. I take a hot bath. At 0630 I walk downstairs for the continental breakfast which turns out to be outstanding. About 0845 I go get all my packages at the PO which include my bounce box, 20 degree bag, waterproof camera (I will be carrying 2 cameras in WA), 2 blank CF cards, New running shoes & pack cover. BTW, the New Balance 803s size 9.5 are too small so I will send them to my dad, I think he can wear them. So my feet have "grown" and I now wear a size 10. I sit in the Best Western lobby & wait for Oz to pick me up. Oz arrived about 0930. We took I-84 west to I-5 north and arrived at Tripod's home in north Portland. We then traveled to REI inn Portland where I bought freeze dried food for all of WA. We went to lunch with Justine aka Squirrel. I wanted to buy new Merrell shoes so I can send them to Skykomisk, just in case my current pair of Merrell shoes don't make it the 500 miles in WA. Also I forgot to mention I bought new Superfeet, the other par lasted 1300 miles. I also got a couple of small stuff sacks for my snacks. We did have to go to Tualatin (down I-5 18 miles) to get the Merrell shoes. Oz & I finally returned to Tripod's home at 1630 and the Oz went & picked up Tripod at work at 1700. Around 1800 Tripod, Oz & I went to a bar with bluegrass music in southeast Portland (Tripod's old neighborhood). BTW, I looked on http://cheaptickets.com And found a roundtrip ticket from Seattle to Richmond on Oct 3 for $336. I will probably buy this ticket tomorrow. On our way home from the bar we stopped at a Fred Meyer's grocery store for some Ben & Jerry's. I fall asleep about 2000 after eating my pint. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-04

Day 136- Mon, September 03 - 15.0/2150.2 miles -start-0610 end-1200 -sunny hi-75 -Cascade Locks, OR, Best Western , Room 319, (541) 374-8777 -elevation-200' Up at 0535 & hiking at 0610. Brent, Amy (the Moonhoneys) & I hike down he Indian Springs Trail to the Eagle Creek Trail. The Indian Springs Trail is 2 miles long & is very steep. Soon after reaching the Eagle Creek Trail we hear water falling (flowing). I cannot describe the amount of beauty that lies along this stretch of the Eagle Creek Trail w/o using pics. Many places the trail is cut out of the rock wall high above the creek. Also there are at least 5 places where there is a cable attached to the rock wall so a hiker may use this cable as a railing. Many places the trail is high above the creek down in the gorge & if u are afraid of heights u may have a problem with certain narrow sections of the trail especially when u meet hikers going in the opposite direction. We saw certain high waterfalls, 100 ft or higher. The most spectacle of these waterfalls was Tunnel Falls where we went thru a 10 yd tunnel under a 150 ft waterfall. We reached the trailhead parking lot at 1100 and found Tony Nitz aka Prehistoric Tony there. So all 4 of us hiked the 2+ miles to Cascade Locks. We stooped at the Char Burger for food. Then Tony & I got a room at Estern Western (Room 319, 541-374-8777). There is a hot tub here, we will definitely test it out. Tony & I did laundry here at the motel. We went to dinner with Brent & Amy at the Pub. Ahab was hiking into town about 1930 so he joined us for pizza. Bruce from San Diego came by as he returned dinner at the CharBurger. He is staying at the Econo Inn and so is Ron Vaughan aka the Waffle King. Tony & I returned to the motel and Ahab came up to do laundry & get a shower. Ahab is sleeping in our room. Tripod aka Chris, his wife Dawn & Oz came by our room bout 2200. Oz had gotten a ride with Phyllis to White Pass for the cookout. Oz was the only PCT2001 thru-hiker there. Oz is taking a few days off in Portland to rest his legs. He is suffering with shin splints. Tomorrow morn, Oz will pick me up using Chris's truck to go to Chris's home. We will go to REI, etc., so I will at least be in Portland tomorrow nite. Of course, I will hit the PO at 0830 tomorrow morn here in Cascade Locks. It has been a great day which started at 0540 this morn & is ending now at 2340. Hey baby, u gotta love it. My wonderful journey would not be possible if it wasn't for my loving & kind family. Thx so much to my sister, Mary Lee, my brother, Dan, my brother, Rob & his wife Megan, and of course my parents, Helen & Tex. I love u all. Keep smiling, this trip gets better everyday... Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-03

Day 135- Sun, September 02 - 27.3/2132.1 miles -start-0620 end-1950 -sunny hi-70 -tent at Indian Springs Campground -elevation-4300' Up at 0540 and hiking at 0620. Brent & Amy were packing up when I left. I climbed a little after crossing the Zigzag Creek. Today there will be allot of alternate routes in the guidebook but I will stick to the official PCT not because I am purist but because the official PCT is usually marked well so I will have less of a chance to get lost. I am able to look south & see Mt Hood. It is partially covered in clouds just like yesterday. I also see many ravines where the runoff from the glaciers is running. Also I am walking down into some of these ravines which means the elevation loss is great. This morning I have already dropped 2000 ft to cross a stream. At 1015 while climbing Bald Mtn I stop for a break. I am cold from sweating & from walking in the shade so I stop in the sunlight. After taking off my shoes & socks I eat many snacks, like M&Ms, cheese crackers w/ PB (a couple bags of M&Ms). After break I see several dayhikers so I there must be trailhead parking close by. It is a perfect day for hiking, in the 60s to low 70s and I am under tree cover most of the time. I drop over a 1000 ft to Lolo Pass and decide to take a break here. It is 1230 & I have hiked 14.8 miles in 6 hrs. I lay on my Z-rest & heat water for some stovetop stuffing. I stop for breaks many times at roads or trailhead parking lots hoping to be able to yogi. A lady asks if this is Lolo Pass & I say yes. She asks how long have I been hiking & I say since April 21. She asks if I want some M&Ms and I say sure and alsi I asked if I could buy a soda from her. She comes back with M&Ms & 2 bananas, um, um, gooooooooooood! I give her a card with my website on it. Thank u ma'am for the treats. At1400 I am starting to hike & here comes Brent & Amy. I am glad they are here so now I have someone to talk with. We have about 13 more miles to hike in order to reach Indian Spring Campground where we are thinking about camping. We climb 700 ft, an easy climb, especially after the 1.5 hr break. The re st of the afternoon we climb several hundred ft & the drop a similar amount until we reach Indian Spring Campground at 4300 ft. It is 1850 & there is water here & a picnic table (a luxury) so we decide to stay rather hike the 2 steep miles down the Indian Spring Trail to the Eagle Creek Trail. Yes we are taking an alternate route the last 16 miles or so into Cascade Locks. The Eagle Creek Trail has waterfalls & the PCT has little to offer. It is windy & cool here so I am in my tent by 2000. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-02

Day 134- Sat, September 01 - 23.8/2104.8 miles -start-0700 end-2000 -sunny then overcast w/ fog hi-70 -tent at Zigzag River -elevation-4890' Up at 0620 and hiking at 0700. The trail is nearly flat & wide. Hiking on this is, as Chris Knight would say, "Like a walk in the park." I past a SOBo couple and cross several roads and arrive at a campsite with a seeping spring about 0930. Ahab is here & has just packed. He tells me that when he returned from Eugene that he realized that he would not make the PO by Friday, Aug 31 so he decided to 20 mile days & arrive in Cascade Locks on Mon, Sept 3. At this point I have hiked 7 miles & have 14 miles to reach Timberline Lodge where I will stop to eat. Ahab & I hike together thru this piece of the trail that in under tree cover & has no views until we run into Bushman, who is SOBO. Bushman tells us that he left the trail for 3 wks at Castella and returned to hike Washington NOBO and just returned from Manning Park & started from Barlow Pass this morning. He told we had about 2 miles to Hwy 26. When I reached Hwy 26 (a very busy road), I stooped for a 15 minute break & Ahab continued on. There was a note on a trail post near Hwy 26 from Allwn that said he, Phluff & Paranoid had gone to Portland on Thursday afternoon & they were taking 2 zeros & would be in Cascade Locks on Tuesday, Sept 4. About 2 miles north of I meet ladies dayhiking. I had a nice conversation with them which included Bill Bryson. One of the ladies is planning to hike in the Pyrenees soon. About 1 mile further along I pass Ahab cooking pancakes for breakfast. I pass a couple of backpackers & dayhikers, all SOBO. I arrive at Hwy 35 near Barlow Pass at 1300 and the sun is shining brightly but is probably only 70 degrees. I start up this hill to Timberline Lodge. This climb is 1800 ft in 5 miles. I arrive at a stream at 1400 and have covered 2.7 of the 5 miles. As I climb higher I am still under tree cover but it getting windy & cold. The temperature has dropped into the 50s. With a 1.5 miles to go to the lodge I come out into the open & it definitely cold & threatening to rain. I can see Mt Hood cover ed in clouds and also can see the lodge a few times. There several large ravines beginning from the base of Mt Hood. The trail has turned to sand & gotten very steep. The last mile to the lodge is tough & most of the time u are exposed (i.e., no tree cover). I exited the trail about 1500 t go to the lodge for some food. I went downstairs to the Blue Ox Restaurant and ordered pizza. I also had a conversation about my PCT hike with 2 ladies sitting next to me. I went to use the phone to send & receive e-mail but it doesn't work. I also call Tripod & ask him if he could pick me up here tonite & then I would take 2 zeroes in Portland. He said that Dawn & him were leaving to go hiking. But he old me to call back in 30 minutes to see what he could come up with. In the meantime I called Squirrel, 1998GA2ME, to see if she could pick me up & I would stay at her home in Portland. She was at work & couldn't pick me up. When I called Tripod back he suggested I hike into Cascade Locks on Monday & he could pick me up on Monday nit & I could spend a few days in Portland at his home. This sounds good & I do want to see Portland as well as visit Tripod & Dawn & Squirrel. So i will hike on today & try to be in Cascade Locks by midday Monday, Labor Day (PO is closed.. Aw shucks). While on the phone I see a familiar face waving at me. When I get off the phone I find Amy & Brent, the Moonhoneys aka the Honeymooners. They hiked in here yesterday & were picked up by a friend in Portland who had just brought them back to the lodge. They plan to hike a few miles north tonite. I asked them to come downstairs to he restaurant so we could talk & be warm (the lobby of the lodge was cold). When we go downstairs the waiter tells me that the 2 ladies sitting next to me paid for my lunch. Thank u, thank u, thank u. Brent & Amy told me why Phluff & crew never caught me on the 1st day out of Shelter Cove. It seems that at one of the Rosary lakes, Barefoot (I believe it was her, aka Lisa, aka Bohdi's girlfriend) and Bohdi said that if Allen & Noid could swim across the lake & back, then Lisa & Bodhi would have to return to town (about 3 to 5 miles) & buy pizza & wine for everyone. So u guessed, Bohdi & Lisa had to return to town to buy pizza & wine & they camped there that nite. Did I get the story right? I forgot to mention that Ahab saw Bohdi & Barefoot at Elk Lake & the said that they were having a hard time doing 20 mile days. Also Ahab said when he left Eugene that Earthsurfer & No Worries were going to the coast (ike the Pacific Ocean) for a day. Well bak to Rimberline Lodge, Ahab hiked out from the lodge about 1730 and te Moonhoneys & I went upstairs to he Ramshead Restaurant for dessert. We each paid $5.25 each for our dessert & they were not worth i t. Mine was a small piece of cheesecake & theirs was a runny cobbler. At 1830 we all put on our rainsuits to hike out, not because it was raining but because the wind was blowing hard & it was cold. As we walked behind the lodge to the trail we see Marcus & Robin & the Dave about a 1/10 mile south of us on the PCT. They came over. The Moonhoneys are meeting Marcus, Robin & Dave for the 1st time. I don't see Hagit & George, they are probably taking pics. Marcus mentioned they may stay at the lodge tonite. Th Moonhoneys & I hike north & only make it 2.6 miles to Zigzag River. Since it is 2000 we decide to camp here. I will try to hike a 30+ mile day tomorrow to leave a short day for Monday. Good nite. Pics from 2001-09-01