Sobo PCT 2021 Series (part 4): Nero Day at Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass

Here is part 4 of my trail journal for my Southbound Pacific Crest Trail adventure. Follow my thruhiking trip in the next posts (no pics due to technical difficulties on trail), or on Facebook and Instagram at JustAGirlAndABackpack.Blog (where I’ve been posting lots of pics!!). The most recent day is at the top, and the oldest day is at the bottom. (I release posts on a schedule a couple of weeks behind the present day for safety reasons.). I want to apologize for any errors, as I am writing everything from my phone while exhausted and haven’t gone back over anything with a critical eye.

Statistics for my journey so far are as follows. Trail stats: record miles in one day = 21.6; avg 14.3 mi/day w/ zero days; avg 15.0 mi/day w/o zero days; 300.7 mi hiked total; day 21. Town stats: 1 zero day; 5 nights spent in a town; 3 resupplies; 5 showers; 4 loads of laundry. Nature connection stats: 1 snake; 2 bears; 4 species of wild plants munched on; 5 species of wild plants used to wipe with; 1 good sunrise; 4 good sunsets; 2 great nights of stars; 8 instances when I felt exceptionally connected to nature; 1 accidental sploosh at a river crossing; 3 dangerous river crossings; 5 dives into lakes/rivers; 2 rain storms; 1 lightning/thunder storm; 2 foggy days. Human connection stats: 8 hiking buddies; 3 hitch hikes; 15 trail angels. Mental state stats: 2 books read; 1 day of existential dread; times I felt scared = 4; times I wanted a hiking partner = 5. Physical state stats: 5 small cuts; 1 bruise; 2 blisters; infinite insect love nips; 1 unidentified lump; many sore muscles; shin splints. Gear stats: 1 pair of shoes mangled; 14 gear repairs completed; 13 gear modifications; 1 gear item lost.

PCT SOBO 2021 series: Wednesday July 21; Mile 255.2 to Mile 259.2 with Nero at New Castle (4 miles today, day 21). I woke up at typical times, spending an hour watching the grey jays chasing each other right over our cowboy camped bodies, landing by my head repeatedly. Unfortunately my leg was in even more pain after sleeping which i had hoped would help it calm down. We quickly threw out gear together and marched the last 4 miles out to the Snoqualmie Pass trailhead parking lot where a family friend, Rob, was going to pick us up and trail angel for us. On the way, we saw at least 4 pikas, which were so cute and made this alarm call that is similar but distinct from the marmots. The multitude of day hikers and noboers were very friendly. I started my period somewhere along the way, which gave some justification to the grumpiness i was feeling. Rob was awaiting us in his chariot with cold coconut water, fresh cut fruit and donuts, which were so tasty and thoughtful. We stopped first at REI, primarily for new shoes, but I also got a lighter weight pair of pants, a better bear hang bag, some darn tough socks, chewable electrolytes, etc. Then we did laundry and showers at Rob’s home, where we met his lovely wife Sarah and used their wifi and talked for hours. Rob showed us some of his juggling skills, as well as his fractal art and impressive rock/crystal/element collection. Their dog Bella (aka killer due to her temperamental attitude with strangers) was a cutie. They allowed us to take their car to Safeway, where we bought some groceries, primarily 3 frozen pizzas and some beers to devour back at their place. Rob took Tonka back to the trailhead and I settled in for several zero days to rest, ice, use hemp cream on, and generally baby my shin splits. I watched a little Netflix on my phone after finishing a book, and when Sarah got back from dance we talked for hours about her travels until we both succumbed to exhaustion. (Some photo creds to Tonka)

PCT SOBO 2021 series: Tuesday July 20. Mile 238.3 to Mile 255.2 (16.9 miles today, day 20). Cowboy camping was a success! No bugs, pretty dry, not too cold. We did have a mouse or two (and an R.O.U.S.) nibble holes in our food bags, but otherwise unscathed. We got a fairly late start and had many switch backs to do (6000ft up and 5000ft down). Thankfully there was beautiful view after beautiful view to occupy us. Starting last night, my right knee had been a little twingy. Unfortunately, this either developed into or gave way to something that we really hope isn’t shin splints, but we have no other way of diagnosing intense shin pain up and down the leg (especially while bending and pointing or making a circle with the foot or walking). This slowed us a down considerably, and we stopped to look at plants and views and lakes quite often. At one point, we had such good call service (and a fantastic view of Mt. Rainier, Snoqualmie ski resort and the valley below), that i was able to facetime David. Nearing twilight, we saw a group of people gathered on trail looking up and taking pictures. We went into stealth mode, walking quickly and quietly to try to see what they were seeing without scaring it, and lo and behold, there was a mama mountain goat (looking a little worse for wear, and wearing a tracking collar) and her beautiful little fluffy white baby/kid. It was an especially magical experience because we had seen goat tracks (small and large) and goat poop (small and large) on trail the mile leading up to seeing them. We pushed on into the fading sunset and night hiked several miles without flashlights, using our peripherals and the occasional flash of the almost full moon between the trees and rocks. There is no way to describe the beauty around us with the fog pouring over the cliffs, the purples and pinks and oranges on the horizon, the majesty of the boulders. At own point we could see the highway far away, with glowing head and tail lights and even smell the exhaust of the cars. We cowboy camped close to the trail (all the campsites were taken) and quickly bedded down in the cold. the stars were lovely through the trees, with several satellites. (Some photo creds to Tonka)

PCT SOBO 2021 series: Monday July 19. Mile 219.4 to Mile 238.3 (18.9 miles today, day 19). I woke up feeling already ready to go back to sleep. After stretches and brekky (granola and dried milk, which was not everything it’s hyped up to be), I laid down with my eyes closed and was reawoken by the sun finally coming over the ridge and brushing my cheeks. Pretty early in the day we got to a big river crossing and decided to take a quick break to rest a tendon in Tonka’s foot that was bothering him. We stayed for several hours, eating and napping. I slowly waded in and out of the Glacial melt until I felt confident enough to fully submerge (knocking my head on a rock in the process). Sunbathing to dry off felt amazing. Then began way to many switchbacks up (8miles) followed by way too many switchbacks down (6 miles)–give me up any day! All that downhill had my feet, knees and back dying slowly in pain. I tried out the Seek app by iNaturalist on some plants and found it to be somewhat enlightening. We made camp significantly off trail (all the campsites see taken) by a big river near Lemah Meadows. This will be my first night cowboy camping! (Some photo creds to Tonka)

PCT SOBO 2021 series: Sunday July 18. Mile 200.5 to Mile 219.4 (18.9 miles today, day 18). Tonka woke me up with the sound of him shaking his breakfast at 6:12am. The air was chilly and mist was mostly gone, leaving a wet residue over everything. Our camp in the trees was so cold, so we moved operations to a sunnier patch of dirt to warm up and dry off our gear. Today’s hike was a long one. We’re still trying to figure out how to hike together, and we’ve settled on an uneasy truce between my pace and breaks for him to get water out of his pack. We ping ponged back and forth with Peaches and Drew, Alyssa and her uncle, and Sunshine all day due to our strange hiking pace. At Deception Lake we waded around and dove in, getting out to dry off in the sun only to be eaten alive by mosquitoes and landed on by mayflies. The fish were leaving and the frogs were breast stroking. We had our gnarliest river crossing yet, where everyone converged at the same time due to difficulties finding a way across (and safety in numbers). We stopped somewhere that had some AT&T cell service for Tonka to download something (unfortunately the half bar of Verizon was not very effective, and David’s phone was off when I tried to call). We pulled up at camp after 8pm with a gorgeous just past half waxing moon glowing above. The hard granite and sand didn’t make a great spot for tent stakes, but rocks and patience and the acceptance of s poorly set up tent made it work out. Dinner want quite enough food, so I had some granola and powdered milk and some snacks. David literally sent me 6+ days of food and told me it was 4 days. I have SO MUCH TO EAT. I normally do my stretching in private because it makes me uncomfortable to have an audience, but it was getting dark and I felt confident enough to just get it over with. I jokingly told Tonka (age 36, but with no aches and pains) that this is what his 40’s will look like, and he should take note. He gave me some of his Tumeric latte and said I should feel less sore in the morning. (Some photo creds to Tonka)

PCT SOBO 2021 series: Saturday July 17. Mile 188.4 to Mile 200.5 with Nero at Stevens Pass (12.1 miles today, day 17). The train woke me up at about 6:30am, an hour before my 7:30 alarm to prep to leave in Piper’s car. I did all my packing and some more gear modifications (cut off and burned some of the extra webbing on my pack, cut and tied some weird bungies on my puffy jacket that get in the way (thanks for the idea @chunkychuckwalla ). Then enjoyed my morning while eating an apple so graciously donated by Tonka. Piper, Tonka and I then proceeded to the newly opened town coffee shop for coffees, a lot of muffins and wifi (no cell service at the Haven). Those poor guys waited for almost 4 hours while I did my blog posts and called friends and family. We grabbed Sammies at the local deli, then Piper drove us up to the pass. Chilimac and Alan saw us as they were crossing the pedestrian bridge over the highway, and while they went to grab their package, Piper and we said our goodbyes, taking a selfie and sharing contact info ( i told him to lmk when he needed a trail angel for his pct next year). Ginger (who has a new trail name but I fail to remember it), Power (Alex) and Yoda came down the stairs shouting “IS THAT SLOWLY?!?!” so of course I ran at full speed and gave them all big hugs, saying how glad i was to see them. I hooked them all up with Piper for a ride, then headed to get my own massive package that David had sent. David and Daniel (his brother who is taking classes on sports nutrition) had put their heads together and created a monstrosity of a meal plan, with a little note inside with the calories of each item, adding up to 5300 calories PER DAY. I’m literally going to die out here from over eating and a heavy pack (i very much appreciate them and their hard work). After shoving way too much food into my pack and doing last minute calls and charging using the really good cell service at the pass, we set off up the switchbacks on the ski slopes. Tonka runs uphill and downhill, and has at least 50 pounds on his pack (mostly of healthy organic food and produce), so needless to say I was struggling to keep up and had to put myself in front. I believe my pace on flat ground is faster than his by just a little though, so there’s that. He has a lot of stories to tell, and plans to change the world, so there is no end of fascinating conversation. I hit a point where I was manic (basically i was giggling uncontrollably and had way to much energy, and I knew I was on my last legs after having not gotten much sleep and hiking really fast for several miles), but thankfully we were close to our goal campsite at the top of a pass look down at Trap Lake. Dinner was a crude amount of ramen with chicken, that was very greasy and not very tasty, and I’m glad i went light on the water, because I didn’t think I’d be able to drink all the liquid and keep it down. Tonka introduced me to oregano oil for oral hygiene, and I literally thought my tongue was going to fall out, my lips would burn off and my nose was singed. Wild experience. (Some photo creds to Tonka)