I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete1
I grew up hiking, mostly in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. I’ve hiked all around Washington State — we are certainly blessed with so many hikes on public land. With so much on offer, why do I keep going back to the Pacific Crest Trail?
Continue readingI was hunting around for a day hike to get me away from the Lower Columbia Basin’s triple-digit heat. I noted that the last trip report at the Washington Trail Association’s web page was five years ago, and I decided that I’d check this hike out. Several years ago, I hiked from Chinook Pass to Tacoma Pass along the Pacific Crest Trail; this trail’s junction with the PCT is in along that section. That always piques my curiosity.
In addition to the age of the most up-to-date information I had access to, planning was complicated by the fact that AllTrails & the WTA only describe the trail as existing to the junction with the Cougar Valley Trail – 1.7 miles. I have the USGS 7&1/2 map for this area, so I could get a vague idea of the elevation gain and loss, but it really was a vague estimate. In other words, this day hike was an adventure.
Continue readingI needed this. By the end of the trip, I was weary, hungry, parched, and my soul was back in balance.
Continue readingI read a lot of stuff about hiking. I scroll through gear makers’ web pages for entertainment. I linger over the pictures at trail associations’ web pages. I read blogs and social media posts. The majority of the time, the backcountry campsites shown or described are *perfect* – idyllic forest scenes, ridgelines with epic views, above the tree line in good weather. It makes me think of the decidedly not perfect campsites I’ve ended up with.
Continue readingAs soon as I learned I’d be attending training in Wenatchee that ended at noon on a Friday, I began planning a hiking trip for that weekend. I made some ambitious plans, but after reflecting on my current fitness level and the lingering after-effects of my most recent bout of COVID-19, I decided to stick with a familiar trail: the PCT between Stampede Pass and Tacoma Pass.
Continue readingI went for a run Tuesday evening. It was short. It was slow. It didn’t feel good.
I talked myself out of and into doing this run several times. I’m glad the part of me that wanted to run won the argument.
I still have a lot of work to do, but consistently running 2-3 times a week will get me there. And it starts with one short, slow, sucky run.
This past weekend, my friend Jane & I hiked a bit of the PCT in Oregon. Our original plan was to hike along the Washington PCT from Chinook Pass to White Pass, but the weather forecast dissuaded us. (I can deal with days of rain, but my idea of a fun hike is different from most other folks’.) Some last minute scrambling led us to this section of the Oregon PCT.
Continue readingYesterday, I joined some friends and a large group of women from all around the Northwest at Bennington Lake for the Walla Walla 6-hour. This is the longest and farthest I’ve run in years, and I had a great time.
Continue readingAfter work Friday, I drove up toward Chinook Pass for a hike. The hike up to Goat Peak is beautiful and terrible. It’s steep – about 3000′ of elevation gain in three miles – and the trail is not in great shape in some places. (This is largely due to the fire.) It’d be a good training hike — it’s just under nine miles, so it could be done as a day hike and it has a lot of elevation gain & loss — but the trail is in such bad shape in places I’m not sure I want to do it again anytime soon.
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