I 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.

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https://www.relive.cc/view/vQvx54w8w9O

I needed this. By the end of the trip, I was weary, hungry, parched, and my soul was back in balance.

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I 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.

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As 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.

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I 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.

www.relive.cc/view/vDqgKXZ3JVq

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.

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Yesterday, 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.

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After 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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I headed out to hike the remaining 74 miles of Section H of the Washington PCT. This was a somewhat impromptu hike, as I’d planned to be hiking Section J with a friend. Alas, she contracted COVID-19. I figured I’d go knock out some miles along the PCT I’d not previously hiked. Land of the Cowlitz, Klickitat, Siletz, and Yakama Nations.

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