Thursday, February 17, 2011

PCT Trail Scenes #117

Fire Creek Pass (looking north): This is where I incorrectly exclaimed to Indie, "Here is the end of the PCT!! That has to be Canada!!" This also was one of the most beautiful areas of the trail in my opinion.
Fire Creek Pass (looking south, southwest)
A beautiful glacial lake.
Hiking north and eventually a steep descent into the valley.
This particular stretch of trail was literally destroyed by a huge storm and floods in 2003. What I remember most about this day is that Indie and I were rushing to get to Stehekin so that we could make the post office in time. We could not shake the feeling that the beautiful Indian summer we were experiencing was going to end any day and winter would be upon us. To our relief, major trail work had been done, probably days or weeks before we entered this section. As a result, what was rumored to take 8 hours to hike, actually was done in an hour or so. We were going to make the Stehekin post office before it closed for the weekend.
The infamous crossing at the Suiattle River. This crossing has been feared and loathed by many a thru hiker since 2003. For some, it's a major concern well before the thru hike is even attempted. Indie dubbed it "The crossing of a lifetime." What I find hilarious is that this is actually the wrong log! Indie and I crossed the wrong one, an arguably more difficult crossing point. Obviously, we made it across, but not without a moment of extreme fear on my part. I froze halfway across as the log wobbled beneath me. After complaining it was not difficult enough before I crossed, I now found myself (for a brief moment) actually contemplating jumping off into the river, which probably would have resulted in a serious injury. Indie on the other hand, marched confidently across, an epic crossing.

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