PCT: OR Section G - Cascade Locks to Timberline (SOBO) The final blog is posted! This was the last section of the PCT for me 😌 I passed tons of waterfalls at Eagle Creek and had tender moments appreciating all the subtleties of nature I would miss once the trail was over. I found a Matsutake mushroom and hiked through the snow to get to Timberline Lodge This was a journey of a lifetime… and I’ll post a proper reflection once I’ve had time to process it all but for now here’s this 🤷🏼‍♂️ Thanks to everyone who supported me and followed along. Until next time 🫡 Tune in, Smurf out 👋🏼

PCT: WA Section H - White Pass / Highway 12 to Cascade Locks (SOBO) Blog posted! This was a cold section 🥶 there was a snow storm in the forecast so I decided to try and get through the Goat Rocks before they became impassable. The snow storm hit earlier than expected and basically put me into survival mode. I still bagged Old Snowy (in a snow storm, oh the irony 😅) and then hiked through a few feet of snow with my hiking buddy and luckily made it to Trout Lake safely. We defrosted with a wood stove and grilled cheese and hitched down to Cascade Locks to finish out the trail in good weather. I was bummed about skipping the last bit of this section, but I’d already done a trip to Indian Heaven Wilderness and really didn’t want to deal with more snow

PCT: WA Section I - Highway 12 to Snoqualmie Pass Got a good weather window so left Snoqualmie shortly after a resupply and hit the trail. It was still cold but the sun shined for a few continuous days. The Mike Urich cabin was pretty cool, the Norse Peak Wilderness harbored a pristine old growth forest teeming with life. And the views of Mt Rainier were ofc… stunning. Elk bugled the whole way and was awesome to see a few. They are truly majestic creatures. I hitched down to Packwood to escape the rain and prepare for an upcoming snow storm. I’m hoping to clear the Goat Rocks before the snow comes but we’ll see how it plays out. I have about a week left of the PCT so I’m going to savor the time I have left 🥲

PCT: WA Section J - Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass (SOBO) Stunning views, alpine lakes and high mountain passes. Weather was meh (cold and rainy) but cooked through this section and passed some trail friends as they continued their journey NOBO Cathedral Pass was definitely a highlight. It had been on my list while I lived in WA so felt good to finally see it in person. Serendipitously, I bumped into Showgirl at the top of the pass and we ate cheese (truffle Gouda 🤌), caught up, and said our goodbyes 🥲 It’s been great seeing all the people I’ve met on trail one last time, but also a little sad… I don’t know when or if I’ll see these friends again, but if I’ve learned anything from the trail, it’s that everything always works the way it should 😌

PCT: WA Section K - Rainy Pass to Stevens Pass (SOBO) I understand why this section is infamous… it’s rugged, has tons of blow down, has an insane amount of ascent and descent, and is long 😅 I started with leaving Mazama fueled up with by pastries (chocolate croissant 🤌) and hiked a long descent to High Bridge Camp, where the Kokanee Salmon spawn stained the river pink (21 miles) The next day, I hopped of the shuttle to Stehekin for more pastries (sticky bun and cinnamon roll 🤌) and then hiked up a river to enter Glacier Peak Wilderness (12.5 miles). The following day, I went up Suiattle Pass, walked Miner’s Ridge to Image Lake, and had lunch at Fire Lookout. Then descended a series of switchbacks, ran into the only other SOBO hiker, and took a shortcut across the river via log (21 miles) The next day had a lot of ups and downs. The morning was filled with blowdowns in the dark, then walked along high alpine, then down through over growth to Milk Creek. Then hiked back up to Micah Lake, a stunning alpine lake. The sun came out as I got there so swam again for the first time in a while. After drying off, I continued up and over Fire Pass and camped by a creek (24 miles) Then descended through lush, mossy woods and saw some friends and a ton of mushrooms. The smoke took over and gave me a slight headache as I climbed but I powered through and ended the day with a beautiful sunset and camped by a lake (22.3 miles) The last full day was cold and rainy. The clouds blocked the views so I just put my head down and hiked. I did find some nice edible mushrooms and made a tasty foraged potato mushroom soup (23 miles). That left a breezy 6 miles to Steven’s Pass for the next day, where I grabbed by box and hitched into Leavenworth for a proper zero day with friends 😌

PCT: WA Section L - Hart’s Pass to Canadian Border to Rainy Pass (SOBO) Well I made to Canada but now I hike South😅 After deciding to hop up to the border and hike WA southbound, I spent a few days off trail with my parents and then road tripped North with my dad to Hart’s Pass. Upon arrival, the weather was crisp and cold, the mountain ranges were incredible and the autumnal colors were amazing. I huffed it over the passes, caught a great sunset, and descended in darkness to Hopkins Lake (24 miles). During the night, a storm moved in and made conditions wet and cold for the morning hike to the Canadian Border. Since I had to go back the same way, I left a lot of my gear at the lake and made it to the termius around 10am. Then hiked back to the lake and an additional 16 miles to Jim’s Pass (28 miles total). The next day, I woke up with a layer of frost on my tent and felt reassured in decision to go south. I got some World Class Trail Magic at Hart’s Pass and started my SOBO (southbound) journey. As I took my first steps south, Tame Impala’s “Feel Like We Only Go Backwards” played 😂 I saw some old friends and caught some amazing views and ended at Methow River (22 miles) Then I hiked under some awesome mountains, watched some hawks soar over Cutthroat Pass, and saw some more friends. I made it to Rainy Pass around 2pm and caught a ride into Mazama for some real food (16 miles).

PCT: OR Section F - Sentiam Pass to Timberline Lodge (Highway 242 to Highway 35) A very interesting section and end of the Oregon Challenge… After passing by Mt Washington, I stopped by Big Lake Youth Camp for much needed new shoes (should be my final pair) and to collect my resupply box. I left and hiked 9 more miles to Summit Lake just below Three Fingered Jack. I decided the next day, I would attempt the 24 Hour Challenge, basically meaning I would stay awake for 24 hours and hike as far as my body would let me. I woke up at 3:07am and left around 4am, passed by Three Finger Jack under the light of the moon and Orion’s Belt and caught a spectacular sunrise. Then hiked through burn scar and in Mt Jefferson Wilderness. Had lunch with a new friend from Germany and walked through Jefferson Park at sunset which was spectacular. Ate dinner and night hiked another 12.5 miles to Olallie Lake where I decided to call it early by 30 mins, totaling 42.5 miles in 23.5 hours. The next day my feet and legs were cooked, and cold rain added insult to injury. I just shy of 20 miles and went to bed around 8pm. Finally, I hiked 11 miles to Timothy Lake and my parents picked Showgirl and I up for breakfast at Timberline Lodge. After 2nd breakfast we drove to Bend, OR for a few days off. Although I hadn’t completed Oregon in the 2 weeks I had wanted to, I hiked a total of 357 miles in 15 days, bagged 2 peaks, and crushed 42.5 miles in one day. I was proud of myself. Based on the mushrooms and weather, I felt that fall was coming early and decided to trust my instincts… I decided I would hike Washington going South to avoid the snow in the North and end where they had picked me up (which should take 4 weeks). So after a few days off in Bend, I drove up to Mazama with my dad. I’ll hit the trail today, go to the border, then hike south and finish up the PCT in the state I used to call home 😌

PCT: OR Section E - Highway 58 to Highway 242 (McKenzie Pass) Lots of rain, fog, mushrooms and lava. After leaving Shelter Cove in a drizzle, I stopped by the Maiden Hut and dried my gear out by the wood burning furnace. While I waited, I sautéed some of the golden chanterelles I foraged and made a nice meal with couscous and smoked salmon. Then I hiked through foggy woods past lakes and ponds and saw a ton of mushrooms and collected a Summer Bolete, sliced it up, and put it in my ramen. Unfortunately, as I walked past the Sisters Range, I wasn’t able to see them due to fog and rain, which might’ve been a good thing. I really wanted to climb one of them but due to the bad weather, just walked past them and got a lot more miles in. The lava fields at the end of this section were cool but brutal on the feet and I definitely don’t recommend hiking them at night while in a cloud 😅

PCT: OR Section D - Mt Thielsen to Shelter Cove Fun section turned wet and cold when a front moved in. Started by finally crossing Mt Thielsen off my list (cool but slightly sketchy scramble) and then ran from a thunder storm. It rained a little and then a lot and I arrived at Shelter Cove sopping wet😅 But rain brings mushrooms and I ending up finding some Golden Chanterelles just outside of the resort!

PCT: OR Section C - Mt McLoughlin and Crater Lake (Highway 140 to Highway 138) This section was a blast! It started with a side quest up and down Mt McLoughlin (15 mi), followed by long day of serious hiking (33 mi), then breakfast, resupply, and hiking the alternate route along the Crater Lake Rim trail (29 mi). I ran up to Watchman’s Tower and hung with some friends and ran down to get more miles in. The sunset was incredible but was mad at myself for taking this beautiful place for granted in the past… I wondered what other beautiful things I had under appreciated in life as I hiked during the golden hour and did some serious reflection. I ended up doing a of bit night hiking as well to get my miles in.