PCT: WA Section J - Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass (SOBO)

Day 148 - 10/1/25 - Zero Day in Leavenworth

Made breakfast with Cookie Monster

He made German pancakes (fitting for the German town)

I made a scramble with hash browns

Ate breakfast with everyone and watched LOTR

Lingered

LOTR 2 came on but no one really watched

Did some yoga and stretching

Shower

Went to town and bopped around

Stopped at Icicle Brewing for Free PCT beer

Checked out some shops

Got a autumnal coffee at the Gingerbread House

Went to the cheese shop with Ellie

Got a Truffle Gouda and Whiskey Barrel Cheddar

Went back to Airbnb

Hungout for a bit

Then Ellie and I went to Andrea’s Keller for some authentic German Food

There was a wait so we hit Icicle Brewing again

Wedding party there

It was nice hanging with her again

Got a text that the table was ready so walked back over

Got the Dunkleweissen (my fav beer of all time) and Ellie and I decided to split a jagerschnitzel and a side order of kasespatzel

We ate while a guy played and sang traditional German music with an accordion

Delicious and vibey hahaha

Pics with the musician 😅

Left and went back to Airbnb

Ellie and Cookie Monster put on Matrix 2 but I was gassed so just went to bed

Day 149 - 10/2/25 - Leaving Leavenworth, Alpine Lakes

Distance: 14.1 miles

Mile Start / End: 188.4 -202.5

Weather: cold, cloudy

End Location: Glacier Lake

Lessons Learned:

Woke up

Pastry for breakfast

Walked to the Main Street for coffee and maybe another pastry

Talked to family on the phone briefly as I walked to the bank for trail angel pick up

The trail angel pulled up with two dogs in the bed of his truck and let them out

They ran around for a bit until he called them back

Gabe sat in the back with the dogs 😂

Everyone else squeezed in

I sat up front with Ellie and the Trail Angel

He asked about us about our lives

Then explained his life as a lawyer and how he helped with orphanages in Africa

He almost teared up at one point

He dropped us off at Steven’s Pass and gave us a bag of cookies, what a guy 😌

Stopped in the Steven’s Pass lodge briefly

Saw “Jack the Poet”

Glad to see he was still alive😂

Said goodbye to Ellie and Gabe and everyone

I’ve said goodbye to them so many times but this was actually it… 😓

Hopefully it’s just a “see you later”

Started hiking 1:30pm

Up the ski hill

Pretty cold, put my liner gloves on

Down

Past Mig Lake, nice spot

Up

Trap Lake trappin out

Top of Trap Pass 6pm

Also trappin out

2 more miles to Glacier Lake

Made it to lake around 7pm

A non profit youth group took a lot of the easily accessible sites

Hard to see in the dark with sunglasses on

Walked south and found a spot by the lake

Dinner

Looked for Greenhorn but didn’t see him

Ate some of my truffle cheese I got in Leavenworth, delish 🔥

Snickers in tent for dessert

Bed around 9pm

Day 150 - 10/3/25 - Cathedral Passing Friends

Distance: 22.3

Mile Start / End: 202.5 - 224.8

Weather: Sunny, the cloudy

End Location: Waptus River

Lessons Learned:

Woke up 8am

Coffee and Breaky

Left just after 9am

Quick pic of the campsite at Glacier Lake, one of the better spots I’ve had recently

Gambit, Dogman, Hoochie Mama

Cool dudes, met them briefly in Sierra City (but didn’t really remember due to circumstances…)

Told me Claire’s trail name was originally “Big Dick” hahaha

They mentioned she had chubby cheeks

Hmm I never really noticed that 😂

Top of Piper Pass 10:30am

Down

Deception Lakes 11am

Like a mini Rae Lakes

“Claire de lune” played and I sat for a moment enjoying the tranquility of the smooth water

Continued hiking

Richie!!! Saw him as he was foraging blueberries

Had a nice chat

Just a lovely autumn day full of friends and views

Took break at a creek to fill up water and eat some snacks around 1:30pm

Hopper!!! He came by during my break

Nice chat, both of our beards were coming in nicely😂

River crossing

Then straight up, tough pass

The sun’s rays poked through the gaps of the mountain range and backlit Cathedral Peak

Top of cathedral pass around 3:30pm

Showgirl! Perfect timing

Ate cheese and chatted in a meadow while looking at the peak

The sun went away and it cloudy and cold so both decided to get moving again

Showgirl and I had many memories together, but I left with a feeling that our paths would surely cross again

But don’t call me Shirley

Down the pass

Claire!

Greeted her as “Big Dick” and her cheeks blushed red 🤣

I guess they were a little chubby hahaha

But I mostly only noticed her smile and hazel eyes

She’s a cutie 😌

Passed deep lake 5:30pm

Waptus River for camp in 7 mi

Started LOTR 2 audiobook

Sun went down without any spectacle

Night hike

Made it to camp around 8am

Greenhorn was there, he had just put out the fire, damn

Set up camp

Ate mysterious hiker box meal I copped from Steven’s Pass

Tasted like ramen with miso soup mix and plays peanuts in it, pretty good

Watched some TV

Bed around 10pm

Day 151 - 10/4/25 - Rain, Rain Go Away

Distance: 25 mi

Mile Start / End: 224.8 - 249.8

Weather: rainy

End Location: Tensite above Joe Lake

Lessons Learned: Plan the path but only focus on the next step

Woke up 6:30am to sound of rain

Went back to bed lol

Woke back up 8am

Coffee and honeybun in tent

Still raining but lightened up a bit

Left 8:30am

Straight up Watsup Pass for 7 miles

The light rain was cold but kind of nice with the steep series of switchbacks uphill

Stopped for protein bar break halfway up and watched the steam from my body be carried by the wind like the clouds

Top around 11am

Stopped for water with Greenhorn

Ran into Will and Cecilia!

Chatted briefly but was super cold and windy so left earlier than I wanted too

Actually still had a little uphill left

Real top around 12pm

Down for 4 miles

Greenhorn flew down

I took my time

Took a brunch granola tortilla break around 1pm

Almond butter is not as good as peanut butter but it was all I had

Listened to raggae to trick myself into being warm

Three Queens looked gnarly

Up switchbacks

Heavy rain

Break at Delate Waterfall around 4pm under the dry cove of a pine tree

Ate a late lunch

Greenhorn passed

Goal is 8 miles to dry camp, 10 to Ridgeline Lake

Up the pass

View of Spectacle Lake, aptly named

Would def go back there

Greenhorn stopped by a lake and set up camp

Caffeinated with matcha, I kept going as the sun went down

Up

Top of ridge around 6:30pm

A white cloud was coming towards my path

Great

Up

Checked map, a lot more up and then down to camp

Wish I checked before lol

Dusk settled in

Walked along rocks and boulders

Then switchbacks

Put headlamp on

More switchbacks

The cloud from earlier reach me

Why do I always end up hiking in a cloud at night 😅

Windy and unable to see more than 5 feet in front of me

But didn’t really need to see more than that though

Do I ever need to see more than that?

Plan the path but only focus on the next step, lesson learned

Top

Then down through dark high alpine

Reached water icon 1 mile from target camp, dry

Fuck

The comments said it was dry too, probably should’ve checked that before too 😅

Figured with all the rain I’d find some water source, or I would just keep hiking 3 more miles to Ridge Lake

Down more

Spotted a scoop-able puddle and filled up 2L

I guess the rain can be good

Made it to camp (a ridge above Joe Lake) around 8:30pm

Set up, filled water, dinner with tv

Bed around 10pm

Day 152 - 10/5/25 - Snoqualmie Pass

Distance: 18.5

Mile Start / End: 249.8 - 268.3

Weather: Sunny, clear, crisp

End Location: Mirror Lake

Lessons Learned:

Woke up with the morning light

Slippers on, quick waz, then back to bed

Bitter cold and little chance of sun hitting tent

Dirty chai mountain mocha in bed with payday and honeybun

Left around 8:45am

Joe Lake beauty

Up

Alaska Mountain

View of Mt Rainier! First time getting a really good view of it

A sea of clouds covered the valley below

Stopped for a break to admire its beauty and write a bit

It’s been hard to write with my gloves on but was finally warm enough to take them off

Top of Snoqualmie Pass

Tons of day hikers, makes sense it’s a Sunday

Ran down

Reached the bottom around 1pm

Sandwich, salad, kombucha

Dried tent while I ate outside

Dirty looks from bicyclists - oh well, gotta do what you gotta do😅

Chevron to resupply box I sent

Sorted and ate

Dr Pepper, ice cream, banana, corn dog

Back to store for charging power bank

Greenhorn there

Left 4:30pm

Goal is 8 miles to Mirror Lake

Straight up the ski hill

Passed families doing photo shoots

Thought of an old poem of mine:

“Never am I lost

In the woods

I enter on my own

For I know the way I came

And can learn

the way back home”

Kate bushed it

Ollallie Lake 6pm

4 more miles but getting cold

My family is roasting me for using the word “stunning” too much so gonna use it more

Stunning moonrise / sunset

Some dayhikers passed by and I joked, “Wanna see another full moon?”

I turned around, acting like I was gonna show them my bum, another full moon

We laughed hahaha

Switched to night hike gear

It was a wonderful crisp night and thought about going further

But then I saw a bear

Scared it off with shouting and yelling but felt bad for spooking it

Then saw a pair of glowing eyes wider than a deer, fuck

But it moved like a deer

Probably an elk

With all the wild life activity, I decided not to push my luck

The lake would be far enough😅

Made it to camp around 8pm

Nice flat spot by the water set up camp and filled water

Dinner in tent because it was chilly

Watched TV while I ate

Bed around 9pm