PCT: WA Section L - Hart’s Pass, Canadian Border, and Rainy Pass (SOBO)
Day 137 - 9/20/25 - Harts Pass and Hopkins Lake
Distance: 23.8
Mile Start / End: 2625.6 - 2649.4
Weather: Sunny , clear
End Location: Hopkins Lake
Lessons Learned:
Drove with my Dad from hotel in Mazama to Hart’s Pass
Dropped resupply box of at store in Mazama
Gave some hikers some food
Dropped rest of stuff I didn’t need at the Lion’s Den
Saw Hungry Bear and a few other familiar faces
Then drove up to Hart’s Pass
Sketchy gravel road, hoped my dad could figure out the drive down😅
Started hiking shortly after 11am
Wowwww, the North Cascades are jaw dropping
Uphill, top around noon
Saw Kyle (from Big Bear) who now goes by Vacuum he had a thick black beard
Crossed into Pasyten Wilderness
The Larches are already turning yellow
Leap frogging with a trail fam, a few of them giggling and “woogling”
Filled up water, chatted with Kaleidoscope
Explained my flip flop and he misunderstood
Thought I was section hiking and condescendingly commented, “oh that’s cute”
Passed Devils Backbone, beautiful autumn colors
Down
Break at bottom, candy and cheese itz - will save tuna and burn off excess fat from eating so much the past few sayd
Uphill for 3 mi
Billy Goat by Rayland Baxter
Uphill
Top of Rock Pass 5:30pm
Lake in 8 miles
Down
Up
Top of Woody Pass, 6:30pm
Sun setting behind mountains
Windy and cold
We’re not in Kansas anymore
I mean Oregon 😅
Ridge line hiking, SHEESH
Views dummy
Clouds and smoke slowly moved in
Will likely rain or snow tonight
Top of climb , 7:45pm
1.4 miles to lake
Descended Devil’s Staircase in the dark
Made it to the lake around 9pm
Filled up water
Dinner, beef stroganoff, added the morels, fuck ya
Geordie shore while eating
Bed 10pm
Stormed throughout the night, was glad I decided to go to lake and not camp on ridge
Day 138 - 9/21/25 - Border?
Distance: 28 miles
Mile Start / End: 2649.4 - 22.5
Weather: rainy, cold
End Location: Jim’s Pass
Lessons Learned: don’t be arrogant even when accomplishing something great
Woke up around 7am by the sound of rain on my tent
The rain stopped for a bit, took advantage to get going
Stashed bag in tent , slack pack
Left around 8am
6 miles to Border with my new gloves on to stay warm and dry
Reached the border at 10:11am, kind of snuck up on me
Other hikers there: Greenhorn, Footzilla, Red, and Tasty
Most of them started in march
Greenhorn was going South too, nice maybe I’ll have a companion
Pics
Then tortilla granola
Footzilla explained “Tat Tuam Asi” a quote by Alan watts, Sanskrit = You’re it
I like
Crossed into Canada for momentary rebellion
Left 11:10am
6 miles back to lake, then 24 back to Harts Pass
“If it’s been with love, all things that you’ve done, then you did all you can do” - perpetual groove
I came for the nature,
And fell in love with humanity
But when I saw people the least
Is when I found peace
And decided to believe in myself
“Just because you’ve reached the destination, doesn’t mean the journey is over”
Back to tent around 1:30pm
Still cold
Lunch and hot cocoa / mountain mocha
Red came and hung out, gave her some hot cocoa
Almost went swimming (Northern most Lake in the 48) with Footzilla but too cold out
Left 3:05pm
24 miles to Harts pass, will see how far I can get
Chatted with Mystic Ranger and Road Rash
Z stix baton toy
Reached Woody Pass around 5pm
Snickers
Keep moving
Dinner 6:30pm
Night hike gear
Left 7:30pm
Goal is 6 miles
The cold air made the switchbacks easier
I could see my breath in front of me
If I stopped, the steam from my body would rise and fog my glasses
I whistled on occasion to alert any animals
I figure they would only attack if I startled them so best to give them a heads up
Or at the very least, they would turn to see to noise and I’d be able to see their eyes lit up by my headlamp
Made it to Jim’s Pass camp around 9:45pm
Set up camp and ate a protein bar
Bed around 10:30pm
Very cold out
Day 139 - 9/22/25 - Places to Be
Distance: 22.4
Mile Start / End: 23.7 - 46.1
Weather: Sunny, cold, and clear
End Location: Camp by creek
Lessons Learned:
Woke up 6:30am
Frost on tent and on the ground
Let’s get moving
8 miles to harts pass
Mt Ballard and Mt Baker in distance, glaciated
Nice hiking
Hiker named History was having a tough time with the mental
Gave him the journey destination quote I thought of yesterday
World Class Trail Magic
Dope dude, returned his trail magic with some trail magic (gifted him a joint)
Left 1:15pm
Started my SOBO journey
Tame Impala’s “Feel like backwards” played
What are the odds😅😂
Felt good to be going the other way and on my own journey
2pm changed out of tights and changed socks
Passed Mountain Lion, the 10 year old on trail who’s already completely the AT, and her dad
Passed Tatie Peak, high point, 3pm
Piss-quarasque
Cheeze it break
Glacier Pass in 5 miles, water in 7.5 miles
Saw Cheech!!!! Gave her nice hug :)
She’s built af now
She said she hasn’t showered in a month😂
Gave her some trail magic
Up
Break at the top of Glacier Pass
Smoked salmon, apple, last of cheese its
Bandit!
He’s hiking with new companion Savage now
Goes by Sage Bandit now hahaha
He said it was a long story, didn’t get into it😅
Down
This pass is insane
Matt from Deep Creek! He didn’t remember me
Going SOBO was such a good idea, really nice seeing everyone from the journey :)
Back in the woods
Reached Glacier Pass 5:35pm
DoorDash, same shirt and “can”-dolier with beer cans for the terminus dope dude
$3 stick
I remember when sticks used to be free
Stickflation smh
I understand why people were grumpy now… this pass was brutal going down, overgrown and steep, going up would sour my attitude too😂
Holloway Mountain at sunset
Made it to river 8:30pm
Set up camp and made dinner
Bed around 10pm
Day 140 - 9/23/25 - Rainy Pass and Lion’s Den
Distance: 15.5 miles
Mile Start / End: 46.1 - 61.2
Weather: Sunny, cold
End Location: Lion’s Den
Lessons Learned:
Woke up 7am
Felt good to sleep in
Think that’s the beta: night hike every other night
Coffee and iced honeybun
Packed up, left just before 8am
5.5 miles up 1500ft Methow Pass
Should reach the top around 10am
Mushrooms everywhere!
Bear tooth fungus! An edible cousin of Lion’s Mane (but grows on conifers rather than oaks)
Collected a bit but was bugged out
Another Bear tooth high up and out of reach, sad…
Looked like it was in good shape too
Listened to my “Knews” playlist in order
“In order to give love, you must first have love”
Ate second and last honeybun around 9am
Met Jalapeño
Told him my plan and how everyone looks at me confused as I pass them going SOBO
Called me NOBO SOBO Smurf, we laughed
Mount Hardy gave me a hardy (kidding)
Top of pass around 9:50am
Beautiful golden larches, not Golden Arches but I’m still lovin it
Took off shirt to dry in sun
Sat in shade and made hot Oatmeal with rest of coffee
Left 10:15am
10.5 miles to Rainy Pass
Tower Mountain zazaaaa
I want to climb them all
Insane hiking
No fall zone = no phone
One mistep could be deadly
Tower Mountain looks nuts from the South, sheer black granite wall to the summit
These mountains are so of the coolest I’ve ever seen holy shit
Weird interaction with hiker named Duke
Top of granite pass 12:15pm
Long uphill marches
Lead to yellow larches,
And granite spires
Tempt desires
While burgundy leaves
Under evergreen trees
Color the path below;
As the peaks show
Hazy in smoke,
Red tails fly
Silently through the sky
6.5 miles to Highway
Cutthroat Pass, jaw dropping beauty
Stopped and finished granola
“Staring at the Sun” by wooden ships
Red tail hawks (or falcons) flew silently with the wind
One of the most amazing views I’ve ever seen
Venom and Luna!
Woodstock!
Bug!
Had nice chat with her, she felt conflicted about finishing her triple crown journey
Gave her lil gift
I hope I see her again
Maybe we could go get ramen together
And I’ll bring the instant mash potatoes
Made it to the Rainy Pass trailhead around 3:30pm
Saw Rabbit and a dude giving out trail magic
Caught a ride back to Mazama with some nice older ladies I passed on trail
She retired and moved to Mazama, loves it here
They dropped me off at the store
Picked up my resupply package at the Mountain Goat and then hit the grocery store for some pastries and provisions
Walked back to Lion’s Den and set up camp
Chatted with the Lion
Nice lady who hiked the trail a few years ago
Provides everything for free for the first night: laundry, shower, and dinner
Set up tent
Then showered and got laundry ready
The Mayor, gal hiker who did WA SOBO this year, helped out and made the dinner - BBQ chicken in crockpot
Hung with some other hikers, Self Made, Granny Gear, and Pyscho (Japanese hiker)
Ate dinner with everyone
Hung out by the propane fueled fire
Exchanged stories and drank some sparkling water
Watched episode of Geordie Shore
Went to bed around 11pm
