Brrr...it was a cold night. I have added a silk liner to my sleeping system and it seems to work pretty good. The alarm went off at 5:30 AM and I really had to...well...go, so I quickly just put my shoes on and exited the tent. No wonder it felt cold out...there was snow on the ground. With the snow and the cold and the wet tents, it took a while to get ready. Even though we woke at 5:30 AM, we weren't ready to hike till 7:36 AM. 
Oh yeah, after I finished blogging last night Sunshine and Politics showed up. We were so happy that Sunshine caught up to us. We have been trying to hike with her for a very long time. Even though she wasn't quite ready to hike when we were, she came and took the picture with us.

This was the view from our tentsite as the sun came up:

As soon as we dropped like 100 feet the snow was gone and the ground was clear. We slept right at the snow line...lucky us!

There was a very nice bridge to cross White Chuck River:

There is "white" in the name of the creek because the water is white due to glacial silt mixed in with it:

The beginning of the day the hike was beautiful going through a forest covered in moss.

This PCT sign points out that we crossed Red Pass yesterday and we have to cross Fire Creek Paas today.

Check out this tree that is growing on top of a rock:

Then we started climbing up Fire Creek Pass that tops off at 6,342 feet. It started snowing and soon as we started climbing:

The snow continued all the way up the pass and even started accumulating some. It was s little scary knowing that the snow was getting worse yet we kept climbing higher and higher. Plus, on top of the snow, this section of the trail is very poorly maintained with many trees down across the trail and bushes/trees growing over the trail. Between the snow and the fallen trees and the huge climb, than section is very challenging.

I finally made it to the top of the pass while it was still lightly snowing:

I tried waiting for Sunshine and Brad, but I got cold so I continued down. It looked like the sky was trying to break up a bit, but there were lower clouds moving in at the same time:

I assume the scenery here would be spectacular if it wasn't for the weather.

After the climb up the pass the trial dove down 3,700 feet to our planned campsite. When we got here there were already three tents pitched. Brad and I had to squeeze our tents into a very small space. As a matter of fact, our alcoves are inside each other's tent, but it seems to work ok. 

All in all today's hike was very difficult. In the 17.70 miles we hiked today we climbed 5,396 feet and went down 6,780 feet. Plus, the downed trees made for an obstacle course all day with some being very challenging. Plus, the snow made our feet and hands wet and cold which couldn't be fixed until getting into our tents. 

I guess I should have mentioned that during today's hike we saw four other hikers plus Sunshine and Politics. We seem to have landed in some sort of thru-hiker bubble here. 
Well, the day totally exhausted me. I have been having a hard time getting this blog done tonight, but I actually made it. Tomorrow's hike should be similar to today's, so I'm hoping for a good night sleep. Until tomorrow... 

I am now in a much better mood than I was coming down the North Fork Sauk Trail on Friday. This is because as we were coming down I wasn't too sure if I would be headed back on trail or if that was the end of my thru-hike. Obviously it wasn't the end and Brad and I are back, so I am now taking photographs of this incredibly beautiful trail starting with the trailhead sign.

This trail is covered with different mushrooms, so I took the time to take photos of some cool ones. Also, the moss covering trees, rocks, and the side of the trail was so beautiful.

The shelter marks the end of the pleasant part of the hike. It is now time to climb 3,000 feet in 3 miles...seriously steep trail!

My goal was to make the 3 miles in 1.5 hours. It will be hard, but I'll give  it my best. Here are my time hacks:

• 1:50 PM at 2,894 feet
• 2:20 PM at 3,991 feet
• 2:50 PM at 4,880 feet
• 3:20 PM at 5,655 feet
• 3:30 PM at 5,926 feet

​Just missed my goal by 10 minutes, but I was pretty happy. It was a hard climb, but I am back on the PCT to hopefully complete this thru-hike. It has been just short of 48 hours since we left the trail and now I am back. To make things even better, check out the blue skies that greeted me at the top!

I could actually see around me, unlike on Friday when we were socked in with snow and clouds.

I just had to retake the 2,500 photo, but this time the numbers are written in dirt instead of snow.

Unfortunately the climb didn't end when we got back to the PCT. We still had 651 feet to climb, but then we go down to where our planned campsite is. 

We couldn't get enough of the awesome views around us.

The weather report looks promising.  We will probably be able to get back on the trail tomorrow, but first, we went to REI to buy some new gear to make it more comfortable to hike in the colder, snowier weather.

I bought heavier gloves and ear warmers.  Brad on the other had bought heavier gloves, gigantic boots, and heavy waterproof gaiters.  Uh...

After REI we went for some Dim Sum and headed back to the hotel.  We studied the weather and determined that we will get back on trail tomorrow morning.  I am happy and scared, but as long as we stick together all we be fine.

It rained all night, but I slept well. When I heard the rain I thought I should do some inventory to assure that the tent was staying dry, but I felt warm and dry so didn't bother. When we woke it we still raining but everything in my tent seemed dry. Share Bear on the other hand had a terrible night trying to keep a river dammed in her tent and Free Lunch was up trying to keep his tent from blowing over. What?!?  The weather  was that bad?  I didn't notice any of it...well, except for the rain...and I slept very well. 

I got dressed quickly because I had to use the toilet...yes, there is a toilet nearby. When I walked to it I noticed snow on the grassy areas....what the?!?

We packed up our stuff and lastly our soaking wet tents. Share Bear was miserable. She didn't sleep last night and her tent is wet as is one of her sleeping bags. It is 100% chance of rain tonight and she is not confident her tent will keep her dry. This is when she suggests we get off trail because of the weather. 

This getting off trail business would  never have come up if it wasn't for a statement in our PCT guidebook that there is an "escape route" coming up in 8 miles. If we pass this "escape route" then we would be committing to another 4 days on trail.  Let's hike some first before making this decision. We were ready to hike at 7:49 AM.

I thought that hiking will put everyone in a better mood, but as we climbed it got colder and colder and then there was suddenly snow on the ground and the trail. 

Needless to say, we were not too happy about the snow.

Once we saw snow we texted Tim and told him out plan and that we needed an extraction from the trail. We decided it was best for us to get off and watch the weather and then return after this system passes. 

The one good thing about the day was that the side trail we are taking to exit the PCT is right at mile 2,500!

Then we started down the North Fork Sauk Trail. 3 steep miles down to the river and then 5.5 more miles to the trailhead. It was pretty somber as we hiked away from the PCT. Were we going to return or is this the end of the trail...literally?  I didn't want to believe we were doing this. The trail was beautiful, but I didn't want to take any photographs. I didn't want to record this exit in any way.  

Just before 4:00 PM we saw this sign that made me even sadder that we were headed away from the PCT instead of towards it.

We finally made it to the North Fork Sauk trailhead where Free Lunch was waiting for us.  Tim showed up about 45 minutes later.  We drove to town and of course stopped at a pizza place for some food.  By the time we made it to the hotel, Share Bear had arranged a ride to Seattle where she will catch the morning ferry back to Vancouver Island.  WOW...is this really happening? What the heck?!?  Is this the end of our thru-hike, only 150 miles from the end?

When Share Bear left everyone was pretty down.  When Share Bear got a ride, Free Lunch got on the phone and arranged his flight back to New Jersey as well.  I can't believe this.  I know that I am not ready to give up, and Brad is with me on that.  Our plan for now is to wait and see what the weather does during the next few days.  Until then we will just have to wait and see.

The temperature last was cool, but warm enough to keep my head outside of the sleeping bag. I woke at 12:30 AM and again at 5:00 AM and slept until the alarm went off at 5:30 AM. What a great night sleep. 

I got dressed and left the tent just before 6:00 AM and Share Bear and I walked to the toilet when it started drizzling. Yes...there is one of those outside toilets here that is much better than digging a hole. I got back in the tent and ate dinner and packed up my bag inside to avoid the rain. When I had nothing left to do inside the tent I got out to unpitch my tent just as the rain stopped.  With the rain delaying all of us a bit, we weren't ready to hike until just before 7:30 AM.

It was a cloudy and drizzly morning when we hit the trail. Even though we didn't have a long view, the low clouds made for some cool scenery.

Right at 9:00 AM we came across an old PCT trail marker:

At 9:30 AM we needed to stop and take our 5 mile break, but there wasn't a great place to stop so we wound up stopping on a switchback. It wasn't the most comfortable place to stop, but it didn't matter since it started raining soon after stopping, so we quickly finished our snacks and continued on. 

At 12:30 PM it was time to stop for lunch. Again, there wasn't a great place to stop. We were hiking through a boulder field and we came across a flat rock and decided to stop there:

Of course, as soon as we got settled in and was enjoying our lunch it started raining again. So, we quickly finished up and got back on the trail. 

This was pretty much the weather pattern for the day, drizzle and then rain for a short amount of time, and then the rain would stop for a while and then start all over again.

When Share Bear and I stopped to collect water Blackout passed us. We started climbing a hill and he was halfway up stopped to eat a snack. A bit later he passed us again. This might be the last we see of him since he is trying to hike 25 miles a day and we are down to doing 20 miles a day. 

It is kind of strange that we saw Blackout and not Free Lunch today...hum. 

We made it to our planned campsite at 5:30 PM. We could hike on for 1 more mile where there is another campsite, but we decided to stay here since it wasn't raining at this time which would make it easier to pitch our tents. 

I pitched my tent, filtered water for Brad and I, and then finally got in the tent around 6:30 PM. Another night of cooking dinner in the vestibule and now lying here working on this blog. Oh...Free Lunch showed up just after I for inside my tent and he pitched his just next to me. We've been talking through the tent walls as we did last night. It is kind of funny that this is the second night in a row that we are sharing a tentsite and yet I haven't seen him...crazy. 

Tomorrow's hike should be similar to today's just a couple of miles longer. There is rain in the forecast for tonight. We are just hoping that it stops long enough in the morning so we can break camp without it raining. We are up over 5,500 feet, so I guess there could be a chance the rain turns to snow tonight...let's hope not!

OK, time for bed. Until tomorrow...

What an extremely comfortable bed last night. Even better, I didn't have to wake up to a 5:30 AM alarm although I did since I forgot to unset my watch, but I was able to fall back asleep very easily. 

I finally decided to get out of bed around 8:00 AM and baked the cinnamon rolls that Tim was smart enough to purchase. I then made breakfast for everyone, eggs & spinach on a bagel, and relaxed for a few minutes. It was now time to get my food together for the next section.

Wait...what?!?  The next section is 6.5 days?!?  That is a lot of food meaning a lot of weight. When I got all the food together It wouldn't all fit in my food bag, so I added another bag and now my tent wouldn't fit in my backpack. So, for the next few days my tent is going to ride on top of my bag until food is eaten. Oh, and the weight of my bag is probably the heaviest it has been on trail, but what can I do. We are 10 day away from Canada so I am willing to put up with anything right now. 
Anyway, we went for lunch and then headed back to the trailhead at Stevens Pass where we saw Rainbow, Blackout, and Fancy Pants. Tim was going to hike with us a bit and then he is going to take Rainbow and Fancy Pants to town. 

We were ready to hike at 1:49 PM, a bit late, but we only have 10 miles to hike today so it will be OK.

As we crossed a pedestrian bridge over Highway 2 I looked down and saw this cool sign on the highway:

Speaking of signs...I saw this sign on the bulletin board at the trailhead and had to share:

Yep...someone stole the map. 

The start of today's hike wasn't too bad, just a slight incline down which was surprising since we usually climb up from roads. During this nice stretch we entered Henry M. Jackson Wilderness.

When we hit our first climb is when we noticed the extra weight in our backpacks. The next few days are going to be tough. It is kind of crazy how after 6 months and 2,400 miles that the trail is getting harder. We are going to have to work to get to Canada. 

We took our time and made it to camp just after 6:00 PM. Shortly after our tents were up Blackout showed up and decided to camp with us. Then, after we were all in our tents and after dark, Free Lunch showed up. We haven't seen him since we dropped him off at a hotel in Bend...it was nice to see him again.  Although, I haven't seen him...I just talked to him through the tent wall. 

OK...the alarm is set for 5:30 AM, so I need to get to sleep. Until tomorrow...

Brad was hiking ahead of us, so I asked him to stop at the difficult ford in case I needed his help. 3.3 miles later we came to the ford that wound up not being too bad.  I guess that earlier in the season when the river is running faster it is more difficult.

We arrived at Deception Lake where we plan on spending the night. Check out the square-based rock in the lake. Pretty interesting. ​

Wow...it was a cold night!  We woke to everything covered with a heavy frost. Our tents were glittering under the light of our headlights.  Very pretty, but something we could have easily done without. It was very hard to get out of the sleeping bags at 5:30 AM given how cold it was, but now is the time to suck it up and just do it. We have less than 250 miles to go and we are all anxious to finish. That thought alone got us all up and going. 

However, the cold did slow us down and despite waking at 5:30 AM, we weren't ready to hike until just before 7:30 AM. 

Today's hike is a roller coaster. We head down for 5 miles, the back up for 5.5 miles, then back down 5 miles. The good news is that our planned campsite is at the bottom of the last down hill at 3,125 feet so it should be much warmer tonight. 

Check out a frozen lake we passed just out of our camp this morning...I told you it was cold.

Just before we headed down for the first time today, we had an awesome view:

There was his really cool bridge with a nice waterfall behind it on the way down the hill:

Washed-out bridges are good for something, like hanging our bladder off it to filter some water.

I came across this spiffy PCT sign today:

Now that we went down, it is time to climb back up. The only good thing about the climb is we had this great view for most of it:

We made it about halfway up the climb when we stopped for lunch. Share Bear arrived first followed by me, and then we heard Brad approaching but talking to someone. It was Jazzman, so he joined us for lunch as well. Also during lunch we got our still frozen tents out and dried them.

After that climb finally finished we had this incredible view on the way down the other side.

Just before 6:30 PM I made it to camp. It was chilly, but definitely more comfortable than last night. Hopefully we can all appreciate it and get a good night sleep because tomorrow night we will be back up over 5,000 feet...burrrr. 

Well, I am totally exhausted since it was hard to sleep in the cold last night.  Until tomorrow...

Another morning waking in a hotel room. We planned on getting up at 6:00 AM, but my alarm went off at 5:30 AM since that's what time we have been waking up. Of course my watch was across the room so I had to get up and turn it off...not cool. Finally the correct 6:00 AM alarm went off but no one wanted to move. We all went to sleep way too late last night and we could all use more sleep, but we have 15 hard miles of hiking, so let's go. 
We dressed and went downstairs for the typical hotel breakfast then hit the road for the 50 minute drive back to Snoqualmie Pass. When we got there we met Jazzman at the coffee shop and Share Bear loaded him up with ramen and bars that might last him to Canada. We then got our food together for the next 3.5 days and were ready to hike at 10:12 AM.

Today's hike is only 14.55 miles due to the later start, but will be a doozy. In the 14.55 miles we have 5,656 feet of climbing. Actually, in the next 3.5 days (71 miles) we have over 19,000 feet of climbing and over 18,000 feet of descending...quite a challenging section.

But first, before the climbing begins, we have to cross under I-90, the last interstate before Canada.

After the interstate we came to a trailhead where this sign was posted stating that this trail is "most difficult". I also like the "Snoqualmie Pass" sign below it being eaten by the tree.

At this point we entered Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area.

There is rain in the forecast for the next 4 days or so. The rain started falling today around 11:30 AM so I stopped and put on my rain gear. Not 10 minutes later the sun came back out and there was a rainbow behind the clouds:

After 6 miles of climbing we came to Kandel's Katwalk...at least that is what a local hiker told us it was called. There was a great view up there:

After the Katwalk we hiked around a bend and had an awesome view of an alpine lake:

Then the clouds started rolling in making for some spectacular scenery:

Oh...yet another milestone was hit today...2,400 miles!  Only 250 miles to go!!

Here are some more photos of the amazing clouds rolling in throughout the afternoon:

Not only was today's hike challenging because of some pretty steep climbs, the terrain was very rocky and challenging as well.

How hard was the hike today?  The last 4.84 miles took me 2.5 hours. Usually I can hike this distance in just over 1.5 hours, and at worst I should be able to hike this in under 2 hours. Yes, it was very slow going. 

I finally made it to our planned campsite at 6:30 PM and quickly setup my tent in case it started raining. For a day that it was supposed to rain all day, we got lucky and it only rained lightly on and off. Not really enough to get wet. 

While eating dinner the sky cleared and stars were visible. Maybe we will get lucky this whole stretch and the predicted rain will not fall. 

Due to the difficulty of this section, tomorrow we have around 20 miles planned. Right now I am cold and very tired due to not enough sleep last night, so I will be ending the blog now and getting to sleep. Until tomorrow...