Sometime during the night I awoke to moonlight, a welcomed blessing with a break in the clouds. This morning we had blue sky for about 30 minutes before clouds dominated the day. Tabasco and I were up at 6:30am, on trail at 7:30, and made a morning descent to Kennedy Creek, devastated by flood damage. We easily found a downed tree to cross the creek and wasted little time getting back on trail on the other side.
We crossed three more creeks, all washed out and trail missing, then got to Whitechuck River, our toughest crossing of devastated land through the entire section. We worked down a ravine to a place where we could reach the river without a vertical embankment. We found a tree we could walk on, but it was perched high over the river and our other morning experiences crossing creeks on trees taught us that the trees were very slick when wet. Tabasco began to cross and as he did, a nest of yellow jackets got disturbed and I ran backwards while he continued the precarious crossing. Any slippage off the downed tree could result in serious injury. Thankfully he made it across, but now the bees were mad and I didn’t really have any other good options for crossing the river, other than to get wet. I had been stung twice two days ago and five times before that and had no desire to get stung again, especially when crossing high above a river on a wet tree. I finally found a way to the tree that brought me within 5 feet of the nest, but the bees let me be.
I made it across, then we began a series of steep climbing switchbacks at the beginning of a 2700 foot climb. Some switchbacks were washed away, forcing us to bushwhack up very steep mountainside to get to the next switchback. We stopped at a creek part way up the climb to eat lunch. I was so hungry I was feeling weak and needed replenishment for the climb. We attempted drying out wet tents and sleeping bags from last night’s 100% humidity, but only got two or three minutes of sun poking through clouds. Some drying occurred, but after more than an hour, we gave up and packed up to resume the climb.
Once we broke out of forest, the hiking up the last 1500 feet of elevation gain to Red Pass, was spectacular. We were in a large scooped out glacial bowl with steep ridges all around. The clouds lifted briefly, enough that we could see some of Glacier Peak’s glaciers and brilliant white snow through holes in the clouds.
Once over the pass we entered a new side of the ridge, with all new views of high meadows, deep canyons below, and more rugged peaks all around us. The only creatures we saw and heard were the marmots, whistling their shrill warning notes that we were approaching. Late in the afternoon we reached Indian Pass, ending our 45 mile hike on PCT officially closed and detoured. I will never forget our three days of solitude with no one else around and our adventures bushwhacking, fording devastated rivers, climbing straight up and descending straight down where trail sections were literally gone, and the breathtaking beauty of the Glacier Peak Wilderness.
We left that wilderness and entered a new wilderness, and stopped hiking around 6:15pm to camp at Lake Sally Ann, a small glacially formed lake, with no ripples, just a glasslike surface. I was cold this afternoon, especially my hands, and I fumbled getting camp set up with numb fingers. After dinner I retreated to the tent to journal, which I’m doing now. Oh, forgot, I did get stung again as we bushwhacked after the last river crossing. Tabasco never gets stung since he usually hikes in front, stirring up the nest so I get the wrath of the yellow jackets.
We passed a deer hunter around 5:30pm, the first and only human seen in three days. A large animal passed near my tent as I was writing a moment ago, so I stopped journaling to bring my pack, poles and all other gear inside, so the salt lickers will leave me alone. Thank goodness there was no rain today, which would have made it difficult. We were both tired from yesterdays hiking and very exposed today to the elements. We have 28 miles left to Steven’s Pass, where we will hitch to Skykomish; don’t think we’ll make it tomorrow as the terrain has just been too difficult to do big miles and my feet (heels) still are chewed up and Tabasco has some tendon problems in his left foot. Also, it’s cold and we’re in clouds, so 100% humidity meaning cold, wet gear tomorrow morning, which slows us getting up and out of camp. Today’s weather: cloudy, low 33, high 58. Today’s miles: 21.1. cumulative miles 1473.6.
