July 31-August 6, days 123-129
PCT km: 3,852; kilometers hiked: 2,137 - nearly at our personal midpoint (another 2.5 km to go)
Often things turn out differently than expected. We'd planned to leave White Pass on July 30 in the early evening – but were prevented by – you guessed it – another encounter. All day long, hikers whom we had interviewed in the past kept entering the café. Between Cokes, coffee, fast food, bananas, blogging, and resupplying, we ended up filming a number of sequels with hikers we’d interviewed before.
On Gregory Peck, Charlton Heston, and nonviolence - encounters are wonderful, but exhausting
There was Laura (graphic artist from Portland, whom we’d met at a Trail Magic on the way to Trout Lake), whom we had overtaken; Dan and DJ, whom we had also overtaken and who’d nicknamed us “The Night Owls” because we occasionally hiked well past dark. Doc and Hex – whom we believed to be way ahead of us – also turned up. There was Pick of the litter (the best one in a group) and Andale! (Trail name) from Taiwan. New acquaintances included Isabel, from near Hamburg, who's been vegan for a while. We've long wanted to know how vegans cope with the meat- and egg-based food offered at the resupply stations ... The café closed at 6 pm.
After having two huge pieces of cake, yoghurt, and sodas outside in the evening sun, we said goodbye to Laura and Isabel, and wrote two postcards to our families (the salesperson promised to take them out from under the café doormat and bring them to the PO next morning). At that point, we were approached by Kim, a Canadian working as an environmental philosophy professor in Texas, who’s hiking the PCT in sections and happened to be hiking in Washington at that point. She’d planned to hike to Snoqualmie Pass, but was also missing her year-old child and wanted to relieve her husband. She was renting a room at the Village Inn in order to make her decision in peace and quiet. A very interesting conversation about nature and the role of humankind’s role therein ensued. Unfortunately, Kim didn't want to be filmed. She told us her students come to her lectures with guns. In Texas, guns are permitted everywhere except in churches and football stadiums. At this point, we recommended “The Big Country” (USA, 1958), one of our favorite movies by one of our favorite directors, William Wyler. With Gregory Peck (as protagonist James McKay, who rejects violence and stands for peaceful conflict resolution, who travels from the east coast to Texas to marry is fiancée) and Charlton Heston (as Steve Leech) as McKay’s antagonist and rival, the movie revolves around the issue of nonviolence and the question of what a "real" man is. An epic Western that grapples with this terrific theme, with an incredible score by Jerome Moross. And is generally known, in real life Charlton Heston was president of the National Rifle Association. Originally founded in 1871 for sport shooting and firearms training, the NRA increasingly became a weapons lobby in the 1970s. A must-see movie!
DD from Dresden and 2000 Kilometer
Just as we were about to head out again, DD from Dresden popped in. He'd done 40 miles that day, his feet hurt, and he was tired. He was the first hiker we personally met who hiked the trail northbound from Campo to here this year, i.e., including the Sierra, despite 2019 being a high snow year.
He had lots of interesting things to say and we agreed to shoot an interview with him next day when he passed us on the trail. We'd already filmed most of White Pass and the area around the gas station. What with blogging and all the rest, it had gotten so late that we didn't feel like going further than the trail head, crashing in the bushes, and setting off early the next morning.
On July 31 we did in fact leave White Pass at 7:15 am, heading for Snoqualmie Pass, which we hoped to reach in 5 days (158 km). On the first day, we celebrated a milestone: 2,000 kilometers! with a beer we'd been given by brewmaster Nat from the Village Inn in White Pass. At our lunch-time break, we met up with Dan and DJ again. With a bunch of Usnea, a greenish lichen that hangs down from the trees and goes by the name "tree beard" in German, we formed the number 2000 on the ground (you've seen this on some of our photos). Usnea can be used for all kinds of things including as a pot scrubber, as kindling, and according to Rebecca – whom we initially met at Olallie Lake with Symbria – also as a tampon! And now, as a signpost. DJ took a picture of us. At the end of the day, we'd covered 38 km, a stretch we’d topped with our 40 km on May 21 in California in order to reach Hikertown in time to celebrate Olli’s birthday. In the darkness, we pitched our tent near a small lake. DD hadn’t passed us yet! What was up?
In the morning, a Swiss couple passed by our tent around 8:30 just as we were breakfasting. They passed on DD's kind regards: he’d camped near the couple about 4-5 miles from our spot the night before, decamping at about 5 am and passing our tent around 6 am. Probably had scruples about waking us. A pity! For a good interview, we would have accepted the early wake-up call. But, DD: we'll come visit you in Dresden!
After rain comes sunshine - Moneymaker
Next day (August 1) we hiked through Mount Rainier National Park, which afforded us terrific views of majestic Mount Rainier, Washington’s highest mountain (4,392 m). It was hot, and twice we couldn't resist a dip in the idyllic lakes. A welcome cooling, as we had quite a bit of altitude to cope with. There were hardly any mosquitos. By midday we crossed Chinook Pass, a popular spot for day hikers. We encountered a lot of them, including families with their kids and dogs. At the parking lot, we hoped to dispose of our trash - and indeed, we found a trash can in one of the four latrines! What a gift, being able to unload our trash, which adds up en route. On the following ascent, the going was much easier as a result ;-).
In the evening, Olli hiked on ahead to find a campsite while it was still light. Just before dark, he found a lovely, but fairly dusty, spot in the middle of a burned forest (of which there are unfortunately many in Washington, as was the case in Oregon) Sabine reached the spot about half an hour later, pleased to find the tent already pitched. As usual, she’d taken a lot of photos along the way, captivated by the fungi – gigantic specimens – and the frogs. Olli, too, had made quite a few amazing photos.
On the morning of August 2, we were greeted by dark clouds. The weather had turned during the night. It was foggy and misty, the hills curtained in low-lying clouds. A gloomy but incredible atmosphere! Here we encountered Moneymaker again, traveling southbound on his way to Cascade Locks. In the next blog you'll find out why and for what he makes money!
Fortunately, it stayed dry for a good while. But lunch was a wet affair; from then on, it rained and we were forced to continue in full rain gear – a rather cold, wet, and muddy business! In the afternoon, the rain stopped, though threatening clouds remained. We met siblings Ellie and Dane at a log cabin, where they'd planned to spend the night and dry their wet things over a campfire. They told us they were hiking from Elk Lake, OR, to Snoqualmie Pass, WA. Ellie was 18 years old; her birthday was next day. Dane was only 17. When they arrive at Snoqualmie Pass, they will have been hiking for 4 weeks straight. They were enthusiastic about the wilderness. We warmed up in the cabin for a bit, before continuing for another 2 hours.
On parents and farewells
August 3 dawned blue and sunny – a quick transformation, apparently typical of Washington. In the evening we met up with Ellie and Dane again at a campsite. And their parents were camping in a second tent?! They'd come from San Francisco as a surprise, to help Ellie and Dane celebrate the birthday and hike the final 22 miles together. Dane, the brother, was privy to the surprise, of course. Disguised as trail magic on a dirt road, the parents came around the corner with nectarines and cherries. They invited us to share an Uber next day at Snoqualmie Pass, in order to drive to Seattle, where the grandparents lived. A special surprise for us was Ashley, who – out of breath – came running up to Sabine. She’d recognized us – we’d met in Warner Springs months ago. She'd been off the trail for a while because of bronchitis and altitude sickness (Sierra). Now she was back on the trail, southbound. It was a warm farewell, likely the last time we meet. This, too, is the PCT: farewells.
Finally there! But no postal package! - Trish!!!
Since we wanted to reach Snoqualmie Pass next day as early as possible, we continued, well past dark, covering over 32 km before cowboy camping in the woods. Had a very pleasant, dry night between trees (beside or in meadows, too much moisture usually collects on sleeping bags or tent).
On August 4 we indeed managed to decamp by 6:30 am. Our record! The 29-km trail stretch was long, stony, difficult, and exhausting. Our feet hurt. But by 4 pm we finally had a view of Snoqualmie Pass from above, which is located on Interstate 90, the USA’s longest highway (over 3,000 miles). The last meters took us under ski lifts. Gas station, grocery, brewery, food truck, the Summit Inn, a kind of hostel owned by the Washington Alpine Club, lofts, the Forest Information Center, and even the Washington Ski- and Snowboard Museum were located at an exit.
We needed to pick up our postal package at the gas station (additional waterproof cases for SD card). However, the package initially couldn't be found, although it had been delivered, according to the logbook. The cashier, Trish, a good-looking gal in her prime, found out the package was in her boss’s office: apparently we owed a shipping charge because we’d had it forwarded from Trout Lake to Snoqualmie Pass – we'd reached Trout Lake faster than the package had :-). So we got to talking; we explained we disliked being dependent on opening hours and because we'd planned to spend the next two days in Seattle, we needed the contents of the package. (Wir wanted to organize our SD card copies.) "We’ll find a solution for this problem." She offered to deliver the package to us next day in Seattle in our motel. An hour’s drive, or longer, depending on traffic! We’d booked two nights in a room at La Hacienda Inn in Stadtteil in the Georgetown neighborhood, bordering on the industrial zone, but still close to downtown. At $100 a night, that was cheaper than being in downtown, with prices at $250 a night. Trish lives in Snoqualmie Pass, but often drives into Seattle to go to the gym and roller blade (on a parking deck). Sabine asked if today ... And so it was that Trish drove us to our hotel that night, then planned a late-night visit to the gym.
We'd been in contact via text messaging with Ellie and Dane: the closer we came to Snoqualmie Pass, the more often we had phone service. We let them know we had a ride to Seattle at around 7:30 pm. They'd planned to arrive at 6:30 pm, the parents half an hour later, after which they planned to go out for a meal. We thanked them for their offer of sharing an Uber. Unfortunately, we weren't able to say goodbye. But we're going to take a look at Ellies documentary short on her high school’s YouTube channel, a project she did through a two-year Academy of Integrated Humanities and New Media program. She hopes film will play a role in her future career.
We got some food at a food truck and ate outside in the adjacent marquee. Met up with Andale! from Taiwan again, along with Doc and Hex. There wasn't much in the hiker box. But in the trail register - where you can note the date, your trail name, where you're from, etc. – we read DD on August 3. We arrived on the 4th, only a day later than DD? We then went to the hiker box at the Summit Inn and Olli indeed found a pair of shoes that will hopefully carry him to Stevens Pass, where his new Altras will be waiting for him. Then we headed for the brewery, where we each tried a local beer and Olli had another bite at the food stand ;-). Then Trish sent us a message saying she was ready to roll.
The car drive was very funny. Trish jumped from one topic to another. She had cancer at a very young age, and now enjoys life to the fullest. Wow! This gal exudes incredible power.
Sayings you won't forget
In a trail register by the wayside (usually they're in a protective wooden box or tin can), I recently read this: "Live life like someone left a gate open." Another saying that impressed us was this: "Comparison is the thief of joy" - how true, how true, usually – but the comparison with DD spurred us on, and made us feel proud of ourselves ... But, the bottom line is: our pace is what it is; blogging and shooting cost us hiking days. Without the longer and thus more intensive encounters, we probably wouldn't enjoy the trail as much. Or maybe differently.
Seattle is noisy, but beautiful
The day and a half in Seattle were very relaxing. Seattle is surrounded by water, a fascinating city. But lots of construction sites, traffic, and tourists make it noisy. Dan and DJ had given us a number of tips, which we gratefully followed. Since they reside in Seattle, they knew where to find great eats and drinks, including the 5 Point Cafe. Besides sightseeing, our schedule included resupplying, which we did in a private deli market run by Cindy near our hotel. Her store was well stocked; obviously, she takes great pains to be close to her customers’ needs. She told us she goes grocery shopping almost daily. We spent $100 on supplies for the next leg of the trail to Stevens Pass. Cindy gifted us bread, bagels, and provolone, which she uses for sandwiches and doesn't sell in great quantities.
As promised, Trish dropped off our package at the hotel reception a day later. Our multiplying SD card copies are now safely stowed in both our backpacks.
We spent the evening downtown – we were really craving seafood. We chose Elliott's Oyster House, located directly on the waterfront. Afterwards, we went to Target to buy a few items we hadn't been able to purchase in Georgetown during the day. Coincidentally, right in front of us at the cashier’s were two girls from Stuttgart and Böblingen, Hanna and Jasmin, who were traveling the US. Small world! Uber driver Morgan took us back to the motel. He told us Seattle has a big problem with homeless people. He himself says he's homeless, residing in a well-appointed tent camp for $30 a month. Here, people who can't afford the high rents in Seattle (because of corporations like Google, T-Mobile, Amazon, et al.) live in a kind of commune. Morgan earns a bit of extra money as an Uber driver at night. He told us he’ll soon face a problem because his car, a present from his uncle, is now 9 1/2 years old and Uber stipulates a maximum of 10 years. But Morgan is a creative guy; he'll figure out something.
Where does the tongue go?
We had a special nocturnal encounter with two of the motel employees. We had a (no kidding) 5-hour conversation that night with Phil (42), who originally hails from Kenya, but who’s lived in the States for 27 years, and his colleague (33), who arrived a year ago from India. We recorded the entire night-time conversation – even using both cameras at times. It just happened that way, easily and casually. Sam is married to a Brazilian woman, Phil has a girlfriend. Neither have children yet. We talked about cultural differences and how they affect our lives. About diverse lifestyles – what's important, money, security, material possessions, education, personal development, freedom? And about the agility of tongues! Sam claimed the Indian tongue can pronounce anything because it’s so agile, giving us a demonstration of the various ways of pronouncing "d" in his language. Sabine attempted the tongue-twisting sounds. Where does the tongue go on the palate in order to make the word sound correct? See the little sketch on a yellow Post-It. As if to sum up at the end of the conversation, Sam asked: "Which goal in life do you have?" Each of us answered, Sam at the end. Stay tuned for the answers - in our documentary! Only this much: Sam hopes that by the time he reaches 40-45, he hopes energy, money, and time will converge. After all, when you're young, you have energy and time, but no money. When you're middle aged, you usually still have energy and money, but no time. And when you're old, you usually have money, but neither energy nor time. Check out little sketch on the second yellow Post-It in our photos: T stands for time, M for money, and A - actually meant to be E - for energy.
Since Sam is 33, he still has 7-12 years to reach his goal. He has two jobs, works 16 hours, and saves considerably in order to have enough money to open a business he describes as a hen, which will then "lay eggs" for him, i.e. earn money. In India, he bred dogs. Our dialogue was funny and serious and unbelievably funny. Sam expressed amazement that such a long conversation wasn’t boring for an instant. We are happy to have met such wonderful people! At 4:30 am, Olli finally went to bed and crashed. Sabine followed at 5:15 am. An hour later, i.e. noon, we had to check out. Our PCT is exhausting in every respect! Next evening at 6:30 pm, our agreed upon time, Sam drove us back to Snoqualmie Pass, for which we were pleased to pay him, in consideration of his goal. After Sam drove off, we heard guitar music coming from the food truck’s marquee. Sat down at a beer table with the intention of writing this blog entry, listening to the music, and drinking the remains of our red wine. Trish came too, after treating us to some food. One of the musicians (the food truck chef) told us hikers could spend the night in here beneath the marquee for free. So we decided to stay. After everyone left, we spread our mats out and spent a rather pleasant night directly at the "rest stop."
Now we face one of the most arduous legs of the PCT: Stevens Pass, with extreme ascents and descents. We hope to cover the 115 km in max. 5 days. Says Dan: "The higher the climb, the better the views."
Just received a text message from Dan and DJ: they spent their zero day in Snoqualmie Pass and are interested in hearing about the adventures of King Olli and Queen Sabine of House Night Owl. So, Sabine has entered queenhood ...
Here's the link (please scroll down) to the photos