August 8-13, days 131-136
PCT kilometer: 3,968; kilometers hiked: 2253
Distance to Northern Terminus (Canadian border): 303 km
Arrived at Stevens past yesterday evening, August 12, at 11 pm. We're staying at Mountaineer Stevens Lodge, where we were – incredible! – offered a midnight meal by hosts Annette and her husband Pat, a giant measuring over 6 ft 10 in, who suddenly towered over us. The PCT app had informed us they're staffed 24/7, for which reason we decided to try to reach Stevens Pass even if it meant arriving in darkness. Because of construction sites at the ski resort, the way to Stevens Lodge wasn't easy to reach. Description below; see photos.
They only opened for the season last Friday (August 8). This is their third summer running the lodge for hikers, which season runs through the last weekend in September. From October/November, the Mountaineer Stevens Lodge is the domain of skiers and snowboarders. We heartily recommend the lodge: good food, with salad and fruit, very nice people, and hikers are very welcome – even when they turn up at night. The doors are always open.
Turned out to be a long night, once again: on the eve of August 12, Dan and DJ – along with Dan's brother Ricky – turned up. Another interview followed, precipitated by Dan's description of Olli as an Adonis, after having seen him the day before in a close-fitting black Speedo while swimming at Sheep Lake ...
(Note from the translator – sorry, can't resist; it's late, and I've had 2 glasses of sangria: Well, Dan, after perusing these pics, I can certainly understand why Olli-in-Speedo might be mistaken for Adonis... Ahem. ;-) For that matter, Sabine's transformation to Venus-on-the-halfshell is unmistakeable. Were it possible to emulate the body-carving effects of hiking a few sections of the PCT myself, I might be tempted ... But DANG, those hordes of demonic mosquitos ... NOT.)
Back to Snoqualmie Pass. Despite our best intentions, we didn't hike out as planned. First we sat under the food truck’s open marquee, where we'd slept earlier, and were blogging, selecting photos, taking care of banking matters, and communicating with family and friends when Claire from Alaska turned up. She's with the Air Force. We met her in California during our first week hiking, shot a lot of footage of her in Julian, then never saw her again. Claire loves her country, she told us at a crossroads in Julian. Claire was fast, pretty damn fast. During the four days coming up to Snoqualmie Pass, her daily mileage was 43! – i.e., 69 km – she wanted to catch up with certain hikers. 69 km: We need two days, at best, to cover that much ground! And she was the first woman we encountered who’d done the Sierra, and would would finish in Canada – before us, of course. It was interesting to hear what she had to say ... Her personal taximeter of joy:
1. You hike, it’s enjoyable at the moment – and when you look back on it.
2. You hike, it's not enjoyable at the moment, but afterward, looking back on it – you'll be proud of yourself for achieving this goal.
3. You hike, it's not enjoyable at the moment, nor even when you look back on it.
Categorie 3, she said, was in the Sierra. Okay, got it. And we're glad we flipped to Oregon. But: we're proud of Claire!
Claire’s first words to Sabine after a warm welcoming greeing: "Are you tiny now." Claire, too, was looking rather "tiny" herself!
She soon left to check on her laundry, which was momentarily spinning in the Summit Inn’s washing machine. We in turn headed for the Pancake House, had a meal, and blogged some more. That's when Dan and DJ turned up; they were waiting for Dan's brother. They gifted us a small bottle of whisky because everyone assumed we wouldn't see each other again.
In the meantime, the skies were clouding up. We decided to stay another night. In the morning in a little café nearby, we met Kent, who went to a bible school in Friedrichshafen ... The weather began to clear up. Met Gretel and her husband, Bobby. Gretel studied German and geography in Regensburg. We talked about the PCT, tolerance, and Trump - without once mentioning the name. We were back on the trail by 2:30 pm.
A highlight right after Snoqualmie Pass: our personal half-way mark at 2,139.5 km! which we toasted with the whisky. We asked Turner, a teenager who was doing the PCT with his parents, to film us and make a photo.
Then followed a 10 km ascent, from 900 to 1600 meters, fog and drizzle. In the evening, we found a campsite at Ridge Lake.
August 9, day 132
kilometers hiked: 18
Rain in the morning; waited till it stopped. Second breakfast in the tent, slept again. Decamped at 2:30 pm. Slow going. Wonderful panoramic views. Saw groundhogs. Walked separately; Olli went ahead in the evening to find a campsite. We listen to music more and more often, even though it drains our cell phone batteries.
Sheet lightning in the evening; hopefully no rain tomorrow - predicted this weekend! Cooked supper at 11:45 pm.
August 10, day 133
kilometers hiked: 24
Rain in the morning; decamped at 12:30 pm.
Weather stayed dry; the sun even came out. Second ascent, from 1,000 to 1,700 km, spread out over 10 km. Met Dirty Hairy and Cookie Master, a couple with 3 dogs – Juno, Maple, and Cricket – from Minnesota who are hiking the Washington State part of the PCT.
Walked till 10 pm, had a wash at a small waterfall, and found a magical campsite nearby. Incredibly beautiful evening horizon and morning view. Ate and slept with the tent wings open.
August 11, day 134
kilometers hiked: 29.6 km
The morning stayed dry. Decamped at 10:30 am, had a break after 10 km, clouds alternated with sun.
Interview with Norman and Sue from Leavenworth, WA, who are hiking sections in Washington, now from Stevens Pass to Snoqualmie Pass. During the 1970s, Norman was stationed in Robinson Barracks in Stuttgart-Feuerbach as an army dentist; his wife Sue was a nurse. They continued, hiking into evening with their dog, Tucker – not before giving us a tip to buy goat cheese at The Garden in Stehekin – and to interview the barefoot owner.
Ascent from 900 to 1,700 over 10 kilometers. It started to rain, but stopped again. Met Marcus from Switzerland on the ridge. He's nearly reached his goal, without skipping the Sierra, all in 4 months – though he gave himself 5. His pride at having accomplished his goal is pleasantly palpable. Interviewing him is a joy, despite threatening weather. He's a packaging designer, has never done this kind of trail before, is married, and has two kids, 9 and 12 years old. The family accepted his solo hike; his wife will be waiting for him at the finish. How beautiful. As he continues on his way, we note the back of his backpack sports a big red Swiss cross on a white background. We only have enough time for a short meal – besides, it's cold.
By 10 pm, we'd hiked a total of 30 km and found a campsite near Creek.
August 12, day 135
Total kilometers hiked: 32.3 km
It rained during the night. We manage to decamp at 11:15 am, albeit staying dry. More strenuous ascents and descents, but the weather’s perfect for hiking. We're determined to reach Stevens Pass today, which means covering 32 km.
Toward evening, as described above, at a campsite we met Dan and DJ, who are hiking the section with Dan’s brother Ricky. Ricky quits at Stevens Pass; possibly DJ, too, because she's got foot troubles.
Summing up: The 5 days and 115 km to Stevens Pass were rainy, especially at night, which was fortunate, so we hardly had to hike in the rain. Very strenuous with respect to the elevation profile. Up and down, up and down ... We enjoyed many beautiful panoramic views, a plethora of flowers, and saw countless fungi in all kinds of interesting shapes, and also met a lot of cool people.
On the God of Snow, ULLR (pronounced Ullar)
Quiet day at the Mountaineer Stevens Lodge. Pam, a biology teacher, assists Annette as host because Pat needed to return to Seattle. Pam found out about the job through the Pacific Northwest Outdoor Women’s website; it was her first day. There were traces of ULLR, the god of snow, everywhere. In the common room, the bathroom ... Supplications begging for snow abounded ... We interviewed Pippi Longhair, 22; met Femke from the Netherlands again (whom we'd last seen in Hiker Heaven in Agua Dulce, CA; her trail name is now Sassy Pants). She'd hiked with Papa for a while, was now en route with Chocolate (from Switzerland) and Pippi. Sabine got to try out her Dutch. Met Stefan and Marion from the Mannheim area; they go by the names Steve und Mary to make it easier on the Americans. They conveyed DD’s greetings and regrets at having missed the opportunity for an interview. (Thanks, DD!) Did a great interview, after resupplying in the rather ill stocked and expensive bistro shop in the center (Granite Peak Lodge) below (Poptart: $2.50; trailmix: $7.50; one (1!) bagel:$3.85 ...) and were happy with everything we found in two hiker boxes. Picked up our package with socks at the PO. The package containing Olli’s new Altra shoes couldn't be found. We had to wait till the center closed; then the package turned up someplace else: Altra hadn't written Olli's name on it...
Did laundry (by hand on a wash board, with a bucket and plunger for pulse-washing), dried our clothes in the warm drying room, recharged our devices, in hopes of setting off by evening. But it looks like we'll be here another night: from her cousin Ralf, Sabine received the sad news that her Aunt Christa (her mom's younger sister) died in Berlin at age 81 (Sabine’s mom passed away two years ago this month). We'd sent Christa a letter and voice mail for her birthday in July. Sabine had last visited her in February, as was her habit whenever she was in Berlin. For Sabine, there was no better place to receive such news than in the comforting protection of Mountaineer Stevens Lodge at the forest's edge, surrounded by gently compassionate hosts.
Sabine fondly remembers the countless merry days with Christa, sharing sparkling wine, egg liquor, and cake in her little apartment on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. We lovingly include Christa in our thoughts. The PCT offers plenty of space to do so...
Next up: a long section – over 175 km – to Stehekin, where we plan to stay two nights and eat goat cheese ...
Our visual highlights: Link