Tuesday September 24, 23.1mi/37.2km

Heavenly’s Galaxy Ski Lift (108.5/8087ft) to Vista over Spooner Summit (129.2/7579ft) (NV) +1.4 food +1.0 water

The morning wasn’t cold, surprisingly.

I had a later start, since I slept so well in that campsite. I packed up and said goodbye to the ski lift. The trail markers were in some surprising places today, mostly embedded in huge rocks.

After an hour, I split off from the trail to go get some more food. A 0.7 mile detour led me to a convenience store, where I restocked my food bag for the final three days of this hike.

And then I hit the BBQ restaurant next door, Fox and Hounds, for a huge breakfast burrito.

I was back on trail by 10:30am, and it was nice and warm. Some of the trail junctions are definitely good reminders that I’m in Nevada now – lucky 7’s!

I walked most of the afternoon on a winding ridge top trail, with frequent views of the lake.

This section of trail is extremely dry, so I was carrying two liters of water, which I almost never do. But I could see billions (trillions?) of gallons of water below me!

Of course, there were more random boulders today too.

I had a nice break at the top of the ridge, at a spot where someone donated a bench.

After eating an entire bag of M&Ms, I strolled downhill for 5mi/8km to Hwy50 and Spooner Summit.

There was no water on the trail, so I took a half mile detour to Spooner Lake to refill. I decided that I wasnt carrying extra water for dinner up the hill, so I made my pasta by the lake.

I ate quickly, as it was already 6pm, and I wanted to go two more miles to a camp spot. I made it just after sunset!

Monday September 23, 23.2mi/37.3km

Luther Pass Campground CA (87.3/7290ft) to Heavenly’s Galaxy Ski Lift NV (108.5/8087ft)

It was a warm night in the campground, and I had a relaxing breakfast, taking advantage of the amenities of picnic tables and privies.

It was another nice sunny day, though today was a bit more windy. I strolled along all morning thru alpine forests and meadows, and let my mind wander. I came to a junction, and while I really wanted to find out what “Mr Toads” is, I continued on the TRT.

Someone had fun with stickers at this junction too.

I crossed Freel Meadows, and then the wind really increased.

As I walked the ridge lines, it was fun to watch the clouds interact with the mountains.

A view of Lake Tahoe to the north:

And then, right when I was thinking about lunch, I found juniper trees! I love juniper trees.

They were like sentinels guarding the trail.

I ate lunch, saw my first hikers of the day, and then continued up to the junction with Freel Peak.

It’s only a mile side trip, and it’s the highest peak in the Carson Range, at 10,885ft/3318m. So why not?

Up, up, up, it was a tough climb. After 1100ft in a mile, I was on the summit.

There was a summit register and sign on top too.

The register was actually many small notebooks, all full. Darn. And I noticed the sticker for In-N-Out, and I dreamed about burgers and shakes.

It was cold on the summit, and there was heaps of wind, so I pushed on back down to mountain. I was pretty tired, but still had 9mi to go. Onward to Star Lake!

After a nice break at the lake, I enjoyed a warm afternoon of mostly flat walking. It was noticeably drier on this side of the mountains.

After awhile, I was walking on a ridge overlooking the Carson Valley, thousands of feet below.

A mile later, I came upon a huuuuge tree. I named it the Fuccillo tree, ha!

And soon after that, I crossed into Nevada. Goodbye California, I’ll be back in a couple of days.

I found a nice flat spot under a ski lift, and I setup there. Hanging a bear bag was easy!

Sunday September 22, 21.9mi/35.2km

Tamarack Lake (65.4/7874ft) to Luther Pass Campground (87.3/7290ft) (CA)

I was awake before sunrise, which has been occurring quite late recently. I left camp at 7am, and the other campers were just starting to emerge from their tents. I had a great view of echo lake for an hour.

I arrived to the end of the lake, and stopped for a quick break. I was expecting to see people along this popular stretch of trail, but I think it’s too early in the morning.

I had a snack and charged my phone at the tiny general store. It’s closed for the season, but the electricity still works! A mile later, I was surprised to find a huge stream crossing without a bridge. Almost every stream on this trail has had a bridge, even the tiny trickles. This stream was raging.

I took a quarter mile detour down to a FS road, and continued on my way. At the road, someone had left a note for northbound hikers. I’m glad I didn’t camp at Aloha Lake!

In the forest, there were all these piles of logs waiting to be burned. It reminded me of an exhibit at the Salem Witch museum, and it felt creepy. Moving on…

The started to climb, and broke out into a rocky section, and there were marmots everywhere!

As I got higher, I could see the lake again too.

I climbed up to 9000ft, where there was still small scraps of snow left from Wednesday’s flurries.

But, it was warm and sunny too, so I think the snow will be gone very soon.

I stopped for lunch in a sunny meadow, and it was perfectly quiet.

Then, the trail went around a corner, and it was an alpine paradise.

The snow cornices are still there from last season! It must’ve been a helluva winter. After an hour of hiking bliss, I had a break at Showers Lake.

Last time I was here, I had nearly been drained dry by the thousands of mosquitoes. But not a single mosquito today! The trail continued thru Meiss Meadow, and there was a cabin in the distance.

I explored around the cabin again, and it looked the same as when I was here in 2015.

At this spot, the TRT splits from the PCT, which continues south to Mexico for another 1079 miles. Now hiking east on the TRT, I started to see different kinds of rocks. Conglomerates!

I’m kind of a rock nerd.

I also came across two other humans, they were on bikes. Such a quiet day compared to yesterday! The last hour was a nice easy stroll thru some meadows.

I chose to camp at a front country campground, since it had bear boxes, pit toilets, and tables. Bear boxes are so much easier than hanging food in a tree!

Which to eat for dinner? My rice/tuna pairings are sometimes strange.

At this spot, I’m now about halfway done, these short trails go so fast!

Saturday September 21, 22.0mi/35.4km

Campsite near Richardson Lake (43.4/7546ft) to Tamarack Lake (65.4/7874ft) (CA)

It was another cold morning, so I stayed in my warm sleeping bag until 7am, and was hiking by 7:30am. A few minutes later, I was in Desolation Wilderness.

It was a peaceful morning of hiking, with lots of cool granite boulders to look at.

Granite was covering the surrounding mountaintops too.

The trail was very well built in this section, and soon after I started seeing hordes of people.

I passed by so many lakes today too. Middle Velma Lake, Upper Velma lake, and this was Fontanillis lake:

I hiked a couple more miles uphill, to the top of Dick’s Pass. The pass is at an elevation of 9400ft/2865m, so it was a decent climb. A nice view of the choss pile that is Dick’s Peak:

A few minutes later, there was a better view of Dicks Peak, and I stopped to eat lunch.

And looking north to Dicks Lake, back from the direction from which I’d come:

As I sat eating my wrap, I counted 52 people on the pass, either stopped for a break or hiking by. It must be a weekend! I started down the pass, and crossed a tiny patch of snow that remained from last season.

The view down this side of the pass was pretty lake-y, too.

And the trail was being held to the side of the mountain by some boards, which made for easy walking.

At the bottom of the pass, I hiked by many more lakes. Halfmoon Lake, Gilmore Lake, and this was Susie Lake, with its neat island:

And Heather Lake:

And finally, I arrived to the junction that would take me to Aloha Lake. I don’t know why anyone would ever choose the other direction, mosquito pass. Sounds itchy.

Aloha Lake was just as big as I remember it.

The trail followed the lakeshore for 1.5mi/2.4km, and I stopped for a swim.

The air temperature was warm, but the water was quite cold. There were some other day hikers here, and we all waded in a short distance.

Then, I entered snake-mode, and sunned myself on a nice warm rock for an hour.

By 4:30, I figured it was too windy to camp here, so I hiked two more miles to Tamarack Lake. My campsite had a wonderful view of the Echo Lakes in the valley below.

I chatted with some other weekend hikers at camp, made dinner, and then hung my bear bag for the first time in a month. This area is known for un-shy bears!

Friday September 20, 21.6mi/34.8km

Granlibbakken Hill (21.8/6549ft) to Campsite near Richardson Lake (43.4/7546ft) (CA)

It was a very cold morning, around 34F/1C, so I got a later start.

At least it was a nice sunny day, so the temperature rose quickly. The trail was also slightly uphill, so that helped me warm up as well. An hour later, I was in Page Meadows.

The concrete patio pavers were a nice feature, since usually meadow trails get very muddy and eroded. At the far end of the meadow, I saw a sign for “oven”. Perfect! I had a couple slices of leftover pizza from last night that I could reheat. But it wasn’t that kind of oven…

I took a break there for second breakfast, and moved on. I refilled my water at Ward creek, which had a surprisingly overbuilt bridge.

There was so much water on the trail today, even some waterfalls! This is McCloud falls.

There were also many large meadows, which I suspect used to contain wildflowers. I think the recent hard freezes had killed off most of them.

Looking back across the meadow, toward Twin Peaks:

The trail reentered the forest, and I was amazed by the perfect pattern of moss on the trees. I think I know the snowpack depth here in the springtime, haha!

At the top of this climb, I attempted a side trail up to the summit of Twin Peaks. It was a rock scramble up some choss. Actually, a ton of choss. After sending down too many rocks, I gave up and returned to the trail.

Back on the trail, I had a nice preview of tomorrow’s hike.

But right now, time to enter the Granite Chief Wilderness!

The trail stayed up on a high ridgeline for a few miles, and I stopped for lunch at a nice view spot.

All afternoon, the sights just kept coming.

I had a long break at Barker Pass, and was offered a nice cold Lagunitas by some day hikers in the parking lot. They live locally, and they were very entertained to learn about a trail encircling the lake! I continued on the last few miles to camp.

I arrived to Richardson Lake, but it was windy, and rather cold and damp since it sat in a low depression in the land.

I filled my water, and continued another half mile to a nice high and dry spot in a pine forest.

It’s 8pm as I write this, and another hiker has just passed by on the trail in the dark. They must be a PCT southbound hiker, trying to make some miles!

Thursday September 19, 21.8mi/35.1km

Brockway Trailhead / Highway 267 (0.0/7005ft) to Granlibbakken Hill (21.8/6549ft) (CA)

I’m hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail! (See the main blog page for the trail details and stats). I was awake at 6am, and packed up and out the door at 7am. I put on my new shoes, my old ones were dead!

Kim dropped me off at the trailhead at 7:15, and I set off into the forest.

It was a very cold morning, the thermometer on my backpack showed 35F/2C. And there was even some fresh snow on the ground!

I kept moving all morning to keep warm, stopping only briefly for views like these.

As I climbed a little higher, there was even more snow.

Crunch, crunch, crunch. I hope this snow melts when the sun hits it! I walked thru a meadow that used to contain many wildflowers, but I think their season is over.

I stopped and got water at a Watson Creek, and then 15 minutes later I took a nice long break at Watson Lake.

Two other groups had camped here last night, and they had just finished packing up when I arrived. They didn’t like having to brush the snow off their tents! There was a side trail to the summit of Mt Watson, and I was ahead of schedule, so I did a quick trip up it.

It started to precipitate lightly, so I took no photos for that hour. As I descended, the sun came back out, and I could see the lake!

All afternoon the weather switched between “sunny” and “light wintry mix”. I had started a short nap in this sunny spot:

But 20 minutes later I was woken by graupel in my face. Darn. I moved on, the forest was so mossy and green here.

And the cool rocks, as I neared Tahoe City.

And more views of Lake Tahoe:

This was the view looking down on the Truckee River valley. Half sun, half clouds.

I descended down to Tahoe City, as the trail passes right thru it. It was 5pm, so I stopped for first dinner and got pizza!

It was expensive pizza, and mediocre at best. Darn. I checked my phone messages, and I had a text from a shuttle driver for my next trail. So I spent an hour doing planning and logistics on my phone for that. I hiked out after 6pm, walked a mile, and setup my tent in the woods. It was a painful first day, I’m not used to hiking at high elevations again!

Thursday September 12 – Wednesday September 18

I slept great, being indoors and on a nice bed. In the morning I explored the apartment complex, which had a big pond.

The resident swan, Ricky, was quite friendly and came over to say hi.

In the afternoon, I walked over to the Fred Meyer to get some food for the next few days.

Apparently the pumpkin spice foods are already out on shelves… it’s time to go back into the woods and hide!

The view from the store parking lot was great. Rainier is a big mountain!

In the evening, Steph, Rob and I all went to the local climbing gym. It had been a year since I’d put on a harness, so the usual 5.10’s now felt quite difficult.

The next morning, I did some more planning for one of my upcoming hikes, “Lowest to Highest”, a 130-mile route in the Mojave desert. Of course, ice cream was needed to aid the process.

At lunch, I picked up a super cheap rental car, and drove to downtown Seattle. On the way, there were over a dozen “Bikini Espresso” coffee shops. Seattle is fascinating.

After exploring Capitol Hill and Chinatown, I met up with my CDT trail family! It was awesome to see them all at the same time, and we hung out and talked late into the evening, way past “hiker midnight”.

I was sad for the evening to end, but it was 11pm, and everyone had to get home, and I had to drive two hours by 8am tomorrow. I drove partway, and camped at Snoqualmie Pass. I was very happy to see that the Aardvark Express food truck was still doing business.

It’s a delicious Asian fusion establishment that is very popular with PCT hikers, since that trail goes right thru here. After another hour of driving, I arrived at Vantage, a volcanic rock climbing area on the Columbia River.

Rob and Steph were already there, as was Tom and his dog Beau.

I spent the day climbing, and flailing up some hard cracks. Fun, though! Especially the offwidth crack. The next morning, Sunday morning, I departed and drove four hours to Portland. As I drove down the freeway thru the gorge, I had to stop at Cascade Locks for the view, and an ice cream.

I had a fun visit in Portland, getting in a nice long trail run in Northwest Park, and seeing trail friends on Sunday night (AT), and Monday night (PCT). It seems that Portland is where thru-hikers go to retire, ha!

The next day, Tuesday, I got up early, and drove all day. I took a brief break after four hours to stretch my legs. I ran a mile down the PCT at Willamette Pass, so fun!

I had left Portland at 8am, and arrived to Lake Tahoe CA at 6:30pm.

Long day, but it was worth it! I hadn’t seen my friends Kim and Jeremy since their wedding, so I was stoked to hang out for a couple of days. And of course the dogs too!

I will start the Tahoe Rim Trail on Thursday the 19th, a trail I’ve been meaning to finish since 2015, when I hiked part of it. I feel ready to hike again!

Wednesday September 11, 14.6mi/23.5km

Cedar Creek Camp (1205.7/10ft) to Cape Alava (1217.0/20ft) (WA)

I was moving at the usual time of 7:15am, excited for the finish today.

It was neat to see the sunlight creep over the seastacks, as the sun rose in the sky.

The seaweed beds were thick today, too.

It was a cloudy, cool day. Perfect for hiking!

I started seeing many different animal tracks on the sand.

And more tracks…

And then, I saw a bear on the beach! So I’m guessing these were bear tracks.

There was a small bluff that I had to go over because of the high tide. Fortunately, there was a small tunnel!

I saw more animal tracks, and then some dragging marks. It appears a bear had found a washed up seal!

Poor seal (Sea Lion?)

The beach alternated between nice sandy stretches and rocky parts.

I crossed paths with a guy named Charles, who had just finished walking the Pacific coast… from Tijuana! He was hiking out, and finished with his adventure!

There were plenty of deer along the beach too, eating the dune grasses.

And a few miles later, I came across a wonderful surprise. At a spit called wedding rocks, there were ancient petroglyphs carved into the rocks!

I reached Cape Alava at 1:30pm, and it was beautiful, but not very climactic.

And of course a panoramic shot:

And I met a couple of ladies, from Portland and London, who offered to take my photo. Actually, many photos, they were having fun doing a hikertrash photo shoot!

I hung around and celebrated with a can of wine and some kettle chips, then started my 3mi/5km hike out to the trailhead parking lot. It was a very nice trail.

Most of it was cedar boardwalk!

I arrived to the trailhead an hour later, at 3pm, and promptly got a ride out to the main highway.

I caught a bus from my drop-off spot on the highway, and two hours later I was back in Port Angeles. And much to my surprise, I received a call from my friend Rob, and he and Steph drive two hours to come pick me up! So awesome!

The PNT was an amazing trail, I’ll have more thoughts on it in the coming days. And I’m planning a couple more mini-adventures (1 week each) in California.

Recon, signing off from the Pacific Northwest Trail!

Tuesday September 10, 12.5mi/20.1km

Third Beach Camp (1193.2/33ft) to Cedar Creek Camp (1205.7/10ft) (WA)

I started walking the latest yet on this trail – 8:30am. The afternoon low tide isn’t until 5pm, and there’s a spot in 10 miles that requires a low tide. So, no hurry at all today! The view leaving camp today was just as spectacular as it was last night.

The PNT immediately went into the forest, on a very manicured trail.

A couple miles later I came out at a road, and walked a mile into La Push, a small village of the Quileute Nation.

I stopped at the general store for a few snack items, for the last two days of this hike. If course, I also grabbed an ice cream bar, a Snapple, and some fresh hot jojos.

I continued down the road to the marina, where I met Gene. He gives hikers a boat ride across the large Quillayute River, as the river has no bridge nearby.

I was at the Rialto Beach parking area, and I walked down the road to the beach. These signs are always amusing to me.

It was now almost noon, and it was high tide. The waves were huge, and very loud.

I walked further, and I kept seeing these huge plants wash up on shore. They look like thick green ropes that are also smooth.

The ocean was still raging.

There is a spot on the beach called “Hole in the wall” and if it’s a very low tide you can walk right thru it.

Usually, though, people walk up and over it, using a series of dirt steps. The view from the top:

And back down the other side, I could approach the hole much more closely.

A couple more miles up the beach, I came upon a plaque commemorating a shipwreck. A Chilean ship had crashed offshore from here in 1920.

It was a hot and sunny day, so I was moving slowly and taking occasional ocean breaks.

I came across this dead sea creature, maybe a sea lion?

There were plenty of sea stacks today too.

I arrived to camp at 5:30pm, and sat and watched the ocean, relaxing on my last night of beach camping.

I was pretty excited about the flavor choices for my final trail dinner!

Tomorrow, there is only eleven miles to hike, to get to the finish at Cape Alava!

Monday September 9, 14.4mi/23.2km

Olympic Coast Trailhead (1178.8/43ft) to Third Beach camp (1193.2/33ft) (WA)

I set my alarm (for the first time this hike) for 3:45am, and I was hiking at 4:15am. Of course, it was very dark.

I hiked to the ocean, and I could hear the waves crashing on the beach. I hiked thru the beach section that is passable only at low tide, which unfortunately today occurred at 4:30am. After a mile on the rocky beach, I was back on a trail above the beach.

After two hours of headlamp hiking, the sun finally rose at 6:30am, and I had a view!

The trail dropped down to the beach, and I enjoyed some nice flat sand walking for awhile.

The Pacific Ocean is so interesting to walk along, there are these neat rock formations scattered around, I think they’re called seastacks.

This one even had some very determined trees growing on top.

More beach!

The trail again went back up into the forest, briefly this time. Usually when there is an impassable part of the beach, the trail ducks inland to get around the cliffs/rocks.

After I got back down to the beach again, the clouds had started to dissipate, and I took a break in the warm sunlight.

I stopped for a snack at a campsite, which had some nice benches to sit on.

And some interesting decorations too.

I hiked by an area named “Giants Graveyard”, with all these huge rock formations in the sea.

As I was walking along admiring the ocean, I almost tripped over a skeleton. Oops!

It must’ve been a huge sea critter!

It was only noon, and I was getting tired, but I pressed on to camp a few miles away. Sometimes when the trail descends back down to the beach, it is so steep that ropes are needed.

The last mile along the beach (for today) was relaxing and warm.

A cloud would hover over the mainland, but it was sunny on the beach. Strange!

I arrived to camp at 2pm, after hiking for almost 8 hours. I setup my tent, and took a nap in the warm sunshine.

I woke up at 4pm and walked down to the ocean. The water is very cold, so I only waded in up to my knees. I talked to a couple other dayhikers, and then went back up to my tent and made dinner. The sun set at 7:45pm, and by 8pm the moon was watching over the beach.

Goodnight, ocean. Two more days to finish the PNT!