Friday August 30, 21.3mi/34.3km

Deception Pass State Park/Quarry Campground (965.3/75ft) to Happy House (986.6/80ft) (WA)

It rained most of the night, and I packed up a wet tent at 7am. It was a nice, cool morning to hike, and for the first hour I was on trails.

Then, the paved roadwalk started. Good scenery, but hard on the feet.

No wildflowers today, just a floral shop.

Whidbey island is home to a Naval Air Station, with loud jets practicing aircraft carrier landings.

Another mile down the pavement was a cluster of food establishments, including a taco truck. Easy decision!

My feet were beginning to complain about the 4 hours of pavement walking so far, and I had another 3 hours to go. There was a short respite on a beach walk section.

The Alfred Hitchcock movie came to mind with all these avian crowds…

There was a strange abandoned stone structure in the trail thru Whidbey State Park. I think it used to be a fountain?

After two more hours on pavement, I arrived at the “Happy House”, where Rebecca and John have been helping out PNT hikers since 2012.

We had a fun night of conversation, planning the upcoming section thru the Olympic National Park, and enjoying a delicious taco salad dinner. And, dessert – homemade apple pie and ice cream! (In my world, each of these is a food group).

Thank You, Rebecca & John, for all you do for hikers!

Thursday August 29, 28.3mi/45.5km

Bayview State Park (937.0/36ft) to Deception Pass State Park/Quarry Campground (965.3/75ft) (WA)

I started walking at 7am, since I wanted to do at least 26 miles today, so I could hit a legal place to camp tonight. The first hour was on the Padilla Bay shore trail.

The mud flats are visible at low tide:

I saw a few other people out, walking their dogs before work. Then, there was a two mile roadwalk down state highway 20. I crossed a massive bridge, and I was on Fidalgo Island!

I turned off on a side road, and for two hours I walked around a peninsula that had two refineries. When I was downwind of the smokestacks, it smelled like an auto repair shop. Gross.

And nearby there was a farm. Poor cows!

I finally left the peninsula and crossed over to the city of Anacortes, via a rail-trail.

It had a neat view of Mt Baker in the distance, though it was strange seeing the juxtaposition of it next to a refinery.

I walked into the city via a bike path. There were so many boat storage facilities!

I stopped off at a BBQ place for lunch, and of course ordered chicken and waffles.

I relaxed for an hour, then got back out to cover more miles. The PNT went thru the Anacortes Community Forest for a couple of hours, which was nice.

There were dozens of trails in the forest, and my maps were extremely vague about where to turn. I definitely got some “bonus miles” in. I passed by some small lakes too, I think this one is Cranberry lake.

After a couple of hours wandering thru the forest maze, I emerged at a quiet road. These two trees look like guardians!

The next trail was easy to follow, and it had a creepy cave, or maybe mine shaft?

Some of the signage in the area was definitely not helpful. Which way is the PNT?

I guess I’m not getting drinking water anytime soon.

I walked a road for a mile, to cross a bridge into Deception Pass State Park. What a cool view!

View looking west to the Pacific Ocean:

I arrived to the campground at 6:45pm, setup, and made dinner. Long day!

Wednesday August 28, 23.2mi/37.3km

Alger Alp Trail (913.8/912ft) to Bayview State Park (937.0/36ft) (WA)

Today I descended to sea level, so I put some Lil Jon on the music playlist to celebrate. Ha!

I started off by doing a short roadwalk, to get across the I-5 freeway. This was the first, and only interstate crossing of the whole trail! The AT had like 15 crossings.

And then, onto some nice trail!

A few miles into the woods, I entered state DNR land, and they named it the British Army trail.

It went by a couple of “lakes”, which were more like shallow ponds.

There was a short climb up to 2000ft, and I reached the summit of Oyster Dome. It had amazing views of the Puget Sound, and the San Juan Islands.

I’ll have to come back here someday soon to explore those islands!

The trail down was nice, and very green with ferns and sea moisture in the air.

I got down to the trailhead at noon, and this flyer made me hungry, so I stopped and had first lunch.

The afternoon was a paved roadwalk. Not ideal, but the views kept me entertained.

A few miles later, I found a key on the road! I feel like I’m in a video game, maybe in the next level I find the thing it unlocks…

The route was mostly thru farm country, with the occasional store or business. This junction was an easy decision, always choose deliciousness over violence.

The PNT went thru the tiny town of Edison, where I stopped for 2nd lunch and had “the best fish and chips in Skagit County”.

Then, just 6mi/10km more roadwalking to finish the day.

Mt Baker is almost 100 miles away and still visible, damn its big!

I arrived to the state park, which had a campground, at 5pm. It had a beach too, which was nice for views, but the water was kinda gross. One of the campers told me there’s a refinery nearby.

Some historical plaque explaining the history of the beach.

After an hour at the beach, I setup my camp. I get oddly excited about being able to sit and eat at a picnic table. It just feels so right, rustic and civilized at the same time.

Tuesday, August 27, 13.5mi/21.8km

Route 9 (897.2/262ft) to Alger Alp Trail (913.8/912ft) (WA) (-3.1alt)

I emerged from bed at 8am, quickly showered and packed, and caught the 8:30am bus to town. Time for first breakfast!

The Woolley Market was tasty, and i enjoyed a breakfast burrito, then an hour later, a Buffalo chicken sub! There is a outfitter shop in the same building, so I went upstairs to buy tent stakes…and they didn’t have any. It was more of a technical mountain climbing shop, with ropes, crampons, helmets, and ice axes. So I went back downstairs to the do-it-yourself wine bar.

At lunchtime, Eric from PNTA (Pacific Northwest Trail Association) came and picked me up, and we talked about the trail for awhile. The trail was designated a National Scenic Trail only ten years ago, so there is still much to do with its development. And I love planning, trail building, and maps!

I also received a mystery package that a family member had mailed to me. Back in June during my AT hike, I had received an exciting phone call from my sister Katie and her (now-fiancee) Scott, announcing their engagement. I opened the package, and inside was a tasty beverage with a clever coozie. I of course promptly drank it, so that’s a definite “Yes!” to Scott’s question. Cheers!

(I’m just glad it wasn’t a Smirnoff ice, 10 years ago, haha).

We went downtown for lunch for Taco Tuesday, and we all stuffed ourselves with tacos. This day just kept getting better and better….

Eric was very nice and gave me a ride back to the trailhead after lunch, and I hiked uphill for two hours on a very full stomach.

I passed the 900-mile mark, and there were a couple of different markers, so I got a photo of each.

I got to the top and had great views in all directions, including back east, from where I had come. I finally got a view of Mt Baker! I had been hiking around it for the past week, but it had been too rainy and cloudy.

And looking west, I got my first view of saltwater!

I descended the 3000ft hill, and the trail went by a a pub, so I stopped in for a salad and a beer. This is beginning to feel like the Te Araroa!

I only made it another mile, and setup camp in the woods, on a hill above the I-5 freeway.

Monday August 26, 21.9mi/35.2km

Jones Creek (872.5/568ft) to Route 9 (897.2/262ft) (WA) (-2.8mi alt)

I slept great, and packed up by 7:15am. Unfortunately I broke a tent stake in the process, so the next few days I’ll have to be creative when setting up at night. After a very short (0.25mi) bushwhack, I was on logging roads all day. Active ones, too!

There was so much lumber coming from the forest, and it was being extracted with such frightening efficiency too.

Up near the top of the climb, the activity finally stopped, and things were nice and green again.

I stopped and had lunch, and had a great view from the top of Lyman Hill. Looking west, towards Lake Whatcom:

While I was checking my phone messages, I found out I had an unused travel gift card that was going to expire soon. So, I decided that I’m staying in a motel tonight! The descent was easy, and had good views since most of the trees had been cut down.

I got down to the road at 3:30pm, and did the scary 2-mile roadwalk to the next trailhead. I hitched into town from there, and got a ride dmfrom two dudes who just finished a trip in the North Cascades. Perfect! They dropped me off directly at the motel, about two miles out of town from Sedro-Woolley. There was nowhere to get food nearby, so I tried UberEats for the first time!

Not a bad way to end the day!

Sunday August 25, 23.8mi/38.3km

Pioneer Horse Camp (848.7/2090ft) to Jones Creek (872.5/568ft) (WA)

I woke to the sound of rain on the tent. I laid there, enjoying being warm and dry, and waited for a pause in the rain to start packing up. And it did pause, for 20 minutes. Off I went!

The first few miles of trail were brand new, and there was still excavating equipment sitting around. It was a drizzly damp morning.

And then, the surprise bushwhack started. There was a little arrow of sticks pointing left, into the brush.

After an hour of that nonsense, I was soaked from all the vegetation. At least it had stopped raining, so I had a chance to dry out… maybe? The next couple of hours were on a wonderfully clear dirt road, and I slowly climbed up to Mt Josephine.

Near the summit, there was a nice trail, and it became quite steep. There was even a rope to use as a handrail!

The wet weather had finally stopped for good, and the sun was out. Perfect timing for the summit!

Looking down on the Skagit River valley, and the highway 20 towns:

On the descent, there were sweet views to the north too.

The rest of the day was on old dirt roads, which I like. They are like wide, well-maintained trails, and have no cars! I could see a turn-off to an old PNT section… no thanks.

My planned camp spot wasn’t an option, as it turned out to be private property. So I kept going. Then a guy in a truck went by, and asked what I was doing. I explained the trail, and he offered me water! Armed with hydration, I camped at the next flat spot I found, regardless that it was dry.

Saturday August 24, 18.9mi/30.4km

Baker Lake Road / Concrete WA (829.8/850ft) to Pioneer Horse camp (848.7/2090ft) (WA)

I slept in until 8:30am, and then organized my stuff, and walked next door to the outdoor sports store. Unfortunately it wasn’t a store for hiking gear, just fishing. So I didn’t get any stove fuel or a tent stake (I had broken one). I walked a little further down the same shopping plaza, and bought my groceries. I was all packed up by 11:30am, and went out to the road to hitch. One of the motel owners saw me and offered me a ride for the first part of the journey. Within 5 minutes, I got another ride for the final part of the journey to the trailhead. It was a popular trail, with some interesting cars parked there.

It was lightly raining, maybe even misting, so I used my umbrella the entire way up to Park Butte Mountain. I got some curious looks from other day hikers, but I was dry!

A few miles in, the trail crossed a glacial river that looked like chocolate milk.

It was a very well kept trail, and very popular. I saw 45 people in the first hour.

After the summit though, I saw no one, and the trail was much less wide. And I entered another wilderness!

It was a foggy, drizzly day, so I didn’t take any more photos. I got to my planned campsite at 7:30pm, and thankfully it had temporarily stopped raining. I setup my tent, and made a hot dinner while in my sleeping bag. Hopefully tomorrow is dry!

Friday August 23, 24.2mi/38.9km

Forest Road 1144 (805.6/1362ft) to Baker Lake Road / Concrete WA (829.8/850ft) (WA)

Kate and Semi-Sweet said good morning as they walked by my tent, they were hiking at 6:30am! I went up the hill on a short side trail to check out the hot springs.

There were some people there taking a soak (at 7am!) with their two loud dogs nearby, so I left. The hike was easy all day, on flat terrain. Most of the day was spent circumnavigating Baker Lake. I suppose there are usually better views, but it was lightly raining and foggy.

The trail was wide, a nice old road, and I was happy having no wet plants to push away.

At the top of the lake, the trail crossed the inlet stream, Baker River, on a long swingbridge. Those are always fun.

About mid-afternoon I realized that I had already covered 19 miles, and I could make it into town tonight if I kept going another 5 miles. So I did!

I crossed the dam, and it wasnt as high as Ross Lake dam, but still very long.

I got one final view, Mt Baker was trying to poke its head out of the clouds. Cool!

I got to Baker Lake Road at 4:45pm, and started hitching. The second car picked me up! It was a nice ride down to Highway 20, where I hitched another ride to Concrete WA. The second driver was a strange dude, but entertaining. His business card:

I got to town at 5:30pm, checked into the Cascade Mountain Motel, and then walked next door to the pizza place for dinner. The appetizers were delicious!

After a nice hot shower (it had been 9 days!), I watched some mindless TV shows in a warm dry bed, life is good!

Thursday August 22, 24.7mi/39.8km

Hannegan Trailhead Camp (780.9/3123ft) to Forest Road 1144 (805.6/1362ft) (WA)

I packed up a very wet tent, I think it finally stopped raining at 3am. The mountains had those cool clouds again, the ones that cling to their summits.

The whole valley felt very damp and moist. And judging by the plants and creatures, it’s always this way.

Big slug!

Most of the morning was a roadwalk up the Mt Baker Highway. It was easy and I had it mostly to myself.

There was some construction near the top, and the road went down to one lane. Some wreckless driver passed me on the right, driving in the weeds and over a cone! The most dangerous parts of these trails is never the wildlife….

At the top were some reflective lakes, and a tourist area with nature trails and picnic areas.

Wild Goose trail!

I stopped for lunch, and some wonderful people brought me a tasty treat! The guy said it’s called Korean Noodle Soup, his family’s version of it. Yum!

The interpretive trails at the top were neat, and there were dozens of people.

I left the road, and started back into the forest on the Lake Ann trail. This was a familiar stretch of trail, as I had been here last year with a couple of friends to climb Mt Shuksan, via the Fischer Chimneys route. Good times.

The trail was significantly drier this year.

I even saw a PNT marker! I took the Swift River trail, a river which the trail crossed at a ford later.

The views in the valleys around Mt Baker are stupendous.

And then, in the last hour of the day, I met other PNT thru-hikers! I’ve only met six other thru-hikers, and all of them I met in towns. Semi-sweet and Kate started July 2nd, and are from many places, most recently Colorado and New Zealand.

It was fun to talk with other people while hiking! The last hour flew by, and the forest had a cool ancient feel to it, with so much moss!

The three of us camped on an old abandoned forest road, apparently near a hot springs. I’ll have to check it out in the morning!

Wednesday August 21, 20.3mi/32.7km

Twin Rocks Camp (760.6/2743ft) to Hannegan Trailhead camp (780.9/3123ft) (WA)

I’ve been going to sleep earlier, and so also waking up earlier. So since I was awake at 6:15am, I was hiking by 7am. Going up the valley I had great views of the surrounding glaciated mountains.

A couple of hours later, the clouds started to move in.

And they moved in fast.

And for the next three hours, I took no pictures because it was raining. Which normally is fine, but this section of trail was somewhat unmaintained, creating a car wash of wet plants. I hiked up and over the steep Whatcom Pass. Later, I was relieved to see some tarps a trail crew had left behind, and I sat under one for a dry lunch.

After lunch, there is a crossing of the Chilliwack River, and instead of a bridge there is a cable car! I was really excited to learn what this meant, but sadly it was out of service for maintenance.

At least the trail was nice again, for a mile or so.

It had stopped raining for a little while, and I saw a happy face. Ha!

Going up over Hannegan Pass, the views were very obscured by clouds.

And then around the corner, two very friendly little marmots!

One of them was too busy stuffing its face with food, to even notice I was there.

Hi marmot!

That made being wet almost all day worth it. Then, down the pass, to the trailhead camping area!

I arrived at 5pm, cooked my dinner in the picnic shelter, and it started raining again. I considered sleeping on one of the picnic tables, since it was so nice and dry under that pavilion. But, at a lull in the rain, I quickly setup my tent and ran inside. Safe and dry!