PCT Day 165 – Impassable is Just Another Word for Adventure

Stehekin (mile 2572) to Rainy Pass 2591

Under low grey skies a bus full of hikers rumbles away from the Stehekin Bakery, heading up valley and back to the PCT. We are less than 100 miles from the finish line and people joke about how it would feel to be heading southbound, less than 100 miles in. What we all felt like in Julian, 77 miles into the desert hobbling into town on Bambi legs. The idea of this feels so completely overwhelming, the incomprehensibly rediculous task of walking 2,650 miles, that I can not think about it. After walking all this way, the idea of doing it again still feels somewhat impossible, too huge, too enormous, too absurd. My heart is a frantic bird throwing itself against the cage of my chest, as though only now am I beginning to understand the scope of what we’ve done. Everyone is silent for a long moment.

And then the conversation moves on, like it always will and the bus arrives at the trail head. A dozen hikers bumble from the bus, all tight legs and heavy packs who disperse up the trail in small groups. Bathroom, trekking poles, check all the small things, and then it’s time to walk.

Right of the bat we have a choice. We could take the PCT from the trailhead. Or we can bushwhack along an old dirt road which washed out in 2003 and has been left unrepaired since then, being deemed impassable. They reconnect in five miles, but the second option shaves off 1,000 feet of gain and probably will require some scrambling—potentially above a river. Of course, we choose option two. I long since made the decision to view this hike as an adventure in which I primarily travel on the PCT, instead of a challenge in which the goal was to adhere to the trail as strictly as possible. People do both, and both are fine styles in which to hike the trail, but I definitely alighn more with the former. When there is a more exciting experience to be had at the end of a comparable alternate, you can bet I’ll take the alternate. It’s more interesting to me, it’s more fun, more engrossing. Hiking over tricky terrain or having to navigate is more engaging than just cruising down the trail efficiently. Honestly most of our self designed detours take as long or longer than just sticking to the trail, but Starman is an avid map reader and he can spot spot some really cool stuff.

Within two miles we are scrambling over small ledges along the shores of a thrilling blue river. I constantly scout above me, looking for places where we could climb up to flatter terrain should we get cliffed out. Luckily it never comes to this. As often as we are handing packs down ledges as we down climb grippy grey rock, we are pushing forward heads bent into a wall of green saplings. And because you can never assume yourself to be the most rediculous person vicinity while on a thru hike, we look behind us to find six other hikers. Safety in numbers, if nothing else.

During this laborious diversion we see a cougar print, climb down some small ledges, and get some good scratches while wading through small trees and thick undergrowth. It’s silly and far slower than the trail, forcing me to really focus on what I’m doing, to really engage. It’s nice to be so connected with what you’re doing.