Leaving town seemed to be difficult at times. Why?  Maybe the pull of a hot meal, a warm bed, a shower or a cold beer was hard to leave.  But there was always something that pulled hard against my brain to be back on the trail and out of the even slightly populated areas.  Almost as if someone pulled a brick off your chest or shoulders and removed the anxiety that towns can present after spending a duration of time in the woods.  It was always a good feeling to be back in the woods and hiking again and making progress north toward Canada.

Recalling the time between Snoqualmie and Skykomish, I remember continuing to feel overwhelmed as this experience was coming to a close, but a sense of relief that it was almost over.

An entry from October 2, 2015 in my journal:

“Unbelievable views in Washington.  The last several  weeks have been spectacular.  It took me way too long to remind myself of the enjoyment of a thru-hike.  I have got to remember balance and perspective.  Pain is temporary, mental challenges and emotional turmoil is o.k. and a part of the experience.  A moment of pain is worth a lifetime of glory.

Washington has wide expanses of dense forest.  Conifer and Evergreens cover the hillsides, mountaintops and valleys.  Fall is setting in as the reds, yellows and oranges become more prevalent and each shrub begins their transformation into dormancy.  The nights are getting colder and we’ve run into a great deal of rain.  Despite the challenge of cold, and wet this is still an amazing place to be.  Washington will at some point, be a place I need to return to and spend more time in the woods.  This experience has been wonderful – and would not be the same without my buddies (Breaks, Genie, Taxi, Bison and Cheese).”

Creeping closer to Skykomish, we began to see weather patterns that indicated we were nearing the end of the window in which to complete our hike.  Mile after mile the cold mornings were an awakening in a sense that we needed to be diligent with the remaining time we had in towns, and get moving toward Canada.

Hello Skykomish!  And just in time for an amazing burger and appetizer platter all to myself.

Skykomish was an interesting little town with a very popular deli.  We stayed in the local hotel that evening and faced a moment we had all been dreading – making our last minute arrangements(last resupply, flights, train rides and travel plans for loved ones).  A quick evening of our normal chores, and we were off to bed only to rise early in the morning, resupply and pack up to begin hiking toward our last town stop in Stehekin, WA.

Leaving Skykomish was difficult especially with knowing what the weather ahead was predicted to be.  But nonetheless we still left, most of us with sandwiches in hand – except myself.  (Believe me, I kicked myself hard for not packing out a delicious piece of town – and got razzed pretty good from my buddies for thinking I wouldn’t be hungry again until later in the day)

So away we went into the depths of the woods Breaks and I making a bit more headway than the rest of the pack, finally settling in for bed after a grueling 17 miles.  The next day we awoke to weather that was beginning to turn on us – slowly beginning with cold and rain in the air.  Over the next several days – we would fall behind Bison(who was on a given timeline for his flight home), stay ahead of Taxi(who split off trail to fix an issue with his phone) but Breaks, Genie, Cheese and I would stick together through what would be the worst weather experience I’ve encountered to-date.

Bitter cold, tough milage days, soaked gear and clothes was a true awakening that Mother Nature was no longer on our side, and did not care where we were in our adventure.  Day two out of Skyomish, Breaks and I arrived at a small lake after pressing through an entire day of very cold temperatures and rain and made a decision to post up for the night and try to get a fire going.  I helped with setting up our tents and gathering wood as Breaks worked tirelessly to get a fire started for an entire hour with bitter cross winds of 50 + mph and nothing but wet wood to work with –  I have to give it to my Eagle Scout buddy here – not only did Breaks get a fire started, he helped 7 hikers dry out as much gear as they possibly could and warm up before retiring into our cold wet tents and sleeping bags mentally exhausted from the day.  The next morning, we woke to a remotely better start to the day, but quickly returned to the cold freezing temperatures and rain we had experienced the day before.  (Glad to have dried out most of our jackets, pants, shoes and clothes from the night before)

So we continued through four more days of intense weather, high level water crossings, constant rain, big all day 20+mile climbs, fallen trees, washed out muddy trails, freezing temperatures, snow, ice, high winds – you know – only the most miserable conditions imaginable – but we attacked it all with smiles on our faces, even when it began to wear on our spirits. (We were lucky that we had each other to pull on, and were concerned for our friends; Taxi and Bison – not knowing where they were or how they were handling the terrain and weather all alone)  Because of the nasty weather, we broke camp later in the mornings and experienced shorter hours of sunlight during the remaining days of hiking resulting in hiking well into the dark hours and evenings. Exhausted mentally and physically, we remained alert to our surroundings and changing terrain as we looked forward to heading into Stehekin; our last break off trail before our final steps into Canada – hoping that at some point, mother nature would be kind enough to let us finish with some good weather.

Cloudy Pass is a mountain/climb that I will forever remember because of the mere challenge it presented.  With the weather, a 20 mile steady climb to the top was tough, but the winds and dropping temperatures upon arriving at the summit – the scare of hypothermia became monumental.  As we rounded the East side of the mountain the winds cut through us like glass – soaked to the bone our wet hands quickly became frozen and hard to use.  We reached out to a trickling water source to fill our water bottles, and quickly descended to a lower elevation where we found a side trail leading us to a relatively decent place to camp.  Still fully exposed to the winds, rain and dwindling daylight, we hustled to set up our tents and get settled, not knowing what mother nature would throw at us as the night progressed.  As darkness enveloped us, the rain turned into a snow/ice mix and the winds at times felt as if they would pick us up and send us to the other side of the mountain.  Bottles of whiskey were passed around the tents that evening to bring up the moral, and warmth within our temporary homes that evening.  As we lay silent listening to all mother natures fury – only one thought ran through my mind – what will tonight bring to the table and will tomorrow morning be better?

When we awoke, the clouds were still flying overhead, but sunshine and blue skies were beginning to poke their heads out in the gaps of passing clouds.  Was this an indication of what we could come to expect for the next few days?  Only a weather report in Stehekin could give us that answer, so the slow moving process of packing up would begin and later in the day we would find ourselves 17 miles further north and camping at an old rangers station where we could expect the shuttle to pick us up and take us into Stehekin the following morning.

 

 

A couple of great meals in Stehekin, a shower, good nights rest and laundry was quite a highlight – but running into ‘Ace’ a buddy whom I met at our Trail Angels home in San Diego before my hike even began, and who I also started my hike with was even better than the time in Stehekin.

Also, leaving Stehekin much like any town was difficult, but with only 87 miles left and arriving at trailhead  only to find Taxi awaiting our return from town to finish out the hike together – couldn’t have been a better way to complete this adventure!

 

 

Quite honestly, Stehekin to the Border felt like a blur – as you can see the terrain was nothing short of Spectacular – but the days leading up to our finish gave me a good deal of time to begin reflecting on my journey and where the road would be taking me next… To a new life in Minnesota.

The terrain in Washington was amazing – I don’t think the route of the PCT could have been constructed in more amazing wilderness areas than that which we traversed.  Generally the trail would wind around mountains and through mountain ranges.  The trail most often  only 1-2 feet in width; with steep slopes going up and down leaving a feeling of amazement and curiosity of just how these trails are built and maintained.       The time, energy, effort and scheduling it takes in the overall care for and maintenance of long distance trails in the U.S. is incredible.  I for one, feel very fortunate to have benefitted from many hard working volunteers and the organizations like the PCTA who pour their hearts and souls into taking care of this particular National Scenic Trail.

Through Blood, Sweat, Tears, HIGH highs and LOW lows, 65lbs. weight loss, Mental and Emotional Turmoil and a life-altering adventure I can say, I am thankful to have completed this hike. Only with the support of my followers, family, loved ones and camaraderie of my thru-hiking buddies was I able to get through the tough moments in order to cross the Canadian border, and while coming up short on my goals for financial assistance to both A.L.S. and Hike for Mental Health – I am glad we made a small contribution together.  (A Special Thank-You to each of you who were able to make a contribution to one or both of these organizations).

Thank you for your help, love and support – and stay tuned as my next adventure begins to unfold –

April 15 Mexico/California Border – October 16 Washington/Canada Border

Casey ‘Aqua-Man’ Owen