My personal adventures section hiking the Pacific Crest Trail
More excitement awaited me after crossing the Knife’s Edge in Goat Rocks Wilderness. I had a detour to face and decisions to make to get me to the trailhead and the end of my 500-mile adventure.
My most exhilarating day on the PCT in Washington was hiking through Goat Rocks. My day was full of epic views, mountain peaks, and steep terrain.
The PCT from Mount Adams to Goat Rocks passes through a variety of forest, some lakes and offers up the occasional view. Plus the weather took an unexpected turn.
The PCT through the Mount Adams Wilderness is a spectacular section of trail. I only had 10 miles to hike along the PCT and threw in a two-mile detour to get closer to the Adams Glacier.
After a few weeks’ delay due to smoke I was back on the PCT in Washington. I had 65 miles to hike through the Mount Adams and Goat Rocks Wildernesses to complete the trail.
Reaching the northern terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail doesn’t mean the hike is over! There are 8 more miles yet to reach Manning Park Lodge where hikers can find fresh food, showers, and a ride back to civilization.
My last full day on the Pacific Crest Trail. I hiked through a variety of terrain and a variety of weather to reach the famous monument at the northern border.
I decided to take it easy a couple days before reaching the Canadian border. I spent the day leap-frogging with my trail friends as we hiked a bit less than 10 miles, explored a lake, and enjoyed “cocktail hour” in a beautiful alpine meadow.
A challenging day on trail for me and my fellow thru-hikers. We had to contend with heavy smoke, hot temperatures and waterless sections of trail. But thru-hikers are resilient and you never know what joy might greet you at the end of the day.
An inspiring day, hiking from pass to pass to pass beneath steep mountain ridges.