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.
fire
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For two days I hiked almost exclusively uphill. I’d ascend over 5000 feet from the trailhead just north of Stehekin through Bridge Creek Valley, up into Rainy Pass and then a big climb to the top of Cutthroat Pass.
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Taking the detour to avoid the fire meant climbing through one more pass. It was worth it though for the beauty on the other side! The alpine lakes were gorgeous and the trail took me to a touch of civilization in Holden Village.
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One of my highest mile days around Glacier Peak included a young bear, old trees, rivers and creeks. It was an easy mileage day, but ended with a bit of unnerving news…