We broke camp the morning of Day 2 and hiked a little while before stopping for a warm breakfast of oatmeal with peaches & raspberries and vanilla caramel lattes (yum!). We knew we had a big climb ahead of us. At the side of a rocky creek we had a beautiful view of Johnson Peak (elevation 7487). Dad pointed out a spot high on the mountain that looked like a trail and joked that was where our trail went. I bought into it for a minute until I realized that our trail stayed on the other side of the creek. Little did I know that by the end of the day I'd be looking across the valley at a spot very high on Johnson Peak. Probably best I didn't know that at the time!
The guidebook mentioned a 2.6-mile unrelenting climb to Packwood Saddle. "Unrelenting" became the word of the day as we realized the review in the book was very accurate. Add in a little altitude and it was a tough day. We met another hiker coming down the trail whose girlfriend was just a few days away from finishing the PCT. Enjoyed visiting with him...and the break from hiking!
Due to the late arrival of fall, there were still some wildflowers left at Packwood Saddle.
Lunch was whole wheat tortillas with peanut butter and dried bananas. There was plenty of time left in the day so we decided to hike the 1.2-mile trail to the junction with the PCT. The trail looks innocent enough, right??? In reality, this trail gave new meaning to our word of the day. There was a 1,200 foot elevation gain in the 1.2 miles. Crazy. It was all forgotten however when we saw the trail sign for the PCT.
This is Dad at the trail marker for the junction with the PCT. So exciting! I believe the camera is pointing to the NE. Yes, that's snow! We were anything but cold though. It was another beautiful day and we were warm from the hike.
This is a more northerly view of the snow and the hills in the distance. There are fires burning all over Washington which I'm guessing is the reason for the haze in the sky.
Here I am at the same trail marker. This was definitely a high point of the hike so far. That's Johnson Peak in the background. I wish I would have taken a picture of the mountains behind me and to the left. It was such a beautiful view. We stayed here for awhile enjoying the scenery and our accomplishment, and then began the descent back to Packwood Saddle where we planned on making camp for the night. We were most of the way down when we regretted not leaving a bag of Mom's amazing trail mix on the sign for any PCT hikers who may be coming through needing a little "trail magic".
The guidebook mentioned a 2.6-mile unrelenting climb to Packwood Saddle. "Unrelenting" became the word of the day as we realized the review in the book was very accurate. Add in a little altitude and it was a tough day. We met another hiker coming down the trail whose girlfriend was just a few days away from finishing the PCT. Enjoyed visiting with him...and the break from hiking!
Lunch was whole wheat tortillas with peanut butter and dried bananas. There was plenty of time left in the day so we decided to hike the 1.2-mile trail to the junction with the PCT. The trail looks innocent enough, right??? In reality, this trail gave new meaning to our word of the day. There was a 1,200 foot elevation gain in the 1.2 miles. Crazy. It was all forgotten however when we saw the trail sign for the PCT.
This is Dad at the trail marker for the junction with the PCT. So exciting! I believe the camera is pointing to the NE. Yes, that's snow! We were anything but cold though. It was another beautiful day and we were warm from the hike.
No comments:
Post a Comment