PNT Day 51 – The Association
Lyman, WA to Sedro-Wooley, WA
The Pacific Northwest Trail Association sits in a cute red brick building in downtown Sedro-Wooley. Once inside we are greeted by Jeff Kish, Executive Director of the PNTA who takes more than an hour out of his day to talk to us. Though our conversation covers a range of topics I am most struck by how the current political instability is affecting even obscure trails like the PNT. The blow-downs on the trail, the limited trail work we’ve seen is all a symptom of a larger disease at work. Jeff tells us that they’re facing a $400,000 budget deficit which is severely impacting their ability to get trail crews out and working. Beyond that, he says that so many people in the Department of Agriculture have been fired that even finding the person to talk to about various wilderness zones and their access has become impossible in some cases. I am left wondering about the future of this fledgling trail.
PNT Day 52 – The Shorts Project
Sedro-Wooley to Bellingham
My beloved shorts, patched and torn, have finally hiked their last step and now I am faced with the Herculean task of replacing them. How, in the span of minutes spent in a dressing room can I determine if a pair of shorts is going to ride up while hiking uphill or, worse yet, result in thigh chafe? When you’re only carrying one outfit every choice matters greatly and can ruin your day, or your entire section, quickly. To make matters worse, despite being the height of summer all retailers have decided that it’s in fact fall and their shelves reflect this.
REI will be my one and only chance to procure new shorts for myself. Being so, Starman and I skip some trail miles in order to take the bus into Bellingham and do one of my least favorite things, shop.
PNT Day 53-55 – Trail Days
Zero days, no hiking while attending the annual PCT Days in Cascade Locks, OR
It’s time for a side quest!
Bookworm has convinced Starman and I to take three days off trail and go to the annual PCT Trail Days in Cascade Locks, OR. Since I love a side quest and meeting new hikers it’s an easy yes. Starman and I rent a car in Bellingham and head south, picking up Bookworm in Seattle and turning our tires south towards Oregon. This will be all of our third time attending Trail Days, though none of us have been since 2019.
Upon arrival one thing is immediately clear, Trail Days has grown, a lot. The vendor area is easily three times larger than when I had attended previously and there are hundreds of tents occupying Thunder Island. From what it sounds like this is just an outgrowth of the popularity of the PCT and I hear a number of hikers talk about how crowded the trail is becoming. After two days of all things hiking I am glad to be returning to my obscure little patch of trail in the woods.
How close to the end are you? It sounds like it has been an epic 55 days and counting. You both deserve a medal! Xo