Category: Hiking

PNT Day 68 – Kindabird and SOS

Zero day at Kindabird and SOS’s house, Port Angeles, WA

Kindabird and SOS have welcomed us onto their gorgeous property for two nights, providing all the amenities a hiker could need: laundry, a place to charge our devices, and crucially, a network of other trail angels who swoop in and save us from the uphill hike to their home out of town.

She is a funny, candid, working nurse who has a self-deprecating charm and a generosity that goes unmatched. She seems genuinely invested in our hike, providing maps and detailed beta on the tides along our coastal route. He is smart and provocative, and attentive to their rambunctious five year old, Base Weight.

On the evening of our second night Kindabird makes us homemade deep-dish pizza, complete with a sauce made from tomatoes from her own garden. It’s perfection as is the rest of our stay with the family.

PNT Day 69 – Olympic Hot Springs

Mile 1125.1 to mile 1133.6

I am expecting chaos. Picture crowds. No, picture spring break but with fewer pools and housed in the wilderness. In my mind there is no way that Olympic Hot Springs is going to be anything but madness on the last day of Labor Day weekend. I don’t even anticipate getting into the springs because of the crowds. But it’s camp here or add an extra 2,000′ of climbing to the end of the day, and I’m less enthusiastic about that than I am with camping in a crowd.

So imagine my surprise when the campground at the springs is barely occupied. And better yet, the same goes for the pools. Before dinner Starman and I spend a leisurely hour relaxing in the warm waters, letting the heat melt the strain from our muscles. Afterwards we meet another PNT thru hiker: Skookum! After chatting for a while he camps a few sites over from us.

PNT Day 70 – A Different Sort of Day

Mile 1133.6 to mile 1144.4 via the unofficial Cat Basin Primitive track Alt

Despite getting on trail at 9am I am still tired as we begin a 3,400′ climb out and away from the Olympic Hot Springs. The beauty of today is that there is no need to rush with only 10 miles on the docket—though with 5,000′ of gain. The plan for today is to take the Cat Basin Primitive track from the top of Appleton Pass instead of sticking to the much less interesting official route. The Cat Basin Primitive track is about the same elevation gain and mileage as the official route but does so through a series of tightrope-thin use trails, scrambles through trees, and one notorious class 2 downclimb. In short, a more challenging, more fun route with epic views of Mt Olympus that toes the line between a good time and sketchy.

PNT Day 71 – Up and Way Down

Mile 1144.4 mile 1185 via the unofficial Hoh River Alt (minus 15 miles)

My alarm rings at 5:30am and I am not ready to be awake yet. Still, I dutifully deflate my sleeping pad and roll to Starman to break the bad news: it’s time to get up. Today we have 18 miles and a whopping 6,000′ of loss from our spot at Heart Lake to the output of the Hoh River.

But what would the PNT be were it not for some extraneous climbing. So first we climb 1,000′ before beginning the knee-jarring descent.

We can hear the mighty Hoh deep in the valley long before we can even see it. The roar of the powerful river cutting it’s way through the dense jungle as it makes it’s way towards the ocean. Around us the forest becomes ever more lush and vibrant with great garlands of moss clinging to the trees and carpeting the earth.  After hours of descending we reach the bottom of the valley where the river continues leading us on. I think about how only a week ago we entered the Olympic Peninsula and now we’re already on the far side of it. Next stop: the beach and then we’re done.

PNT Day 72 – Skookum

Forks, WA to mile 1209.1

A wiry frame shadows our table outside the grocery store in Forks, WA and I look up to spot Skookum! I figured we were going roughly the same pace through the Olympics but it’s good to see him again after meeting him at Olympic Hot Springs a few days ago. Skookum is half salty sea dog working as an engineer on an Alaskan boat and half total nerd. As we walk down Oil City road with the occasional double hauling trucks screaming past he and Starman chat animatedly about everything from cameras to 3D printing while I can take up my preferred introverted spot and hang out in the background.

We walk for ten miles, sharing the sorts of things that come up when you meet someone new. We spend time reflecting on the trail and Skookum says what Starman said on the Cat Basin track, that the PNT has redefined what an acceptable or good trail is to include any number of obstacles.

At night we camp together on the beach with the sound of waves crashing as our backdrop. Tomorrow is all about beating the tides so we’re in bed early with a 4am wake-up set.

PNT Day 62 – Not Everyone’s a Winner

Mile 1035.7 to mile 10.4 on the Grey Wolf Alt

Never underestimate the PNT to throw something random at you. I thought I knew this and yet today I am still surprised by the bushwhack through stinging nettles that leaves my legs burning and bleeding in several spots. Though short, the bushwhack also has the effect of putting Starman in a grumpy mood. I think both of us have grown accustomed to the more relaxed mileage and gain afforded by the rural walking we’ve been doing since Lyman and today Starman is feeling the heavy packs and elevation gain that this section of the Olympics necessitates. However, since we are planning on doing this section in six days we have the ability to stop early and stop early we do. We pull up and camp at a front country campground. Spending leisurely hours enjoying the sound of the rushing Grey Wolf River and the cool shade of the old second growth trees.

Ultimately, I view thru hiking as a vacation from the real world and so I have no qualms about cutting a day short if my hiking partner isn’t feeling well.

PNT Day 63 – Working for it

Mile 10.4 on the Grey Wolf Alt to mile 1074.5

Is it bad to say that I’m tired of walking through the trees? And down forest roads with people speeding by too fast?  Perhaps I should limit myself to only extolling the beauty of the natural world around me, perhaps that would make for a more palatable blog. Perhaps. But today I am surrounded by trees on this well-trafficked forest road as we climb steadily onto the Olympic Peninsula.

Luckily, with lunch comes the return of the trail and the climbing, though continuous, is good. At about 400′ per mile it’s just enough to know you’re working but not so steep that you’re forced to take constant breaks. I marvel at my fitness and know that the body I had at the beginning of this trail was not as capable as the one I am riding in now. After 2,000′ of climbing we pop out of the trees and miracle of miracles there are mountains and ridges and vistas to look at! My spirits soar like the craggy mountains around me and I gratefully stop for a pop tart break at the top of Buckhorn Pass. The rest of the day is all downhill, back into the trees. But now I know those mountains and hill top vistas are out there in the Olympics, I’ll just have to keep working for them.

PNT Day 64 – It Doesn’t Really Matter

Mile 1074.5 to mile 1079.9

Starman is making the case for a five mile day. I know we packed six days of food for a section that should really only take us five days just so we could slow down in this special place and take an on-trail nero or even zero, but still, I’m hesitant and I don’t totally know why. Logistically, there’s nothing wrong with only hiking five miles today. I know that it’s not going to leave us without enough food or with too many miles on the rest of our days. Yet something about it feels wrong, like I’m not trying enough or not putting in enough daily mileage to be considered a real thru hiker. And I realize that’s it, I’m worried about what other people think about my goals and efforts and it’s changing how I act.

Immediately I agree to only hike five miles today.

The moniker you hear on the trail all the time is: hike your own hike. But if you’ve ever been a part of the thru hiking community you know that we can be as petty and judgemental as any group. Which is a tragedy because this ridiculous, made-up activity means nothing to literally anyone aside from the individuals participating in it. And I am not immune to falling into the pack where more milage is king and suffering is the tribute we pay. I am only doing this for myself and for the people I share it with. If I’m not having a good time then there is no point at all. And if hiking five miles today is more fun then that’s what I’m going to do.

PNT Day 65 – When I Grow Up

Mile 1079.9 to mile 1093.2

This morning I’m reminded of Wildflower telling us how the PNT was all about steep descents followed by one step on level ground before climbing again. The memory especially salient as we plummet a knee-jarring 3,400′ in three miles towards the Dosewallips River only to immediately begin climbing again.

As we climb along the river I see a group of six hikers parked in the trail. Both our reactions being: “oh! People!” I’ve gotten so used to being alone on the PNT that I’m as surprised as they are to find another person out here on this remote trail. After chatting we learn that the group of six are friends, most of whom are retired, and are on a multi-day backpacking trip to spend a couple days at a remote alpine meadow. Their trip sounds lovely and in exchange they are fascinated by us; how many days we’ve been on trail, how far we’ve come and the miles traveled. They are delightedly impressed when we tell them about the PNT, but it is I who is enamored with them. To be out in the mountains with friends and healthy bodies in your late sixties sounds like the dream. A dream that I hope I’ll be able to emulate one day.

PNT Day 66 – Low Gear

Mile 1093.2 to mile 1.8 on the Grant Pass Connection Alt

My legs are pistons and I am a bellowing beast working my way up this climb. 1,100′ in less than a mile is a hell of a way to chase my morning cup of coffee. The climb is strenuous, but I am strong in the way that only a thousand miles makes you and I put my body in low mode and churn my way to the top. Legs working, breathing hard but controlled, steps slow but consistent. Soon we are 400′ above the valley floor, then 800′ then we are at the pass and all the work is behind us.

We are rewarded with a new hiker: J-Pod! He’s a self-proclaimed old school triple crowner who hiked all the long trails before cell phones were invented. Retired now, he lives in Port Angeles and gets deep into the Olympics through a combination of stashed bikes and hiking til he drops. It’s good to meet another hiker, especially one who knows what the PNT even is and that chat is a nice reward for the climb.

PNT Day 67 – 5,000′

Mile 1.8 on the Grant Pass Connection Alt to mile 0 on the Deer Ridge Alt, Obstruction Point

In a move that surprises everyone we actually manage to wake in the dark and get on trail shortly before the sun rises. We have a big day today and a hitch into town from a trailhead. Starman is worried that with the long weekend people might be arriving at the trailhead and not necessarily leaving to go back into town. Meanwhile I’m looking to get into town for another reason: the reappearance of Bookworm! They just finished the trail on this very day and will be in Port Angeles staying at the same trail angel’s house as us. I’m so excited to see them one last time before we go back to living a thousand miles apart. Bookworm and I met on the first day of our 2018 PCT thru hike. We hiked together pretty minimally on the trail but then happened to move within a mile of each other when we both independently moved to Seattle after the trail. After that we became best friends almost immediately and have stayed close ever since.

I started this post planning to talk about climbing 5,000′ in ten miles on the trail today and how it felt hard but not impossible. But instead I told you about the wonderful Bookworm.

PNT Days 44-45 – A Double Zero in Winthrop

Zero days, no miles hiked

Like a scene straight out of an old Hollywood movie, main street Winthrop, WA is both a tourist trap and the ideal location to spend a double zero. Starman and I first came here during our 2018 thru hike of the PCT and fell in love with its quaint charm. Over the next three nights and two full, luxurious days we will do all the things one might imagine of a long weekend lazily spent; laying down, watching TV, eating ice cream. And on the far side of it we will emerge stronger, recovered, and ready to face what the trail holds for us.

PNT Day 46 – Chill so Hard

Mile 828.8* to mile 843.4
* Due to the Whatcom Pass closure in North Cascades National Park we had to skip more than 60 miles of the trail and rejoin near Baker Lake

Is it possible to relax too hard? To chill with such intensity that you are rendered less capable, not more? From almost my first step down the trail today I fear that I may have fallen victim to my own ability to vegetate. That a mere two days off trail have negated six plus weeks of walking and instead of healing my muscles have instead turned them into mush.

My legs churn slowly, protesting at every uphill grade and mincing like a newly born fawn on every downhill. It’s as though I have forgotten how to do this very simple thing. Though I am grateful in the extreme for the mellow rises and falls that encompass our path around Baker Lake, for I am certain I would not survive anything more strenuous. Eventually the afternoon passes and Starman and I make it nearly 15 miles before calling it quits.

Day 47 – Road Walking and Climbing

Mile 843.4 to mile 859.7

The PNT loves two things: road walking and climbing, albeit the latter more than the former. Today started on winding, rolling trails cruising under buttery light playing through the lush trees. I, am lethargic. It feels as though my feet and legs have somehow disconnected from my brain and I am stumbling along the East Baker Lake trail. After barely two miles we reach the trailhead and commence to road walking. First paved then abandoned then gravel, all the while climbing steadily onto the giant shoulders of Mt Baker.

Arriving at our second trailhead of the day we are inundated by day hikers out to climb to Park Butte Lookout. It’s more people than I have seen on the PNT to date and I feel a little overwhelmed. I finally succumb and put on a podcast and finally with my thoughts occupied I can walk again. Wonder of wonders! The climbing comes smoothly and we reach our campsite just in time for the start of sunset. From our little perch on a ridge Mt Baker unfolds before us both high and glacial and rushing rushing rushing down it’s sides to meet the roaring river below.

PNT Day 48 – Zero at the Park Butte Lookout

Zero, no miles hiked

A ring of teeth. A jagged crown. And a great roaring beast. Those are my companions for the day as I perch in the tiny room of Park Butte Lookout which sits upon the shoulders of Mt Baker. Surrounded by impressive mountains to all sides with the rushing falls of Baker sluicing down into the valley. All day people come and go, marveling at the view and eating their pre-prepared snacks. Meanwhile I sit, lay, nap and while away the day in peace. My first ever on-trail zero and it is glorious.

PNT Day 49 – Never a Dull Moment

Mile 859.7, Park Butte Lookout to mile 1 on the Mt Josephine Alt

“Don’t tell me that’s the trail,” I joke, pointing to a near-vertical clear cut in the trees.

“That is the trail,” says Starman.

He is not joking.

The trail, as it turns out, has been a victim to logging. With a 200 foot wide swath cut straight out of the middle. Jagged stumps of trees and downed limbs abound, while the track for the actual trail has been obliterated entirely. On either side is a verdant evergreen forest while the foresting scar is a burnt orange-brown devoid of life.

We begin to climb into this scar, hand over hand. Care must be taken with every step to avoid collapsing logs and dig pits. Slowly inching our way upwards for 200 feet until we are able to duck into the woods and rejoin the actual trail. The time lost on this section alone means that even though we were on the trail early we hike on into the dark.

PNT Day 50 – Billie and Eddie

Mile 1 on the Mt Josephine Alt to Lyman, WA

I will never fully understand the people who go so far out of their way to cater to us hikers when all we have done is walk a long way to get there. But they have my unending gratitude.

Billie and Eddie welcome us into their home with everything a hiker could need: a spot in the shade, a place to charge our devices, and when dinner rolls around Billie surprises us with homemade enchiladas. Beyond catering to our hiker needs they are in themselves the epitome of trail angels, Billie is generous and gregarious while Eddie asks thoughtful questions about the trail. They are enthusiastic and helpful and after we are showered and fed Starman and I gratefully set up our tent in their back yard. As we move through the outskirts of Bellingham and onto the islands on our way to the Olympic Peninsula we will rely on the kindness of strangers like these to ease our journey.

PNT Day 32 – Cookies

Mile 528.3 to mile 534.9

A great rumbling truck rolls to a stop in front of Bookworm, Starman and I. Our hitchhikers’ chariot has arrived in the form of an elderly couple in a well-loved vintage truck. After we toss our bags in the bed and climb in the extended cab we are immediately offered chocolate chip, butterscotch chip and heath cookies. The woman then gently admonishes herself for not being able to offer us milk. Exclaiming, “what kind of grandma am I if I serve cookies without milk?!” I’m delighted, they are delightful. He is grumbly and respectful, she is bubbly and talkative, together they are curious and amazed by our journey. The conversation passes easily on the seven mile drive to the trailhead. And when they our paths diverge it is without ever having learned their names.

PNT Day 33 – Prime Time

Mile 534.9 to mile 551.4

There’s only 14 miles and 1,600 feet of gain to prime rib dinner and we are moving slow. Stopping on the side of the trail to snack on huckleberries and thimble berries ripe and warmed from the sun. Today the mileage comes easy thanks to the limited gain and the promise of dinner at the Bonaparte Lake Resort. By the time we roll up to the resort it’s only 2:30pm and I’ve barely cracked a sweat. This last section was brutal for everybody and I’m grateful that we’re taking it easy this time around. Right now all I’ve got to do is sit by Lake Bonaparte and try not to let my hiker hunger overwhelm me before dinner.

PNT Day 34 – Applesauce in the Shade

Mile 551.4 to mile 575.2

The day starts with a climb through the trees, the trail a dusty strip of ash from some long-ago fire as we climb towards Bonaparte Mountain just to turn down and slide off it’s shoulders into the valley below. As we drop the temperature rises and the call of an oasis whispers in our ears. The Havillah Lutheran church is yet another instance of trail angels being far too kind to us hikers and when Starman and I arrive it’s to find Bookworm already there. I flop down in the shade and am told there are popsicles and mini burritos and ice cold applesauce in the fridge. We snack and wait out the worst of the afternoon heat before pressing on another six miles towards camp. Tomorrow we’ll reach Oroville and our next zero, only the fourth we’ve had in over a month of hiking.

PNT Day 35 – Getting Ready

Mile 575.2 to mile 591.2, Oroville

I am, at best, unenthusiastic when my alarm rings at 5:40am but it’s also a town day and so I roll over and whisper to Starman, “you’re not going to like this but it’s time to get up.” He too is unenthusiastic but reluctantly begins to rise and pack away the tent.

Today we are rolling into Oroville, the official halfway point of the PNT and we’ve got 16 almost entirely downhill miles into town. My body is aching and my brain is fried from so many consecutive days on trail. The plan for today is to complete all the chores that need to be done, laundry, resupply, cleaning and packing, so that tomorrow I can vegetate so hard that even a zucchini would be jealous.

PNT Day 36 – Zero

Zero, no hiking – mile 591.2, Oroville

The plan for today is to do as close to nothing as possible. The chores are done,  the bags are packed, the AC is blasting in our room at the Camaray Motel in Oroville and I am bed bound scrolling aimlessly on my phone. Tomorrow we enter the Pasayten Wilderness, a remote eight day section known for an absurd amount of elevation gain and being some of the most isolated miles on the trail. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. Over the next eight days our hiker strength will be tested as will our resilience. This will be our heaviest food carry on the trip by about three days and each calorie and snack has been counted and accounted for. But for now I have a few precious hours in which I can vegetate, pretending that tomorrow is simply another day instead of the start of something epic.

PNT Day 27 – An Unexpected Zero

Zero day, no hiking – mile 400 North Port

I wake with the plan of going back to sleep, but when Bookworm tells me there’s coffee I know I’m up for good. They’re hiking out this morning while Starman and I will be hanging back for a zero. I’m afraid this is finally the end of our little trail family, though the trail may have surprises in store for us yet. However, my left ankle and foot are swollen from what I’m guessing is an aggravated case of peroneal tendonitis and it’s causing me pain when I walk. Even though I’d rather be hiking I’m forcing myself to sit today out and rest.

As zeroes go there are worse places to be stuck. We have a free place to stay and Josh and Jami are endlessly gracious with their home. And North Port is a small and quiet enough place that I won’t be tempted to wander around during the day. So as Bookworm shoulders their pack and head out I plop my butt down with an ice pack and get to resting.

PNT Day 28 – Grinding

Mile 400, North Port to mile 422.3

The road climbs mercifully gradually as Starman and I work our way out of North Port. The sky sits heavy and grey over a dense green forest hemming us in on all sides. Today is another day of making progress towards a goal, grinding along, leveling up, working our bodies as we have and as we will continue to all the way to the Pacific Coast.

PNT Day 29 – Late Night

Mile 422.3 to mile 444.2

The wind whistles discordant and ominous through trees which jut into the sky, a forest of grey skeletal fingers. Just after we enter the burn left by the 2015 Stickpin fire the trail disappears beneath a pile of blow-downs and with it our forward momentum. The next three hours are more reminiscent of an obstacle course than a hiking trail as I am forced the shed my backpack countless times in order to crawl under a tree as the sun arches low towards the horizon. Discouragingly, through unsurprisingly, our planned campsite is a deathtrap, ringed with dozens of trees just waiting to come tearing down. We are forced to push on over and under blow-downs into the night, the sun glowing red on the horizon. Finally, after the last of the light has left the sky we arrive at a campground beside a road which has mercifully been cared for and is free of dead and scarred trees. We sleep without even putting up the tent.

PNT Day 30 – Grateful

Mile 444.2 to mile 460.3

Today I genuinely thought about quitting the trail. Surrounded chest-deep in blow-downs it occurred to me that I could simply turn around and walk back to the road we crossed this morning, hitch into town and be home by the end of the week. I thought about what I would be doing if it weren’t climbing over innumerable blow-downs while dripping sweat, how I’d have to go back to the gym to train for our October Nepal trip, how I’d still be planning meals days ahead of time and then being disappointed by what I’ve purchased for myself, how I’d be sleeping in my own bed and sitting on my own couch. How I’d be giving up the challenge of this trail and how, in the end, I’d be disappointed in myself for quitting.

But I’m also grateful for what this trail is giving me, and I think that without the challenge I would not have the joy and personal fulfillment that I find out here. So instead I began to think about what I’m grateful for on this trail. I’m grateful that even though I’m slower Keith hikes at my pace so that we can hike together. I’m grateful that I have a body that, while far from perfect, allows me to come out to these places and pursue these ridiculous things. I’m grateful for the food in my bag even if I’m sick of eating it, and I’m grateful that I have a handy map that shows me where all the water is. I’m grateful for the friends that I’ve made out here and the new people I’ve met along the way. I’m grateful for the generosity that the people in the towns along the trail. And beyond that I’m grateful to myself for trying, for putting in the effort and showing up every day, even when it sucks, even when I’m tired, even when I think about quitting.

PNT Day 31 – Laundry Goblin

Mile 460.3 to mile 473.7, Republic

We do 14 miles and 2,800 feet of gain before 2pm. It’s strange, I know that statistically I am getting stronger but it still feels hard. It’s not getting easier, I’m just doing more and in fewer hours of daylight. Nights are coming earlier and earlier and we’ve lost at least an hour of daylight since we hiked late on the first day of the trail. But today we’re getting a hotel in Republic, WA and so we got on the trail early and are cruising this ridge into town.

When we get there Bookworm is already in town! And we all pile in to a hotel room where our packs immediately explode their contents across the room to dry and clean. There always seems to be another chore in town and while I’m grateful for this break I’m already looking forward to our next planned zero in a few days time. The biggest chore of the day is laundry, which Keith generously volunteer. Upon his return he finds Bookworm and I outside in the hotel patio/parking lot. We then proceed to hang our wet clothes around the patio of this admittedly very quiet hotel. But I still felt a little self conscious. Still, it was definitely better than wear-drying my clothes and sometimes when you spend this much time tramping in the dirt, you become a bit of a goblin.

PNT Day 23 – Three Whole People

Mile 5.8 on the Jackson Creek alternate to mile 5.5 on the Pass Creek alternate

It’s almost 10am and we are, a little embarrassingly, still in camp when Josh walks by. Our first sighting of another thru hiker on the trail! Though we actually met Josh super briefly in Eureka where he was a day behind us. I think we’re both shocked to see another hiker out here after spending so many days more or less alone. Which, is exactly how Starman and I spend the rest of our day. That is, until dinner time when Silver and Wayward roll out of the forest, they must have been just behind us on the trail all day. Wild!

The PNT only attracts about 100-200 hikers annually with some of those folks going eastbound. Spotting a thru hiker in the wild on this trail feels like a special treat.

PNT Day 24 – Smell that?

Mile 5.5 on the Pass Creek alternate to mile 354.2 Metaline Falls

The PNT is blessing me with the ability to endure new levels of stinkiness. After six days on trail and one very graceful full-frontal face plant I know, intellectually, that I am dirty and I smell atrocious. But somehow I don’t mind. Somehow I’ve transcended the barrier where normal funk lies and moved into a whole new land of dirt and grime that comes with living and exercising all day in the same clothes day after day. Maybe I do remember how to be a thru hiker after all.

PNT Day 25 – I’d Rather Not

Mile 354.2 Metaline Falls to mile 369.5

Abercrombie Mountain soars more than 5,000 feet over the town of Metaline Falls; a hulking beast of trees and rock. What begins as a paved road walk out of town transitions into a dirt road and then finally a trail over the course of 15 miles. And I for one am frankly not in the mood for it. Today will be our biggest elevation gain to date and I’d just rather not. My body feels fine and after a night in a hotel I’m well rested enough but my mood is not there. I mean, I’ll do the climb, I’ll get to the top, but I’d rather not. I’d rather crawl into my tent and doom scroll on my phone for the rest of the day. But you know what? Sometimes that’s just not an option. So after breakfast (including pie) at the local cafe I follow Starman and Bookworm out of town and begin the slog.

The joy of walking on a road is that the elevation gain is doled out in one long, smooth gradient. The downside is the traffic which luckily disappears once the road turns to dirt. Per usual Bookworm pulls ahead of us and vanishes around a corner. This is likely the last time we’ll hike with them and I’m both sad at their departure and grateful for the fun we had so far. Also per usual on the PNT we are hiking through the trees and we weave in and out of an active logging zone as the road switchbacks up Abercrombie’s broad flank. To pass the time I put in a podcast as the sky overhead gradually clouds over, providing much appreciated shade and a cooling breeze.

Some hours later when we get to our planned dinner spot for the night Starman ducks into the bushes to find a spring, our water source for the night, only to come back empty handed. The spring has dried up for the summer and now we have a conundrum: do we push on five miles to the next water source and then another four miles after that to the next camp, or do we take the half liter we each have and make that do for the evening. Being over it as I am and ready to crawl into the tent I push for the later. So we each eat the least dry snacks we have for dinner and complete the final climb to camp at a snail’s pace so as not to sweat and waste any further precious water. Tomorrow, after all, is another day.

PNT Day 26 – Josh and Jamie

Mile 369.5 to mile 381.4 then a hitch into North Port

A mop of curly brown hair sits atop kind, crinkling eyes; Josh greets Starman, Bookworm and myself and ushers us into his home. Jami, his partner, is an enthusiastic artist who arrives an hour later, gracefully welcoming three strangers into her home. They speak hiker lingo like a native and show us where we can charge our devices and shower. They feed us—burritos with ice cream cones for dessert. In the end, Josh and Jami were everything you’d want from a trail angel. And better yet they personify the treatment we’ve received on this trail so far.

PNT Day 19 – 400 Blow-downs

Mile 255 to mile 9.5 on the Long Canyon Creek alternate

I look up and smile as Keith snaps a picture of me, my hands and knees planted in the dirt as I crawl beneath one of many blown down trees that obscure the trail. Actually, according to one PNT hiker there are more than 400 blow-downs on the Long Canyon Creek alternate that we will have to navigate around, over, under, or through. Killed by a forest fire and toppled by severe weather the trees that have fallen in the proceeding years haven’t yet been cleared by trail crews on our somewhat obscure little trail.

One may be forgiven for asking why a person would choose to follow a hiking trail turned game of jungle gym twister. A fair question indeed. And the answer my dear reader is that this is in fact the lesser of two evils, by which we are avoiding a 6,000 foot BLANK mile waterless climb from the highway outside Bonners Ferry. So as Keith takes my photo I laugh to myself and remind myself that I choose to be here, and that if I’m being honest, I’m still having a pretty good time.

PNT Day 20 – Birthday

Mile 9.5 on the Long Canyon Creek alternate to mile 277.1

A dirty bundle emerges from Bookworm’s backpack; tobacco, a gift from Ronda, the proud Black Foot woman who gave the three of us a ride to the Eastern terminus. A blessing, enough for each of us to bestow luck on our journey down the trail. I’m delighted that bookworm has been carrying it until now. We each pour a little in our hands then, starting facing east, we each give a yell then toss a pinch of the tobacco in each of the cardinal directions. It feels fun and special to be celebrating our trip this way on this day. Afterwards, we share the birthday brownies my mother sent me. I feel a heartswell of adoration for the wonderful people in my life and an enormous sense of wonder to be celebrating my 37th birthday how I got to today.

PNT Day 21 – Bushwhack

Mile 277.1 to mile 285.2

The bushwhack is notorious. Five miles down a river drainage with no official trail, through brush, bushes, and blow-downs. This median quagmire is positioned solely at our feet. Between the trail we are on now and a road that will take us into Coolin, ID is a literal mystery on our map and just after leaving camp we dive right in.

First we shoot the ridge, steeply up and scrambling hand over hand through bands of granite rock and grassy brush. From this new vantage point I can see down to the glimmering Ball Lake below as well as out to the east where we came from and to the west with it’s looming fire and uncertainty. The trail stops here and we plunge off the side of the mountain into head-high bushes spotted through with evergreens both standing and fallen. Starman is out in front, leading this parade straight into a wall of greenest green. And lead he does. Between following the guide on Far Out and his general sense of route-finding we are able to follow game or use trails about half the time. Still, it takes us nearly seven hours to go six miles.

PNT Day 22 – Coolin’ in Coolin

Mile 259.9 to mile 5.8 on the Jackson Creek alternate

I wake early and tired thanks to an all night wind storm and quickly begin to pack away my things. Starman and I are trying to get on the trail faster each morning and this morning in particular we have lots to do. We hitched into the micro-town of Coolin, ID yesterday with plans to eat, resupply, and get back on the trail but only managed to accomplish one of those things, leaving resupply shopping and hitching back to the trail for today. Luckily Coolin’s size makes it extremely walkable and by 9am we’re fed, our food bags are once again full, and we’re standing on the side of the road with our thumbs out being passed by car after car. “This town feels like a trap,” I say to Starman who sleepily agrees.

Finally after three hours and two separate rides we make it the 19 miles back to the trail and start walking just after noon. We have 15 miles and 1,500 feet of elevation gain before camp but if I could curl up in my sleeping bag right now I would.

The first part of the afternoon finds the trail meandering up and around the shores of Priest Lake. Dappled sunlight slices through the canopy to dance across the pine needle strewn floor while those same branches provide ample shade to keep us cool. We walk past innumerable campsites and my tired body envies each and every set up tent. However, if we want to make it to camp before dark it’s imperative that we keep moving. At one point during the afternoon I try and calorically boost my energy and mood only to be left feeling heavy and, if possible, even more sluggish.

Early evening finds us eating dinner alongside a forest road that we’ll follow for four of the final five miles to camp. After dinner we push, my legs are finally starting to feel stronger and more capable and I’m able to match Starman’s pace as he streams along the road. The road winds and narrows, necking down until we are once again pushing our way through an overgrown trail and only then, beside a small and burbling creek do we stop and set up camp. Finally, after writing this post, I allow my tired spine to unravel atop my crinkly pad and I sleep.

Day 5 – Sunset

Mile 0 to mile 7.6 on the Tuchuck alt (+ 8 miles of road walking on the hitch out of Polebridge

The climb was a brutal 3,000 ft of gain in three miles and began with a soaking bushwhack through head-high vegetation. But the end of the day was spent watching the sunset dance across stormclouds.

PNT Day 6 – No Way Out

Mile 7.6 to mile 1.2 on the Tuchuck alternate

I’ve been moving slowly all day, so when Bookworm mentions an alt that runs down valley instead of climbing a ridge, I’m all in.

The only problem is that the trail may not be there at all, erased by time, erosion, and fire. Or, the trail may be only a winter snowmobile track and thus only visible in the winter. We won’t know until we drop off the ridge. But what I do know is that it’s all downhill and ends in a dirt road walk instead of a half mile horrific  bushwhack.

Starman leads the way off the ridge at 4:30pm.

What follows is 3.5 hours of our own horrific bushwhack. The trail we are looking for never materializes and instead as we work our way down hill to a road we hope is there we run into dozens upon dozens of downed trees from both a fire and an avalanche. Progress is slow going and painful as my feet slide across loose rocks and I bang my shin more times than I can count. As we descend the trees and the undergrowth thicken, shading the ground into near darkness. At one point the vegetation is so overgrown that we resort to walking through a creek as the easiest means of passage.

At several points I am close to tears and I think longingly of the Centennial Trail and how I had been able to simply call my parents to pick us up when my blisters got too bad. But there is no out of this situation but through and so we continue painfully on. Pushing over and through trees which tear at my skin and clothes. I remind myself of the words inked on my skin “it’s a privilege to choose one’s method of suffering.” I choose to be out here doing these hard things because they fill me with a sense of pride and strength that I don’t find elsewhere in my life. And in this I find a way to fight down the tears and push forward until finally, finally we break out onto an old road, overgrown and difficult to navigate but mercifully easier than forging our way through the forest. The road also signifies progress and only half a mile to a real dirt road where we will be able to walk in a straight line and that won’t be filled with trees. Eventually we make it to the dirt road that will lead us into camp. Exhausted, bloodied, and ready for dinner.

Day 7 – Only Eight

Mile 1.2 on the Tuchuck alternate to mile 104.5

The PNT is often faint, usually overgrown, and almost always climbing. Which is exactly the situation I find myself in now. Each step forward, each slap or scratch of a plant makes my bloodied shins scream in protest. After a week of walking through overgrown trail and dense underbrush my legs have been reduced to a welt of scratches and mosquito bites. And this morning I am having to force myself through, over, and across any number of bushes and felled trees. The fatigue in my legs after yesterday’s ordeal is intense and I find myself counting my steps to 100 before allowing myself a short break in the shade. We’ve decided to scale our mileage back today to 8.7 miles and 2,700 feet of gain and save some mileage for the day we hit Eureka, MT and can look forward to some flat mileage for once. Still, the going is slow and more than once I think to myself that if I felt like this on a day hike I would just go home. But that’s not an option today, there is no car waiting for me or even a road I could successfully hitch from for miles in any direction. My best, and truly only option is to finish the remainder of the 8.7 miles with a climb to a lookout where we can spend the night and not even have to set up our tents. Glorious.

PNT Day 8 – Tired

Mile 104.5 to mile 125.2

Today was another hard one with 2,700 feet of elevation gain and 21 miles. But even though I’m feeling tired and struggling on the climbs I decided to opt with the others and push on for our first 20 of the trip so that we can be in town early tomorrow and really enjoy our first town stop of the trip and our first zero. Something that I have been needing.

PNT Day 9 – Town Miles

Mile 125.2 to mile 134.1

The road pitches down and I roll into motion on the mild grade. We’re only ten easy miles from town this morning and we’re on the trail early, a collective eager for the comfort and food that comes with a town day. At first the miles slide by, three, five, six, then slowing as civilization grows up around us and the walking becomes less pleasant. Forest roads giving way to paved to neighborhood to the narrow shoulder of highway 93 where we walk duck-like in a dirty, stinking line. Cars rush by while overhead the sun is high even this early in the morning and the scratches on my legs burn with the heat radiating back from the asphalt.

Today will be for doing chores; laundry, resupply shopping, cleaning, and getting ready for the next section. Tomorrow I plan on doing so little of anything it may not be worth writing about. Stay tuned.

PNT Day 10 – Eureka

Zero – no miles hiked

Every surface in our hotel room is covered; in drying clothes, in food, in towels, in myriad little items that come from the depths of three hikers backpacks. Mercifully, the chundering AC unit keeps the smell at bay. The blinds are drawn against the midday sun and I luxuriate in the cool while snacking on chilled grapes. Tomorrow looms large in both mileage and elevation gain and I hope that if I hold very still my body will heal enough for me to manage it.