Hiking Through Washington, Getting to Canada

"I put my wet socks in a ziploc bag and into my sleeping bag last night. Now I get to put on warm wet socks this morning!"   

- Mr. Noodles

The view, about 100 miles from the Canada Border

I remember hiking in the High Sierra in mid June, where the sun rose around 6am and didn't set until 9pm. The days stretched on forever, and I could take a three hour lunch break in some beautiful spot without worrying about getting the miles in before dark.

Entering Washington in September, and being so much further north, the days were shockingly short. The Weather had turned a bit in Northern Oregon, and I was definitely nervous about getting caught in a long stretch of wet weather. The mental toll is hard to handle, being wet and cold constantly.

Lovin' those foggy wet days...

 We walked through more foggy wet days. When the sky was clear, night temps could drop into the 30's, and if camped in a valley, the sun may not get high enough to warm things up for several hours. It was hard to get out of bed and packed up, having to stop to warm frozen fingers between every task.

But it was beautiful.

And despite all this, we managed to crush miles. I had a solid string of 25 mile days, pushing despite shorter daylight and poor weather.

Made 52 miles in two days to get to this cabin on a forecasted stormy night.. trail luxury

The cascades are pretty remote, and most of the places we cross on trail are seasonal ski resorts. The towns have cool native sounding names, like Snoqualmie, Skykomish, and Stehekin. 

Big view of the North Cascades

The tree varieties began to change, and unfamiliar birdsongs filled the air as we entered the Northern Cascades - a taste of frozen tundra landscapes dominating farther to the north perhaps...

Unfamiliar 'Larch' trees losing their needles

Then strangely and abruptly, as though waking from a dream, the trail ends. People a few days ahead, are now described best as "done." The land extends on, but this beautiful thing loving refered to as 'the trail' is done. Like the last bit of our victory fire embers, the familiar hikers are scattered, making their various ways back home.

This is certainly a great accomplishment... Though I can't help but come out of the whole trip feeling humbled. What a beautiful experience thru hiking is. I'm going to miss the friends I made and the places I've visited. With time, I might even miss the simple joy waking up every day and having nothing to do but walk...

Please enjoy these bits of footage from the trails-end!

Washington pt 1:

And pt 2