Pacific Crest Trail

Rain. 60 miles. 5 days. And did I mention the rain? On Thursday night, I sat in my tent overlooking Spectacle Lake. Near freezing temperatures, wind, and incessant rain once again forced us to retire early for the evening. As my legs quivered with fatigue, I found myself strangely unable to suppress a smile. In spite of the trek’s misery, I loved it. Against all odds, I was giddy with contentment.

Our idea for the scout’s high adventure was simple. We would hike along the Pacific Crest Trail from Highway 2 to I-90. Under normal conditions, the trek would be challenging. Under somewhat extreme weather conditions, it would turn into a serious endurance event. Despite the hardships, the scouts performed most admirably. I didn’t hear a single complaint from our group the entire time.

The rest of this post is taken mostly from my journal. Although it seems a little glum at parts, I’d most definitely do it again.

Day 1 – Hwy 2 to Deception Lakes

After breakfast at Tyler Allen’s house, we hit the trail at 8:30 AM. My pack officially weighs in at 44 pounds. We follow Deception Creek as it steadily climbs to Deception Pass. One mile into the trip, I take a fall and hurt my left knee. Not good. We make good time until we take the fork to Deception Lakes. The last 1.2 miles are excruciating. I setup my tent after soaking my knee in the lake for 30 minutes. After playing Harry Potter Uno, John Durant, Tyler, and I regale the scouts with stories from our missions. We struggle to hang the bear bags that night. The rope breaks, and the subsequent fall crushes Nick’s Pop Tarts and apples.

As it begins to rain, I realize it was a mistake to wash my clothes which aren’t yet dry. Hope the girls back home are holding up OK.

Day 2 – Deception Lakes to Deep Lake

Rain makes breaking camp a chore. We hit the trail at 7:30AM under a steady drizzle. Pack weight has increased significantly due to absorbed water. The first few miles are easy, but dense fog spoils the views. Midway, we cross a treacherous creek. I lose my footing and soak a boot. After crossing, we begin the ascent to the base of Cathedral Rock. The country is spectacular. Six and a half hours after leaving camp, we arrive at Deep Lake. Although my left knee pains me significantly, I was only a mild hindrance to the pace of the crew. Sun breaks in the mid afternoon allow us to dry out a bit.

Day 3 – Deep Lake to Waptus Lake

Broke camp again under a drizzle. The hike to Waptus Lake was an easy six miles. Unfortunately, I forgot my regimen of stretching and pain killers so the knee doesn’t want to bend for the first couple of miles. Upon arriving, we light a fire (Waptus was the only lake on the itinerary where fires were allowed). The fire is a most glorious sight. At noon, the first of our Big Rock brethren meet us (they started at I-90). The fire and the company make for a significant morale boost. We take turns diving into the lake from a fallen log that extended 50 feet from the shore. The last Big Rock guys don’t show up until nearly 6PM. They look like death warmed over. Some of the scouts had decided a tarp would be much lighter then a tent. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize that a tent would be much more effective in inclement weather. Nothing teaches quite as effectively as the school of hard knocks. Much of the evening is spent trying to dry various articles of clothing by the fire. After drying out my socks, I carefully place my boots by the fire and go to go pump water. When I return , Jacob asks “whose shoes are melting?” They are mine. D’oh.

Day 4 – Waptus Lake to Spectacle Lake

In the morning, a group of hikers from the British Army make it out of camp before we do. Our competitive spirits flare up and we make haste to break camp. In our rushing about, we miss a key junction on the trail and go a mile out of our way. We pass the British group mid-way through the hike and arrive at Spectacle Lake nearly 2 hours before our British counterparts.

Once again, we make camp in the rain. Spectacle Lake has to be the most fantastic destination of the trip. On a warmer day, we would have spent hours swimming and exploring. Instead, we shiver under a clump of trees.

Day 5 – Spectacle Lake to home

At 3:30AM, I can’t sleep any longer. I’m dry, warm, and reasonably comfortable, but the sound of the rain against the rain fly isn’t very motivating. At 4:45AM, I can’t take the boredom any longer and being my morning regimen. After stretching, taping my feet (to prevent blisters), and stowing my sleeping bag, I emerge from the tent. John and Tyler are also up. Andrew volunteered for the leaky tent that night and hasn’t slept at all. We rouse the other boys and begin breaking camp.

Ridge Lake is over 12 miles away. The conditions on the trail are extreme. We spend 3 hours at nearly six thousand feet. I can’t feel my hands. My fingers are so clumsy that I can’t open a package of Gu. The boys lack decent rain gear and shiver in hoodies soaked in rain water. Much of the trail is treacherous. The path cuts across steep rock slides. The views should be fantastic, but the dense fog reduces visibility to a couple hundred feet. We spend hours in silence, each of us ever respectful of the chasm to our side.

We reach Ridge Lake and don’t even pause. It’s 7 miles to I-90 and we trudge along. As we pass other hikers, they ask where we started that morning. When they hear Spectacle Lake, jaws drop. By 2:30PM we’ve made it to the trail head. Nearly 20 miles in 8 hours. We never even stopped to take off our packs. Not a single complaint from any of the boys. Most impressive.

Now it’s home to a good meal, warm bed, and three beautiful girls.