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We passed the half-way point for the PCT (1325 miles) and for our current section (4.5 weeks). We had big mileage days in Northern California, especially through Lassen National Park. A lot of burned forests from past fires, but we find them interesting and a bit spooky. Luckily the temperatures have been in the low to mid 80’s so we’re not suffering too much.
Our appetites are growing and we have only taken one zero (no miles hiked). We had two days when we hiked more than 27 miles and several days over 20 miles. I’m proud we can do this but I’m very much looking forward to spending some time in cities, notable Sierra City and South Lake Tahoe. Trail days are balanced by town days and vice versa. A restaurant meal would never taste as good without several days of trail food proceeding it. A bath would never be so comforting without five days of camp dirt. In the last two days, we descended 5,000 feet to reach Belden, CA, then climbed 4,000 feet in five miles to leave Belden. We woke up early this morning and started hiking at 4:30 in the dark. Soon we heard a new sound coming from behind us. A soft high-pitched short growl. Not an aggressive sound, more like: hey guys, why are you on my trail in the dark? We turned around to see the reflection of two eyes on the trail. Either a bobcat or a mountain lion. I won’t lie, it scared me. But then I thought logically—I had never heard of a PCT hiker being attacked by either on trail. And we continued, looking often at the trail behind us. Checking later on our phones, definitely a mountain lion. Again, John was happy to have the encounter, me not so much.
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Currently taking a break at the Mt. Shasta KOA. A pool and air-conditioned buildings, very much welcomed in 100+ degree temps. Since we last wrote, we hiked beautiful trails to Castle Crag State Park with a good view of Mt. Shasta, not too much smoke. Avoided stepping on two rattlesnakes, talked with two bears (rather rude bears, they walked away), and dropped down 5,000 feet to get to the town of Mt. Shasta.
Feeling good physically and mentally. We enjoy talking with the other hikers, 95% northbound (NOBOs). Resupply boxes bounce around, sometimes we can retrieve them from the post office, at other times they get lost in the ether and we get to pick out new and exciting food from the local grocers (like maple donuts, Hawaiian rolls, individual apple pies). I’m no longer posting photos in this blog due to a technical glitch. New photos tend to get overlayed with older photos (?). The blog is mostly a place for weekly notes, for future memories. We’re heading out tonight to get to the trail and an early start in the morning to climb 2,000 feet. Fortunately the temps will be going down and we will be around soft serve ice cream several times during the next week. We’ve been on the PCT for ten days and it’s flown by. We began at Elk Lake Lodge, south of McKenzie Pass, due to the deep snow around Three Sisters. John’s sister (Barb) and nephew (Jason) drove us to the trailhead, a real kindness. Felt good and right to be back on the trail.
The weather has been great, including one night with a big lightning and thunderstorm, always fun. As the rain came down quickly, we realized we had pitched our tent in a bowl and had to balance all of our belongings on our air mattresses to stay dry. Unfortunately this storm caused some fires to the south, resulting in a reroute that bypassed 50 miles. We saw two black bears at close range. John was thrilled, I was scared. We hiked 48 miles in 36 hours and our feet hurt. Hiked the rim trail around Crater Lake and suffered in the heat on lava fields and burned areas. Visited new towns including Ashland, Oregon, and two small towns in California, Seaid Valley and Etna. I never would have visited these last two towns if it weren’t for the PTC. Full of character and characters. Well, we finished the Patagonia bike tour! Arrived in Ushuaia on Tuesday, February 18th. Along the way, we visited Los Glaciers National Park, hiked to Torres del Paine, and cycled across Tierra del Fuego. The wind was a formidable foe but with planning, we managed to arrive with little headwind. Since we couldn’t set up the tent in the wind, we slept in a roadside shack and the basement of a popular bakery. Oh, and cozy AirBNBs. It’s not all roughing it. It’s been a great trip. The Carreteta Austral was fun. Lots of second breakfasts, beautiful wild camping, and always a surprise around the corner. Most memorable are the glaciers, the blue waters, and the flora/fauna that we experienced for the first time. Riding across the Tierra del Fuego was a very different experience. It will be remembered as a challenge. Always calculating when to ride in order to avoid the wind. Where to sleep out of the wind. How much water and food to carry between resupplies. How many miles we could ride in one day without becoming too sore and exhausted. We are now in full tourist mode. I’m going to miss the effects of riding, both mental and physical. I enjoy the soreness in my muscles after a hard day’s ride. The euphoria that comes with strenuous exercise. And I doubt that I will be able to retain the muscle mass in my legs gained from the ride. But another adventure begins in June and my life in Kansas is a joy. Retired life is even better than I imagined and I feel tremendously grateful. The pavement ended but the riding continues to be a joy. We ride between 30-45 miles a day, 3,000-4,000 feet of climbing. Whenever the weather turns cold and rainy, we’re either in the tent or in a town staying in a campground with heated common room. We’ve ridden by amazing rainbows, morning sunbeams breaking through clouds onto a lake, and the Rio Baker with the bluest water I’ve ever seen. We wonder if our photos all look alike—ho hum, more beautiful glaciers with a road and a bike. We officially reached Villa O’Higgins early Sunday morning, Feb. 2. Our luck had run out and we were wet and cold. But wait! La Mosca hostel had a room for us at 10:30 in the morning and we spent the day celebrating our completion of the Carretera Austral with burgers, showers, and drying our things. The bad news—we found out our ferry was scheduled to leave at 5:30am the next morning and we had to ride 5 miles in the dark to get to the ferry dock. Monday, Feb. 3, was the infamous crossing from Chile into Argentina. It took two hours for the 5:30am ferry crossing, leading to the Chile border exit. Make sure you get the exit stamp in your passport or you’ll have to return (and you most definitely don’t want to do that). Exit is followed by 9 miles of gnarly uphill gravel road (I walked my bike more than rode my bike) and 3.2 miles of hike-a-bike through a muddy trail in the woods. This is the section discussed among cyclists—we fear the difficulty of the section and how long it will take. Turns out it was challenging but we all finished in high spirits. The ferry ride afterwards was a happy and proud bunch of cyclists. The next day, Tuesday, we rode into Chaltén, a busy tourist town at the base of Mont Fitz Roy. We bought some groceries, ate lunch, and flew out of town on a paved road with the wind at our backs. Threatened by 35 mph headwinds forecasted for Thursday, we rode 145 miles in two days. Due to the strong winds, we couldn’t set up our tent so we slept in an abandoned building the first night and under a bridge the second night. The big winds (gusts up to 55mph) hit after we arrived in El Calafate on Thursday. The wind was so strong we couldn’t ride our bikes but had to push them to our AirBNB. We lost power twice due to wind but are happy to be indoors with beef stew, a soft bed, and the chance to get clean and organized. This is our actual celebration for finishing the Carretera Austral and a chance to plan the next leg of our journey. Today was our first day of real rain and we spent most of it warm and dry in Puerto Rio Tranquillo! Camping at a campground with a large common room and WiFi. Knitting sweaters for my granddaughters. Beautiful views of glaciers, emerald green lakes, and waterfalls. Some long downhills and good weather. We’ve been wild camping in beautiful spots—even under a bridge is gorgeous with a large river passing by. The pavement ended on Friday and it was a particularly challenging day. Uphill, big stones in the road, strong headwind, and heavy traffic. Found a place to wild camping by the river, grateful for our indestructible and wind proof tent. The one drawback was the wind—so loud we couldn’t sleep. Snug, happy, and tired.     Hard to believe we’re already halfway through the Carretera Austral. Time and miles have gone very quickly. The flights and ferry rides for the first three days of our journey went fairly smoothly but were tiring. Once we reached Santiago, Chile, we had to retrieve our bike boxes and bags, carry them to another terminal, and go through customs, check-in, and security once more. We just made our flight. Once we arrived in Puerto Monty, we had a lovely stay with our host Eliana. Copying and pasting my daily journal here. Concise version: we’re riding between 30-48 miles a day, with 3,000-4,000 feet of climbing. Lots of other cyclists. The road is mostly paved but that will change tomorrow. Monday, January 13th. 35 miles, 3297 feet climbingUnexpectedly, much of the road was unpaved today. Slow climb away from the water. Made it to Chaitén, where we camped in a yard and grocery shopped. Talked with Ben (Utah), Kahung and Melanie (Canada). It’s supposed to rain starting tomorrow evening and rain all day Wednesday. Tuesday, January 14th. 32 miles, 1400 feet climbing Rode to Yelcho Lodge and booked a Tentsite for two nights. Spent the afternoon drinking coffee and knitting in the lodge. Towards dinner, we spent time talking with Kahung. Beautiful lodge and beautiful setting! Right in the lake’s edge with glaciers in the distance. Wednesday, January 15th. rest day. Hung out at the lodge and swapped stories with Melanie and Kahung. Knitted, drank coffee, played with the smallest Bananagrams set ever. A wonderful day. Thursday, January 16th. 37.5 miles, 3,881 feet climbing. Stopped in Villa Santa Lucia for coffee, cake, and groceries. Filled our tummies. Slept in a great spot under a bridge, the river was loud! Had our best dinner yet—tostadas and salad (carrot, avocado, and tuna in oil). Friday, January 17th. 47.1 miles, 3481 feet climbing. Stopped for second breakfast in La Junta. We seem to forget how many calories you need to cycle tour. Rode a longer day to Puyuhuapi. Bought groceries and stayed in a campground in town Saturday, January 18th. 38 miles, 3,733 feet climbing. Last night music was playing in the city center until 5am! Big climb starting at 11:30. 2,000 feet climbing on gravel. Took us about two hours to reach the top. Parque Queulat. Beautiful at the top and a five mile downhill. Wild camping by the Rio Cisnes. Sunday, January 19th. 47.5 miles, 3,795 feet climbed. Started the day feeling a bit sluggish. I don’t think we’re eating enough calories for breakfast. Stopped at Villa Amengual, hoping for some coffee and breakfast. Not much open at 9:30am on a Sunday, we made our own coffee and snacks. Camped by a river tonight. Many spots available for campers—we may have company tonight. Monday January 20th. 38.3 miles, 1868 feet climbed. Went alternate route today to stay on pavement. Added ten miles but easier. Both having a bit of stomach rumble. Six miles into our ride today we stopped at a great bakery in Villa Manihuales, got two coffees, two hot empanadas, and three rolls for under $6.00. Found a campsite near the river, only 22 miles to Coyhaique tomorrow. Tuesday, January 21st. 24.6 miles, 2,149 feet climbed. Arrived in Coyhaique around 11am. Got coffee, bought John a new raincoat and I bought a new fanny pack. Sad to throw away our old raincoats and fanny pack. Bought some groceries and headed to the AirBNB where we cleaned up, washed clothes, and ate a great dinner. Wednesday, January 22nd. Day off the bike! Took my bike to a mechanic and had the derailleurs adjusted. Walked around town, bought food supplies, and rested. We finished hiking the PCT for 2024. We always had energy and enthusiasm for the trail and managed to avoid any injuries. Due to fires, we had more time off-trail than planned—but I didn’t mind the hostels, KOA, hotels, etc. Good times all around. We hope to finish the PCT in two more summers. A lot depends on the availability of trail sections due to fire. Steven’s Pass to Hart’s Pass may remain closed next year, as well as other sections with fire damage. My main takeaway from this summer—all the fun and unexpected things that happen on trail: snow and water crossings, amazing hospitality at hostels, conversations among hikers, trail magic, reroutes, and off-trail luxuries. Upon reaching Snoqualmie, we headed to the Washington Alpine Club, a hostel where they provide free laundry, showers, breakfast, and dinner. Wonderful hospitality and food! The first night we were served spaghetti, salad, birthday cake, and ice cream. The second night it was cheeseburgers and banana splits. We also met many other hikers and talked about… the PCT! Forest fires was the main topic. As we were getting ready to leave, someone told us a new fire was on the trail just 40 miles north. We decided to call it quits and just leave the trail. 😔 We made our way to Cle Ulem on a shuttle and hitchhiked to the KOA in Leavenworth. And I have to admit, I didn’t hate it. The swimming pool and cheap ice cream floats made it bearable. So many people so close together!! We stayed two nights before we decided to head back up to the PCT to live for three days. It can be expensive living in town! Steven’s Pass was foggy and drizzly but much cooler than the ninety degrees temps in Leavenworth. We hiked north on the trail for about 5 miles and made camp. It never rained but was a constant drizzle drip drip. We hiked early in the day, made camp by noon, and spent the rest of the day dry and happy in the tent. I love “tent time” with my phone: e-books, audio books, downloaded streaming and crossword puzzles. Never bored. But the best thing of all—we decided to continue on the PCT!! The fire that was reported north of Snoqualmie was one tree on fire!! And has been extinguished. We’ll go back to Snoqualmie and hike to Steven’s Pass, then go around the big fires and hike from Hart’s Pass to the Canadian border. About 178 more miles. Thursday morning our friend Darryl picked us up at Steven’s Pass with his brand new trucktop camper and has been spoiling us silly! We slept in a mattress with sheets, been cooking on his stove, and did a day hike today. Tomorrow morning he is driving us back to Snoqualmie Pass, so we can continue. Since Trout Lake we’ve hiked between 15-19 miles each day with an average of 3500 feet elevation gain each day. One day we were hiking the same pace as a group of young hikers, finishing 17 miles before 3pm. We were feeling pretty proud of ourselves. As we were getting ready to make camp for the night, they told us they were going to hike 17 MORE miles that same day. 34 mile days. Wow. The highlight of this section was Goat Rocks Wilderness Area. A beautiful valley filled with wildflowers and waterfalls, followed by amazing campsites with views of both Mt. Adams (to the south) and Mt. Rainier (to the north), and The Knife’s Edge, a PCT alternate route along a mountain ridge. Fires in Washington to the south and north. We’re never in danger since we stay well informed but it has definitely changed our plans. We are considering stopping at Steven’s Pass, 70 miles ahead, or maybe doing a re-route south of Rainy Pass. There is currently a new fire east of Manning Park in Canada, our projected finish for the section. Seems like we should just go and hang out with Emma in Idaho for a while and come back to finish this section another year. We’ll see… |
