August 28,2013
31 miles
Mile 2476

My ears registered rain before my eyes took in the gloom. Everywhere I looked the rain was part of the landscape. August in Washington. I recognize the courage of the people who call the northern part of the state home. I packed away all dripping. Careful to keep my core warm, which is key in a place where winter is winter and winter is summer. Up into the cotton I climbed. Visibility dropped. I came upon Grouse (the big brown bird of lore) and Pica, too depressed to scatter. I stepped over them. At the top of the pass I breathed clouds.

Then a straight shot down to a lake of blue depth. Pleased that my knee seemed to be improving rather than deteriorating, I allowed an optimistic future back into my thought process. Crossed a debris field of fallen rock that roared. Took me a while to figure out that I was walking across an underground river.

The pattern of the day repeated itself again and again. Pass a lake, climb a pass, descend from a pass, pass a lake, repeat. One aberration though began to appear more and more. Normally when you come to a branch in the PCT it is safe to assume the harder branch will be the PCT. The easier branch will be some local trail that of course stays flat while the PCT branch climbs away into the mist. Suddenly, in northern Washington, the easier branch is often the PCT. This warms my heart.


Found myself alone all day. By plan, Orbit would forge ahead to Stevens Pass. From there she would hitch into town, buy six days of supplies for our push to the border and then meet me back at the pass. By then I should be there, and we could push on for a couple of hours. Plans. Humans keep making them to pass the time. But the rest of the animal kingdom seem to get along fine without them.

Climbed one last pass to find the top of a chairlift. Had a chat with Maticway Connector going South. Then beelined down to Stevens Pass. Honored by the honorary. There I found some trail magic, a signal, but no Orbit. Through texting I learned of her obstacles. The rain started in. I investigated home possibilities. Settled on a loading dock for the ski resort. Try as it might the rain couldn’t reach me. I glowed at my good fortune. Even found an RV hookup to charge my phone. Five stars on the PCT chart. I hung out my laundry to dry and hunkered down to wait.

Around 9:30 orbit arrived in a taxi with a $70 fare. Ouch. My waiting dock became a hotel dock. Dinner was spread. A chicken, mayo salad and good beer. Not one of Orbit’s shining culinary selections, but enough to stave off self consumption. To sleep dry, knowing you will awake in the same state, brings a calmness to the nights pursuits. And that is how it went.

Steve Halteman
On the Pacific Crest Trail
Hiking the PCT for the Kids of Escuela Verde

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