Trout Lake – Cascade Locks

Total miles 505 9

DAY 34
Trout lake – tensite at mile 433.8
10.1 Miles

At some hour we woke to the sound of a car alarm, followed up by an early start from the local construction crew.
After packing up our tents we walked back into town to grab a quick breakfast before catching the 12:30 shuttle back to the trailhead.
Valentine and Anton (now to be referred to as Valanton) had decided to stay behind to wait for a package to be delivered.
As we reached the trailhead we were greeted by a large bunch of hikers and in amongst the scruffy group we noticed Sophie had landed.
Hitting the trail felt familiar after we had done this section in reverse last year. However as we were to find out what a difference a year makes. Especially due to the lack of bugs this time round.
Also hiking in reverse does offer a different perspective on things and it’s amazing how you forget / miss some of the details.
Hiking from Trout lake back to Cascade locks also somehow feels like closure especially as this means that we will have now completed Washington.
I had sent a new pair of Ultra Lone Peaks to Trout Lake as normally trail runners only can do around 500 miles without falling apart. I was still unsure about this switch so for this section I had opted to carry both pairs. Our Brookes Cascadias are awesome and have served us both well, particularly over the rockier stretches of Washington. These have more cushioning and going to the zero drop / less cushioned Ultra shoe requires you to adjust slowly.
The initial climb from the trailhead was steep, but the new tree cover offered us all some much needed protection from the sun.
A lot of people unfairly say that the Appalachian Trail is a green tunnel. Well this stretch of the PCT was most definitely that.
After 10 miles at aroumd 17:30 we reached a tensite with the last easy water supply for the next 10 miles. I don’t generally like stopping this early as by this time the temperatures are cooler and make for better hiking, but we both felt it sensible due to the water issues.
My bad knee had also been hurting so it was probably a good shout.
It was nice to be back in the woods and as we went to bed the forest noises kept me entertained as I caught up with the blog.

DAY 35
433.8 – 437.4 Tensite
23.6 Miles

I had a bad night sleep as my Nemo sleeping pad had decided to develop a leak. Every few hours it would deflate and put me right back against the cold ground.
Not ideal to say the least!
This needs some investigation as sleep is vital to allow you body to repair when doing a thru hike.
After a stiff morning climb the rest of the day was pretty easy and Sarah and I couldn’t believe how easy we were finding it this time round. Maybe we are starting to find our trail legs, where things start to hurt less. We would be reminded later in the week that this section still had a sting in its tail.
As we popped out of the woods and crossed a dirt road, a camper van stopped in front of us. The kind owners Trish and Creg kindly gave us some morning trail magic in the form of a couple of cold beers. Thanks guys it was much appreciated.
We had noticed just how many berries there were in this section compared to further north. This includes huckle berries, blue berries as well as salmon and black berries. All well received and made a nice addition to our cold oatmeal.
People refer to the berries as “slow me downs” as they offer a nice distraction from crunching the miles.
We had planned to stop at Bear Lake for our 1st main pit stop for the day. We had swam there last year, although at that time it was really bad re the pesky mosquitos and biting flies. This time round there pretty much none, despite some of the trail reports saying otherwise.
The lake was stunning and the peninsular  would have made an excellent tensite for the night.
The water was aqua blue and it was more like a beach holiday vs a hiking holiday.
Our spirits were lifted as we arrived at the lake, as Sarah had been complaining about her back and me my knees.
We found Fred chatting to a couple of nobo’s (Island Girl and Lady).
I used this opportunity to try and find the leak in my sleeping pad. Submerging the pad in the lake water to see if I could see any bubbles (similar to how you would a bike tyre). Nothing? All very confusing + maybe we just hadn’t put the stopper in correctly the night it had leaked air?

Sarah made scrabbled egg and avocado tacos with some dried egg powder that Emilia had kindly given us. The powdered egg worked great, but I wasnt too keen on this vegetarian option.

My knee + achillis had been hurting so I switched back to my Cascadias for the afternoon stretch.

After spending 3 hours at the lake and with 13 miles to cover we pushed on.
We both were reminded that this stretch seemed void of wildlife. With areas of ancient forest seemingly empty. Even the bird song that we had got so used to earlier on the trail seemed to be turned down?
Sarah felt certain stretches were creepy. Maybe more prone to nocturnal shenanigans?
Fred had not been feeling great again. We approached a campsite with a pit toilet and he opted to stay there for the night.

We hiked until 10pm again to get to a tensite near water. Sarah not impressed that we were the only mad idiots on the trail at this time.
Again there were a number of other tents already there, but with the help of another English Hiker we found a spot big enough for us to pitch the Durston. The forest floor underneath was spongey, lined with spruce needles and small pine cones.
Sarah had kindly offered to sleep on my sleeping pad and although it did leak air, it still had enough air in place in the morning to give a good night’s sleep.

DAY 36
457.4 – 475.9 -Troutcreek campsite
18.5 miles

Despite no issues with the sleeping pad, Sarah had been woken up by a screeching owl, along with most of the other hikers. I slept sound making up for the night before.

After a 1000 ft ascent over 3 miles, this was followed by a 10 miles down to Panther Creek.
There was also a long water carry with this section of 13 miles.
As we lowered in elevation the forest floor was covered in ferns and more jurassic types of vegetation. Life seeming to be breathed back into the mountains once again + the relationship with water is very apparent.
As we approached panther creek I slipped and rolled my ankle. Surprisingly after nearly 500 miles this was my 1st major slip and I landed face 1st in the dirt.
Apart from a few cuts and bruises and a sore ankle I dusted myself down and continued.
At the river we stopped and cleaned up after 2 nights worth of dry camping. It was great to get freshened up once again. The water icey cold + using a cook pot to wash our greasy hair gave us both brain freeze.
It was also perfectly times for me to clean up my cuts and soak my ankle.
We had met another hiker in Packwood that had got an infection in his foot after just a small cut. With that in my mind I was extra careful to clean up. Keeping the dust and trail grime out is not easy and requires some maintainanace.

At the next road crossing we decided we would try and hitch and go into a small town called Carson for Burritos. We had done the same last year and despite rumours of trail magic further down the trail the elure of some Mexican food and milkshakes were just too much.
The hitch took much longer than before and a lovely lady called Alice picked us up. She had just climbed Mt St Helens and was also a forager. She had picked berries and large pink lobster mushroom that Sarah thought smelt like old fish.
Needless to say the Mexican food was spot on. Both of us had 2 cans of pop whilst we ate. Literally opening and finishing a can in what felt like seconds.
After grabbing a milkshake at the garage we got a lift back to the trail by a lady called “Wacky Jackie” It was an entertaining ride to say the least + we were both glad to be back on the trail.

Sarah had needed the bathroom since we left Carson. This soon became a real issue as for the next 30 minutes we walked through an area with signs saying “Do not Tresspass”
She made it through by the skin of her teeth in true style.

We hiked onto Trout Creek to find we had missed the trail magic, but with full stomachs, we were OK with that for now.
Fred kindly switched tensites to also allow us to stay for the night, which was much appreciated.

As we washed off in the creek before bed small fry swam around our feet, with bats flying overhead, crayfish scampering across the rocks beneath the water.
Walking through the vegetation leaves and branches had scratched and rubbed against my legs. That night Sarah treated my scratches and scrapes with anti back hand sanitizer. I wouldn’t recommend as I nearly jumped out of my skin in pain.
As Sarah had dressed my wounds I fell asleep, joking the next day that I passed out due to the pain.

DAY 37
475.9- 495.9 Tensite 10 miles from Cascade Locks
20 Miles

Starting out early we wanted to try and get as close to Cascade locks as we could.
During the climb out of Trout creek we passes a guy called “Larry the Log”  He was carrying a large wooden log on 1 shoulder and has been rasing money for charity. What a guy!
It makes a mockery of this ultralight movement carrying a 20-30lb log on 1 shoulder. Hats off to that man!
It seemed like all the TLC Sarah had given my cuts and bruises had worked nicely and the plaster stayed on my knee the whole day. I have also been putting ibuprofen cream on my knee and ankles overnight and it seems to be really helping.

Today we again walked through seas of berries.
Straight after the 1st climb we were sent 6 miles back down again to Rock Creek.
We had camped there last year and decided to stop for lunch. I even did a spot of Tenkara fishing and caught a few small native Brooke Trout.
Again the day was made up of more jurassic vegetation, with ferns and large leafed plants lining the creek sides and forest floor.
Fred caught up with us during our lunch break and we hiked on and off for the rest of the day.
Our backpacks are really starting to smell bad especially the shoulder straps and parts in contact with our bodies.
We hatched a plan to clean them and get all ship shape at our next town stop. It seemed only fitting getting sorted after completing Washington. Washing away the dirt and grime before entering Oregeon.
The day concluded with an 8 mile up, which Sarah claimed was the hardest section of hiking we had done to date.
It was hot and humid and with sweat dripping off of us she wasn’t kidding.

Despite this we were rewarded with views of Mt Rainer, Adams and St. Helens which made up for the slog.
We pulled in at a tensite 10 miles from Cascade Locks. Again water carries were an issue on this section + this tensite had a small creek. Even if it did require mountaineering skills to get to…

We met a guy here trail name “Snow Leopard” He was the 1st Nobo who had made it through the Sierras that we had met. He had many tales to tell of snow bridges and sketchy conditions. It was also good to exchange Intel about the next sections.

DAY 38
495.9 – 505.9 Cascade locks
10 Miles

With an early start to the day we had our sights firmly set on Cascade Locks.
As we got closer to the mighty Columbia River we gained glimpses of it and the town below. Always seeming to be just a little further.
Last year we had walked away from Cascade Locks heading for Trout Lake and the visibility was nowhere near as good.
Fred caught us as we neared the Bridge of the God’s. This is an iconic bridge that crosses the Columbia river as you go from Washington to Oregeon. It is a significant milestone in our journey and as we crossed I played “I wouldn’t walk 500 miles” by the Proclaimers.
After taking lots of pics of the crossing and observing a nesting Osprey on the bridge we reached Cascade Locks. This definitely felt like closure and it was nice to conclude on our travels last year.
Without further a do we grabbed a milkshake and jumped on a bus to Hood River.
We had sent some resupply boxes to the Post Office here and this town had more going on v’s what was on offer at Cascade Locks. Due to the way the air is funnelled through the mountains its pretty windy here + Hood river is a very popular spot for kite surfing.
It’s a very hipster + cool little town with lots on offer + we are both ready to some time away from the hustle n bustle of the trail.
We also need to resupply for the whole of Oregeon as most of the stops are at ski resorts. This resupply business is hard work and requires a lot of effort packing our food and supplies, before sending the boxes further ahead. As I am writing this Sarah is busy writing address labels + we still have lots to do.
Last night we tested my sleeping pad in the swimming pool to try and find the leak with no success. I contacted Nemo and they have kindly agreed to send me another pad FOC. The only issue it would land until 7-9 days / approx 180 miles away. DANG!
We also took this time to do laundry and all the usual as well as washing our backpacks. Hopefully this will help keep the stench to a minimum when we are back on trail.

Hopefully we will get back on trail later today, but it would be nice to have at least a bit of a rest before we start crunching the miles again.