Yep, the thunderstorm was huge! I thought someone was shining a large spotlight at the Palace during the night – the lightening was electric. Anna slept through it all……..I didn’t. Next morning we woke to find water under our sleeping mats. We’d pitched the Palace on a lovely flat spot but unfortunately it was actually a small bowl that other hikers had flattened over time. Tent, fly and blow-up wet. No rain in the morning but a very dense fog. Later in the day we dried everything out when the sun came out around lunch time.

The mist rolled in again later in the day but we managed to put the Palace up before the showers returned. Strange for us as we’ve only had one night of showers in 136 days and only proper rain once crossing the Mojave by the LA Aquaduct. Still, all sorted for the night, sloping site with rain gutters. Cooked and ate inside, listened to the rain, read our books and had an early night. Showers stopped by 9pm. Joined by hikers late in the day determined to have a campfire next to the Palace.

The next day we spent a lot of time imagining what the views would have been like. Not being a local I hadn’t realised the mist was actually sea fog as we’re not that far from the coast. We passed gorgeous views of valleys and lakes but saw almost nothing except the green tunnel we were going through. We crossed over the highway at Chinook Pass, had a bite to eat when the fog cleared and continued on in even colder temps. Bottled up at a spring and carried on to a campsite not far away. Thank goodness we’re not ultra-lights and have some warmer layers to put on. Palace up super quick, cooked and ate inside and had a cosy evening.

The following morning we awoke to glorious sunshine and a dry tent. Nice! The forest early on was lovely except for the burn areas we walked through. We then got to the clear felled areas which were awful. Replanted in different conifers from what was originally there, the forest took on a very managed look. Lunch at a Snowmobile accessible cabin and then onto a campsite for a relatively early finish.

The 4th and 5th 30+ km days of this section were more of the same. Lots of lovely green tunnel and pleasant trail. Some climbs and descents, occasional views. One last look at Mt. Rainier while on an open forestry road. Mirror lake came and went but with the wind there was no mirror effect. We camped 7kms short of our eventual destination and walked into Snoqualmie Pass the following morning. 160kms in 5 days had been pretty tough. Now a bit of time off before the 2nd half of Washington.

Today is day 142 of our epic journey, the Te Araroa Trail at home had only taken 141 days to complete. We’ve still got over two months to go before we’re finished – Visa extension permitting.

Lucky we left Trout Lake the previous evening and returned to the trail to camp. It meant we could start at a decent time and make some miles. Climbed most of the morning to eventually pass through another burnt forest section, always a sad time for us. So much death and destruction. A very scenic afternoon, sweeping views of Mt. Adams and Alpine meadows. We even had the privilege of watching a Marmot and her 2 cubs playing plus plenty of Chipmunks – Anna’s proper camera took stunning wildlife photos.

More lovely forest followed after leaving a lava field. Still 30+ degrees C but managed to make great progress. The final 8kms up to Sheep lake were tough but we were afforded a lovely swim at the lake after putting up the Palace. The only shame were the number of humans camped around the lake. OK, nice to see people enjoying nature but we’re not used to camping with others. Nice evening after a relatively long day.

Today we traversed Goat Rocks. Apparently one of the highlights on the PCT. We had stunning weather, perhaps too warm, and stunning views all day long. Goat Rocks didn’t dissapoint as we climbed up and over, across a couple of snow banks, sidled the shingle scree and negotiated the cliff ledges. Mt. Rainier could be seen virtually all day. Stunning.

Goat Rocks was actually quite demanding especially given the high temps and being fully out in the Sun all day. It was nice then to spend the following morning in the “Green tunnel” a term I’ve heard thru hikers use to describe the forest sections without views. Only 20kms and we were out at White Pass to pick up our resupply, shower and laundry.

It began drizzling as we left at 6pm to rejoin the trail. 4kms later we found a lovely campsite by a lake and stopped for the night. The mist/fog rolled in as the evening thunderstorm ramped up. Could be quite a night….

Onward to Snoqualmie Pass and halfway through Washington.

Two zero days in Cascade Locks and we were off again, back on the trail. Blogs updated and our US Visa extension application completed at the local library. Lots of eating and a sad farewell to our mate Alabama (Lieutenant Dan/Twister) who ended his trail to go back home. Peace be da journey! Left at lunch time and only 7kms in and we were already swimming in the first lake we found. Another 30+ degree C day. 13kms was enough and we camped at a lovely site on a Ridge.

Woke to fine weather but by 8:30am the drizzle started, our first day of wet hiking for most of the day. No raincoat required, was pretty humid and hot. Finally walking through forest with a mix of Pines and broadleaf trees. Nice change. The long day was not helped when Anna was stung by two Wasps – sore. 35kms meant we were both tired with sore feet.

Our plan for Washington is to do the 500 miles (800kms) in 4 weeks. We basically need to average 200kms every 7 days. If our Visa extension isn’t approved we’ll just finish early. This means we’re under a wee bit of pressure to do a healthy amount of miles most days…..easier said than done. This day saw us doing another 32kms through forests. Still hot and humid but at least the climbs weren’t too bad.

We’re now passing through a lake district. There must have been half a dozen large lakes along the trail, Blue lake supposedly the most scenic. At the time of day we went past it was lovely but not stunning. Went swimming in Deer Lake instead which luckily was Mossie free. We had the fortune of meeting a couple who originally walked the PCT 43 years ago, 8 years after it opened. There were officially 10 thru-hikers that year of which they never meet any of them. This year more than 7000 permits were issued for the trail.

The walk to the trail head to Trout Lake took us only 4 hours. As luck would have it we were picked up straight away (along with the couple we met yesterday). Into Trout Lake, lunch with the couple, laundry, showered at the campground, resupplied and managed to get back onto the trail by 6:30pm. Hiked for 5 minutes from the trailhead, crossed a creek and found a lovely campsite.

Next stop, White Pass via Goat Rocks with views of Mt. Adams and Rainier, should be awesome!

The cabin at Ollalie Lake was a lovely place. “Check out” was at 11am so that’s when we left. A 16km half day followed through more lovely forest. Camped nice and early, read my book, napped, read some more, had dinner, read more and did my journal, then had an early night.

A big day beckoned, 34kms to Timothy Lake. Forest again beautiful and no real Mossie issues. Great lakeside campsite though super hot and sunny till late in the evening. Forced to have multiple swims. I had 2 and Anna forced herself to have 3. Well deserved though given the afternoon heat and distance walked.

An Otter family swam past us first thing in the morning, fishing. Cool! Lovely trail again took us out the the trailhead so we could hitch to Government Camp to resupply. A huge lunch followed by clothes washing at the laundromat next door and resupply at the local supermarket meant we’d only missed a shower – too bad, we’ve had lots of swims anyway. Hitching back to the trail head ended up being impossible (hitchhiking isn’t always easy in the States). Instead we walked up the alternate trail towards Timberline Lodge and camped on a disused forestry road.

Up early, 5kms up to Timberline Lodge of “The Shining” fame. Breakfast buffet, WiFi, views of Mt. Hood, great except there were too many humans. Bumped into Sam and Frodo, our Oregon mates. Carried on after lunch for an afternoon of views of the mountain and lovely open terrain. Camped on a riverbed by a Glacier fed river. Nice day!

Ramona Falls alternate was stunning, don’t know why it’s not the main trail. Another long day loomed. 34kms again today but included views of the mountains coming up in lower Washington, Mts. Saint Helens, Adams and Rainier. Camped at a spot with a picnic table – nice. Meeting lots of SOBO’s (southbounders) now who left the Canadian border a month ago.

A big day for us today. We finally completed crossing Oregon on our 4 month anniversary. Shit, has it been that long? Most of the way was downhill, Cascade Locks is at 170feet above sea level. The final descent was torturous, rocky and super hot but well worth it. Two zero days planned and a couple of very welcome motel nights to look forward to.

Only 495 miles to Canada then only 650 miles in California to finish….shouldn’t take long, should it? Up next, crossing the Bridge of the Gods and entering Washington.

A zero day at the Youth Camp was very relaxing, swimming, eating, recharging phones and camera batteries and recharging the mind, body and spirit – lovely! After leaving we had done roughly 4 miles and Anna again had trouble with her new shoes – this time she had gone for Oboz similar to mine but they just weren’t working for her. We had a chance at the next road crossing to return to Bend and try again to find a proper pair of shoes. Luck was again on our side as we randomly met the local chief angel at the trail head dropping off hikers. Straight into Bend (without Alabama) and directly to REI. An hour later and Anna had new shoes again, back to Salomons, the trail angel had taken a break and was also ready to take us straight back up to the trail head. After only a 4 hour turn around we were back on trail and heading north again.

For anyone familiar with the PCT in recent years, you’ll know about Dixie of Homemade Wonderlust fame, a “Triple Crowner” who had hiked the PCT in 2017 (also the Appalachian Trail (AT) in 2015 and the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) in 2018. We had watched her video blogs of the PCT to get ready for our trip. Well, guess who we met on the trail? Yep, Anna insisted on a selfie with her and while chatting we learned she would be hiking the Te Araroa Trail later next year. We eventually found probably our most stunning campsite below the 3 Finger Jack Range at the edge of a rock outcrop – stunning views and even better sunset. Only slight issue were the Mossies at dinner time which saw us make a rushed retreat to the sanctuary of our bug free tent – but still with the gorgeous view.

The following day ended up being pretty long, Mossie free with stunning views of Mt. Jefferson. To think we are still crossing snow banks in late July shows the amount of snow they got here over the winter months. At the creek we had intended to stop at we discovered the tent sites were already taken so we continued up the hill a couple more miles. We eventually made it to a burn area with a pond and had caught up with Alabama, Sam and Frodo. No tent site so we had to make one, tricky given that everything was blackened and lumpy from the fire damage the previous year. It was late so we just made so. Turned out to be a pretty good site with clean water in the Pond.

The next morning we were treated to more stunning views and a river crossing by a canyon, our first real river on the trail where Anna got her feet wet (I managed to artfully boulder hop across – longer legs I guess). The forest gave way to a huge meadow with even closer views of Mt. Jefferson. A climb up a ridge and views of glacial tarns and breathtaking mountain scenery. I gotta say, Oregon so far has been almost as beautiful as home, but not quite. Our destination for the day was Ollalie Lake and it didn’t disappoint, we even managed to get the last cabin even though it said no vacancy on the board. No electricity, just a tiny cabin with a cute Kerosene lamp and beds with an old woodburner. Simple yet super cosy. The boys and Alabama camped in the hiker camping…..

Next up is our visit to Timberline Lodge and eventually the Oregon/Washington border……stay tuned!

Anna’s shoes had decided to begin disintegrating which wasn’t very timely given we had a few days of rough trail ahead of us across pumice fields. She managed to borrow the resorts computer (WiFi was shit) and ordered some to be collected from Elk lake in 4 days time. She would have to live with the shoes till then. Left the resort after breakfast and out on the trail. We had planned on hiking to a cabin situated about 15 miles away (24kms) but never made it past the 3rd of 3 gorgeous lakes. A swim at the first lake followed by another in the 3rd made for slow progress. We were eventually joined by Aquaman, Smokey and Alabama. An evening of guitar and singing plus a dice game taught to us by the boys. Cool!

The lake district just keeps delivering stunning views of gorgeous lakes. I stopped and took a photo of every single lake we passed much to Anna’s frustration ;). Caught up to Alabama (guess where he’s from..) and the boys who Anna had changed their trail names to Sam and Frodo – the new names suited them better I guess :). We swam and camped at a lovely lake while the rest continued on another 5 miles. Who’s give a relatively Mossie free lake front view for an unknown campsite? We certainly wouldn’t. 14 miles (23kms) is enough some days.

The sunrise next morning across the lake made the decision to stay even better. What a stunning sight! I’ve stopped counting the number of sunrises and sunsets I’ve seen but I never tire of them – I pinch myself every day to be privileged enough to experience these things. A 22 mile (35.5km) day saw us catch up with Sam, Frodo and Alabama (also GuineaFish) at a stunning lake with peninsula to camp on. Dumbell lake (named for it’s shape) turned out to be great bar the Mossies. A swim on arrival, erected the Palace, campfire already going, dinner and followed by music, singing and another Dice game. Lovely people in a stunning place.

Elk lake resort was only 5 miles (8kms) down the track so the next day it didn’t take long to arrive, a swim at the lake on arrival, then coffee and food. Also had a shower and picked up Anna’s new shoes. More food in the afternoon then headed out late to do another 5 miles along the trail rather than stay at the resort. Anna almost instantly had issues with her new shoes and put her old ones back on. Salomons like her previous pair but a slightly different model and just a tad narrower by the pinky toe. We’ll have to replace them in Bend in another couple of days. We’d moved into a totally different eco-system – Lava fields and Alpine meadows a bit like the Volcanic Plateau at home. We camped just before the start of the Obsidian zone where no camping is allowed. Colder evening with rain threatening.

Day 112 on the trail and it’s the first night we’ve had showers all night on the tent and woken in the morning to showers as well. An eerie atmosphere with low cloud and drizzle made for a stunning morning walk through what looked like Mordor. Quite beautiful and harsh all at the same time. Met a Mum hiking the whole of Oregon with her 2 kids aged 12 and 9, go Mum! With Anna’s shoe issue we decided to head to Bend early and luckily got a lift with a woman we met on the trail doing a 3 day hike around the Sisters mountains. Straight into Sisters (township) then a bus to Bend, Motel found and night shared with Alabama. Tent fly dried, showered and Uber’d to REI to replace Anna’s shoes. All sorted.

A resupply the following morning, a huge 2nd breakfast in a diner then a lift by the Uber guy from last night to the trail head meant we were back on trail by 2pm and 12 miles later we were at the Youth Camp by a huge lake. Palace up, sunset across the lake, coffee and bed. Another great day!

Crater Lake is one of several highlights of the PCT and it didn’t disappoint. Breakfast at the historic lodge on the rim of the crater, flash place for hikers to be eating. Not only is Crater Lake a highlight for PCT hikers but also a tourist mecca as we were to find out. Traversed the rim trail, a PCT alternate (horses not allowed) which had stunning views of the lake. We were so fortunate to see the lake on such a glorious day, the fires in 2017 and 2018 in the vicinity meant many hikers didn’t get to see a thing. Every carpark with a viewing area around the lake was packed with cars and tourists – strange to have so many people around especially as they’re not carrying backpacks like us normal folks. Worth the visit, stunning on a fine day.

We camped in the forest, fewer Mossies thank goodness and no other hikers except of course Grant – nice! The following day saw us forced to wear headnets again until lunchtime where we found a slightly windy spot relatively Mossie free. Mt. Thielsen brought up the last of our steep snow banks which we had no trouble in crossing. By early afternoon we reached a lovely creek with a stunning campsite and panoramic view of the mountain, it also started spitting so we decided to stop for the day. Palace up, coffee, nap, book and listening to the rare sound of light rain on the tent roof. The drizzle passed by 6pm, a lovely dinner, more coffee and an early night.

On recent days we had passed numerous stands of dead and dying trees, not just a few but huge tracks of forest. This was not caused by fire damage but by a huge explosion in the Pine Beetle population. I found out later that the winters are not only shorter but also not as cold allowing the Pine Beetle numbers to soar. Lucky we’re here now to see the forests, at the current rate of infestation these forests may well go the way of those on the eastern seaboard in the States.

The following day we passed the “Oregon/Washington section high point” 7560 feet (2286m). A 35km day ended at a Mossie infested forestry road with a water cache. Also camping there were the Oregon boys (Smokey and Aquaman) and Alabama (Twister). Smokey and Aquaman carry a guitar and sang a few songs before bedtime – they love Jemaine and Bret from Flight of the Concords and played a couple of tunes – really cool!

Another longish day of around 34kms got us to Shelter Cove resort. We took the PCT alternate to pass by the lake area and were not disappointed. The lake areas are stunning and make for relatively flat walking. A great swim in Diamond View Lake with Diamond Peak in the background topped of the day, even better than the hot shower with towel provided at the resort. The trail follows Trapper Creek for the final few miles down to the resort, must be the prettiest creek we’ve followed for ages. Well worth doing the alternate. A zero day at the resort (camped in the poor mans area for PCT hikers out the back) meant plenty of eating to catch up – which we did with a vengeance.

After a double zero it can be hard to return to the trail but we were excited to move on as Oregon promised more delightful trail. A trail angel took us to the trail head after we shouted him coffee. Lovely walking until Grant did his ankle again – poor bugger! We even managed to hitch down the road at the end of the day to enjoy Fries, free beers and ice cream at the Green Springs Inn before walking up to the campground late evening.

First day of my new Oboz shoes had gone well so once we hit the next campground with a rubbish bin I threw out my old Solomons – 1000 trail miles plus tramps in NZ. Really lovely country, almost as nice as NZ. Stayed at the Sth Brown Mountain shelter after 20 miles (32kms). First ones there so we slept inside.

Nice night at the shelter, only a resident mouse scratching around during the night. Met Alabama (Twister) and a Canadian couple, nice chatting in the evening. Off to Fish Lake for a meal and a shower. Meant to carry on but Grant wanted to rest his ankle. Short day with time for swimming, reading and resting.

Day 100 – 5 July – Happy Birthday Ness! On this special day we decided to take an alternative trail to see the lake area which the main PCT skips. Can’t say enough about the beauty of the lakes but unfortunately for us we had entered Mossie country. Coming from NZ you’d think I’d be used to it but these “skeeters” were relentless, huge, angry and swarming. You needed a bug head net through the worst of it. Going to the toilet meant using Deet wipes on your exposed butt before being able to go to the loo – and that’s all I’m saying about that.

Back onto the PCT first thing in the morning after staying at Deer Lake. Today would see us back into the snow crossing Devils Peak where Anna glissaded down the back. 200 meters of snow sliding fun! After the peak we eventually had to walk through a large burn area, always slightly depressing but natural.

We seem to be part of a hiker bubble as around 20 tents all parked nearby us. Lots of others have skipped the Sierras and jumped northward either going northbound or south. Today we hiked to Mazama to collect our resupply box from the campground before hiking around Crater Lake. Box collected, showered, laundry done, Pizza eaten and a few miles hiked in the evening to top off another great day. I even met the local “Rangers” who posed for a quick photo…..and yes, those are guns they’re wearing.

Next up Crater Lake…..and beyond.