Days 137 to 142 (Miles 2467.3 to 2569.4)

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We heard from other hikers that Washington has a lot of steep ups and downs. This was definitely the case for the section of trail between Stevens Pass and Stehekin. We climbed 5500 to 6500 feet every day. We still managed to cover between 20 and 27 miles per day. We’re not in a hurry, but we can only carry 4 to 5 days worth of food. Hiker hunger.

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Massive slope failure at Kennedy Creek.
Massive slope failure at Kennedy Creek.
Crossing Kennedy Creek
We were tempted to check out Kennedy Hot Springs when we saw it on the map, but it's destroyed and abandoned... and haunted (according to the sign). The same flood event that took out the bridge and scoured the hillside buried the hot spring.
We were tempted to check out Kennedy Hot Springs when we saw it on the map, but it’s destroyed and abandoned… and haunted (according to the sign). The same flood event that took out the bridge and scoured the hillside buried the hot spring.

The trail alternated between dense mossy forests and high alpine ridges, reminiscent of Switzerland. We hiked around Glacier Peak for several days – we saw it from the south, west and north sides.

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Mica Lake
Mica Lake

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These shoes are not going to make it to Canada.
These shoes are not going to make it to Canada.
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Huckleberries in our breakfast granola! The best trail breakfast!

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On Day 141 we reached North Cascades National Park. From the High Bridge Ranger Station, we hopped on a shuttle bus to the tiny community of Stehekin.

Shuttle bus to Stehekin.
Shuttle bus to Stehekin.

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Lake Chelan - third deepest lake in North America, and on the PCT.
Lake Chelan – third deepest lake in North America, and on the PCT.
Stehekin Post Office - every surface was covered in hiker resupply boxes. I had new shoes waiting in one of these boxes!
Stehekin Post Office – every surface was covered in hiker resupply boxes. I had new shoes waiting in one of these boxes!

Stehekin is on the north end of Lake Chelan – the town can only be reached by boat, sea plane, or trail/shuttle. We spent two nights there. It was a fun and touristy place to take a day off. In the morning we rented bikes and took them down the Stehekin Valley. We visited the local bakery, Rainbow Falls, the town orchard, and a farm where we bought fresh goat cheese and a pound of cherry tomatoes. I spent the rest of the day eating that entire pound of cherry tomatoes.

Rob and Nemo picking apples.
Rob and Nemo picking apples.
Rainbow Falls
Rainbow Falls
Pie slices and a cinnamon roll, all with ice cream and whipped cream.
Pie slices and a cinnamon roll, all with ice cream and whipped cream.
At the farm. Those white boxes are beehives.
At the farm. Those white boxes are beehives.
Weekend tourists heading back to Chelan on Lady of the Lake.
Weekend tourists heading back to Chelan on Lady of the Lake.

In the afternoon, we swam in the lake. We spent the evening sitting on the lodge porch, chatting with other hikers.

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It would have been easy to stay up too late, but I really wanted to get enough sleep. Around 9:30pm I finally forced myself to go back to the hotel room to pack up our food bags and sleep.

4 thoughts on “Days 137 to 142 (Miles 2467.3 to 2569.4)”

  1. Sounds like you have drunk the huckleberry koolaid. Nothing better than warm huckleberry pie and huckleberry ice cream. You are so close to Canada you better start ending each sentence with “eh?”. As in, “We just hiked the PCT, eh.” Some of the coolest pix ever. Very impressive. Time for one last Labatts and a boring drive back south.

    1. Thanks Brian. And yes- even Rob has come around and started to like the huckleberries. No boring drive back – we’re flying out of Seattle! (But I’m not looking forward to the 2am bus from Manning Park to Seattle.)

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