Miles Hiked: 31.3
PCT Mileage: 2417.1
I woke up and started hiking North from Rockpile Lake at 6am today. I was planning on taking lots of breaks but surprisingly I felt really good. I made it 17 miles before stopping. The views were gorgeous today until the burned section. This section of trail goes through Mount Jefferson wilderness. It is the Lions Head Closure that just recently opened after being closed for three years. The trail was totally fine. I’m not sure why it was closed for so long. They said it was dangerous but I think people should be able to assume their own risk. It didn’t seem any different than any other part of the trail to me. I ran into both Cam and Booster hiking southbound. We just found out the last section of trail I had been evacuated from just opened. Unfortunately I was already hiking the opposite direction with plans to get to Washington tomorrow. I’ll come back and do it when I’m done with the trail in Canada. I found trail Diva and Midnight around lunch time. After the really ugly burn zone, there was a pretty part that was saved with great views of Mount Jefferson. I ran into a ranger who checked my permit. The second time I’ve had it checked on the trail.
Trail Diva went ahead to be with her boyfriend and Midnight and I lazily hiked the last ten miles to Ollalie together. We are both falling apart and are so tired of all the logistics. I can’t wait to be back in Washington hiking north! Back at Ollalie Lake, Kurt gave me an orange soda and a sandwich. Perfect for dinner! I was thankful. We drove three hours out of the woods and across the Columbia River into Washington. We stayed at an air b and b to charge all of our things, take showers, and do laundry before heading back to Stevens Pass.
Happy Trails!
-Early Bird
Des Hikes Thru 