Seasons Greetings from Dianne Hoff and Jim Stiles
2105 turned out to be a low snow—high backpacking year. Each of us marched over 300 miles (480 km) in the states of Washington and Oregon. Here, we are on a short repeat of one of our favorite hikes south of Chinook Pass in the Mt. Rainier area.
Arranging transportation, called a “shuttle”, is actually the most difficult part of hiking long trails. Somehow one needs to start far from home and finish farther from home. Two cars are usually employed, so this means finding friends, or making friends, to help with shuttling. Linda Sheehan and Billie Butterfield are both doing the PCT, so we can share shuttle duties. Here we are leaving our Ford at what will be the end of our backpack of the Goat Rocks section—a backpack that was the most scenic of any in the scenic state of Washington.
Glenn Eades has helped us with several shuttles. Here we are above the Stevens Pass ski area about to start down the Stevens to Snoqualmie 61 mile (100km) section of the PCT.
When we were not hiking on the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail, 2600 miles, 4200 km from Mexico to Canada) other hikes add to our mileage. Dianne supports the Mountains to Sound Greenway, a project aimed at preserving the wooded countryside surrounding the I90 Interstate highway east of Seattle.
A very low snow year yielded the opportunity to hike into Washington State’s Enchantment plateau before the permit season quota. It also gave us a chance to camp with the wildlife before the crowds arrived.
The early season snow melt Put water over a dam we had to tread over. Bare feet on sharp rocks. Did it twice. Each of us. Questionable sanity. Each of us.
73 year olds can backpack if they use very light gear. Our tent and backpacks come from a company in Florida called ZPacks.com. Together they weigh a little more than 2 pounds (1kg). Our sleeping and cooking gear is also very light. The big weight comes from us, of course, followed by our food: 1 1/2 pounds (750g) a day for each of us.
Hazards of backpacking include forest fires. This was the Blankenship blaze north of Suiattle Pass. It closed the PCT for over a month.
While not really hazards, unless they fall on you, are the blowdowns that festoon the more remote areas. The Glacier Peak trail section had hundreds.
Occasionally there is time for a bit of relaxation.
Dianne has a keen interest in clouds. Washington has a good supply, but not usually like these. A dry year has its benefits.
Happy trails to you. Keep smilin’ until then. Wherever you go in 2016, have your own adventure.
