5th September
Mileage 28
Pear Lake (2494.3) to Bushcamp (2522.3)
Miles to Canada 137.8 (221km)
Today must rate in my top 5 best days on the PCT. That’s a big call considering some of the special scenery and experiences I’ve been party to. Maybe I was in a great mood due to not being snowed on or rained on, although I did get a small amount of rain.
My morning consisted of hiking through clouds with little or no views. I should have seen some stunning views of Glacier Peak but the Washington weather had other ideas. Slowly I climbed to possibly my highest elevation for the rest of the trail as I crested the high ridges of Glacier Peak Wilderness. The weather was still overcast and threatening.
While hiking I found a patch of blueberries. I had to stop. I ate as much as possible in about 15 minutes, then I started to get cold so continued hiking. There were lots of people camping and hiking in this area, it’s the labour day weekend so the crowds are out.
Crowds is not a good choice of words to describe the 20 or so hikers and campers in the area. If I lived in Washington I’d hike this area! In fact, considering how stunning this area is, why are there not thousands of people hiking and camping here.
I descended the high ridges and entered a bright green rainforest. Mountain streams, mushrooms and moss all protected by the large trees. There hadn’t really been any rainforest to speak of on this trip and I guess this is technically not really a rainforest, but it looked like one.
I stopped so many times to stare at a stream or just soak up the greenness of the forest. All too soon it was getting dark. I set up my tent alone among the greenness.
Next : Day 142 Hardest Day on the PCT
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