5 days, 4 nights on the PCT:Section H from FR 23 (Trout Lake) to White Pass.

65 mi, +11,100 / -10,700 ft.

After some last minute snafus with transportation, Andy and Lai were able to successfully hitch from White Pass to FR 23, and met David there on Monday. David had already been hiking north on the PCT, starting from Cascade Locks several days earlier. The first section was a good 9 mile climb through a burn area that was several years old. We managed to set up camp just in time for a bit of rain, followed by heavy hail and a torrential downpour. Everyone was getting wet, even inside our tents.

The next few days were spent battling bugs and drying to dry our gear, often socked in with low clouds and mist. Just as we were coming up on Cispus Pass, the fog finally broke, and we had amazing views of the ridgeline across the valley. Crossing the pass and descending into Cispus Basin we had more amazing views and a few waterfalls, and pushed a bit further to find a great campsite on the side of the valley.

Morning greeted us with some great weather and dry tents on the 4th of July. We knew we were crossing the Knife's Edge that day, but had heard from other hikers that the high route was snow-free, and wasn't much to worry about. We ended up having lunch on top of the Knife's Edge, while watching a few day hikers scramble up Old Snowy. As more fog rolled in, we descended the Knife's Edge, and continued on a ridgeline hike with a cool breeze and limited visibility. Descending the back of the ridge, the skies cleared off for more amazing views to the north, and some more snow fields on the way down. We ended up camping with a retired couple from Montreal who were headed southbound, and had a fun time spending the last night around a campfire with them.

On the last day we had more good weather, and some nice views after walking through a burned area from last year. The views overlooking Shoe Lake and the basin afterwards were incredible. We finished up at White Pass, and were able to do some trail magic for 2 worn out hikers (Pathfinder and Drumstick) who were heading in to town for the night.

Pictures from David

Pictures from Lai and Andy