We’d summited Rainier, we’d accomplished the goal we’d traveled to Washington to accomplish but we were still hungry for more. The hope was to get a permit to climb Mt. Saint Helens, the route is about 9 miles with 4,600’ of vertical gain, compared to Rainier it would have been a walk in the park. As we left Mt. Rainier National Park and headed for Aberdeen, Washington we tried to get permits but the system was confusing so we figured we’d call the National Forest Service the next day with hopes they’d be able to point us in the right direction. Aberdeen was a treat, hot showers and soft beds at a nice little motel, beers at the local brewery and a nice dinner for Emily’s birthday that day. It was nice to celebrate what’d we’d done and relax for a little bit before we were off on whatever adventure was awaiting us the next day. When I woke up, I immediately called the Forest Service, they had less than stellar news…. Apparently two years before, the permit system for St. Helens moved online. All the permits for the month get released on the 1st of the month at noon that day, the only way to legally climb the mountain is getting one of those permits. Sometimes people cancel their permits and some will appear but it’s not often, and with my personal experience with Recreation.gov, canceling a permit is a pain in the ass…. Climbing St. Helens was likely out of the question for this trip. We continued north along the Olympic Peninsula to Forks, Washington to scratch Lizzie’s Twilight itch and to scratch my itch to go to the beach. We did a little driving tour and then eventually found our way out to the Washington coast near La Push. The cool ocean breeze, sound of the crashing waves and hazy sky were a treat to my soul. There is always something magical to me about wandering through the coastal rainforest and coming out on an isolated beach. If I were to live anywhere in the US besides Colorado, it’d be Washington… After a full day on the Olympic coast we headed down to Portland to meet up with some friends for the next two days before swinging north back towards Seattle and the Skykomish Valley. Our friend Sam had invited us to go climb Mt. Index with him. We had no idea what we were signing up for but gladly joined at the offer. Sam met us as the sun was setting and we started our drive high up the mountain side. We zigged and zagged up old logging roads, gained almost 2,000’ vertical feet in a couple of switchbacks. Eventually we found a little spot to pull off and sleep for the night, it was a pleasant slumber before the long day we didn’t know was ahead of us the next day. By 6AM we were on the trail and climbing quickly, the trail seemed to go straight up. It was a perfect Washington morning, low cloud cover, cool and moist. The trail climbed through thick under growth before going through different layers of old burn and logging zones. Each time we thought we were reaching the top, the trail seemed to climb higher. Eventually we did find a break in the climb with beautiful views out across the valley. The low cloud cover brought out the sky islands and it was a magnificent sight.
Once we got to the final chute up to Mt. Perdex I knew the day was done. A 100’ snow field laid between us and the summit, some of us had bought ice axes, some of us had brough microspikes but none of us had brought the right gear to climb that gulley. Sam, Lizzie and Emily tried to find a way around it to no avail, they cliffed out about 100’ to its side. Once we all regrouped, we quickly traversed and climbed up to Mt. Persis enjoying the summit views of Glacier Peak, Mt. Shucksan and Mt. Baker off in the distance before descending for an afternoon swim in the alpine lake. It was a nice day in the mountains even though we hadn’t gotten the peak we were aiming for. It was a beautiful minor summit and a beautiful afternoon swim. After a knee battering downhill, we arrived back at the car and were off for pizza and beer. A few days later Lizzie and Emily would leave back to their homes and I would work from Seattle for the rest of the week before one final adventure in the PNW, a visit to Kat on the PCT in Sisters, Oregon. In the two weeks that I had been wandering around Washington, Kat had already walked almost 300 miles to central Oregon. She was working her way through the beautiful Three Sisters Wilderness when I caught up to her near Santiam Pass. We got to enjoy a tasty lunch in Bend and a relaxing evening in Sisters, smelly Kat even got a nice warm shower before she headed back out to trail. Seeing Kat in Sisters was a nice crossroads for us, she was doing well on her journey north and I had done what I mainly came to the PNW to do and was ready to go home. Kat and I hiked out to Wasco Lake just off the PCT and had one last evening together before she’d continue north and I’d head home to Colorado. We talked a lot about what the next few weeks had instore for both of us. We enjoyed some luke warm beers and a swim in the beautiful lake. I thought about how lucky we were that we had this moment to relax on each of our journeys, it was a nice way to cap off my trip. I’d wake up on Saturday and drive 18 hours home to Colorado Springs, a very long drive. I’m back now, and still pretty tired to be honest. As much as traveling is refreshing and a nice break, being home is also pretty nice. I learned a lot on this trip, to plan downtime, to pace myself, to understand the task at hand and how to complete it safely. Rainier was a pivotal moment for me and wandering around the PNW had me thinking a lot about where I want to end up long term. I’ve still got plenty of time to figure out what’s next but stay tuned for my last adventure of the summer, 11 days traversing the Wind River Range in Wyoming.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
BEn ShawThe Hopeless Wanderer Trips
September 2024
|