[pct-l] Washington Trail Conditions from Scott and Michelle

[Tom Griffin]

I promised a few more details about Scott Williamson and Michelle 
Turley's southbound thruhike. I had dinner with them July 17th at the 
Snoqualmie Pass Pancake House (they ate salads, not pancakes!). They are 
having a good trip but it is not without its challenges. Michelle's feet 
were really hurting--not blisters but terrible soreness. She is going to 
try different insoles. Michelle made her mileage most days but it was 
hard for her. They took an extra zero at Stehekin and again at 
Snoqualmie Pass. I think the blowdown along Agnes Creek was the most 
depressing part so far. Michelle said it was like being in hell.

Scott said it was he was going at about half the speed he is used to and 
that it was a hard pace for him. He's actually just as tired, he says, 
because he is on his feet for more hours of the day than is usual. Scott 
and I both explained to Michelle that she had just traveled one of the 
toughest sections of the entire PCT and that things should be getting 
easier for her southbound. I joked that it  is "downhill all the way to 
the Columbia River," which is stretching the truth (I know since I've 
section hiked the whole state). They don't plan to take another zero 
until they get to Cascade Locks.

As for the trail conditions, Scott says they took the road walk from 
Trinity to Highway 2 instead of the PCT detour that would have taken 
them over Little Giant and Boulder Passes. The Chiwawa River was running 
too high to ford, he explained. They ran into a section hiker who did 
take the detour northbound and was able to ford the Napequa River, but 
it took him a day to find a place to ford the Chiwawa. As I said in my 
earlier post, Scott suggests that northbound thruhikers stick to the 
original PCT even though the bridges are out on Mill Creek and the 
Suiattle Rivers, rather than the detour, when they come later this 
summer. There is still a large log at the Suiattle River crossing that 
hikers used last year to cross. But be prepared for lots of blowdowns.

Scott also said there are some washouts on the trail between miles 2408 
and 2415 along Chikamin Ridge in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness just north 
of Snoqualmie Pass. Stock cannot travel beyond Ridge and Gravel Lakes, 
he says. Hikers can make it, but you should be careful. Also, watch for 
an abandoned backpack with syringes near a tarn at Escandito Ridge in 
this section between Snoqualmie and Stevens Pass. The forest service 
later told Scott that this pack has been up there for four years and 
that a crew was going to investigate later this summer. I hope this 
doesn't turn out to be another John Donovan episode...

Tom "Bullfrog" Griffin
Seattle