[pct-l] Visas and passes?? (Josh 'the Brit' Henderson)

[Anthony Culpepper]

Josh, 

If you wish to remain in the US, I suggest that you look into arranging a ferry
from Ross Lake Dam to Hozomeen Camp.  From Hozomeen Camp you would hike
south along Hozomeen Creek, cross low pass, and then join the Lightning Creek drainage
from here you intersect the Boundary Trail.  By proceeding east on the Boundary
Trail you will intersect the PCT at Castle Pass a couple of miles south of the
border.  It is an easy hike to the border and back from here.  In all
you will be adding 1-2 days to your hike.  If memory serves, the ferry is
not cheap, around $100US to Hozomeen.  However, I believe the price is per
boat and not person.  The ferry service is provided by Ross Lake
Lodge.  The non ferry option would be to begin your hike at the Panther
Creek Trail Head to the east of Ross Lake.  From here you would hike north
along the East Bank Trail, which for the most part hugs the eastern shore of
Ross Lake.  This trail eventually joins the aforementioned Boundary
Trail.  I would suggest the East Bank Trail as it provides you with an
easy first day, not to mention the hike along the lake is very scenic.  If
you were to hike from the south end of Ross Lake, I would, conservatively, add 2-3
days to your first segment.



Unfortunately, there is no public transport to Ross Lake.  The closest you
can get to Ross Lake, via Skagit Transit, is Concrete, WA.  Note, this bus
route leads out from Burlington, WA, where you have several options as to
access from Seattle.  From Concrete you would need to hitch or arrange a
ride to Newhalem, WA.  In Newhalem you will find the North Cascades
Visitor Center.  Here you can obtain any permits you may need, i.e. if you
are planning to camping in the Hozomeen area or along the East Bank Trail (this
is within the Ross Lake National Recreation Area not North Cascades National
Park).  This is also the place to check on trail conditions.  From
Newhalem it is a very easy hitch to Ross Lake.



Good luck with the visa process and with the hike.





Anthony Culpepper 

Trippin Ant





-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/attachments/20080105/b9f375d6/attachment.html