Day 126, Hello Washington!

Part 5, Washington, Day 126

Hello Washington!

Miles: 12.20

Total Miles: 2155.88

Welcome to part 5! 

Cascade Locks was such a pleasant town to spend time in, and I didn't want to leave today. Some other hikers attempted to convince me to zero for a third day, but I refused. Like I always say, this trail isn't going to hike itself. I did feel sick though. I was dizzy again. This vertigo has been with me for the last 4 days. I'd see a doctor if there was one in town, but I decided to just hike and ignore it. I hope it's not the wrong decision. I left my room at checkout time around noon and walked into the hot, smoky day. I hung out with Crunchmaster, Beetlejuice, and Lebowski for a bit and I left Cascade Locks at 1pm. I was very excited to cross the Bridge of the Gods into Washington.

This is a toll bridge with no walkway. Only PCT hikers get to walk across at any time. 

I savored this walk and took my time. A lot of cars waved and honked at me and I got a few drive by high fives.

You can see the river far below. 

Halfway through, I crossed into Washington. To be honest, it was too hot to feel anything special. It was upper 90's out.

It still felt good to get here though.

I was ready to resume my home to Canada. Little did I know how hard this first ten miles would be. In Cascade Locks, I was at the lowest elevation on the PCT at 300 feet. I had to climb out of the Columbia Gorge nearly 4,000 feet in 10 miles. It was scorching hot out, and smoke from a fire on Mt. Adams filled the air.

Perhaps the hardest thing to deal with was my pack weight. I carried 8 days of food for the next 150 miles, and I think I could have packed lighter foods. My pack was at its heaviest weight ever, mainly because I also had to carry 3 liters of water to camp with. Today was a struggle to say the least.

The forest was very green and dense. The deeper I hiked into the forest, the stuffier and warmer the air became.

The smoke hazed over all the views:

Here's Gillette Lake. Lots of people relaxing here under the scenic power lines:

I filled up water here. My pack was so full that I had to carry 2 liters in my hands. I knew I'd be thirsty because of the heat, and I'm trying to hydrate more, so I had little choice but to lug water up the mountain.

I was lagging so much. I took many breaks and was drenched in sweat. My town legs were weak; 2 zeros really softened me up. 

It's embarrassing how heavy my pack is. 

I really started to feel natious here. The dizziness was constant, and it's beginning to really worry me.

My new shoes are comfy though. They look so innocent. The trail will thrash them soon enough. 

I felt pathetic today struggling with such low mileage. I hope to rebound tomorrow with an early start. I'll keep a close eye on my health though. I'm pretty stubborn, and the deeper I go into this remote wilderness, the more danger I'm in if something happens with this dizziness. 

Here's Table Mountain in the pic below. It has great views usually, but the smoke is killing the views today. The smoke could make an epic sunset though. 

I camped on a saddle at the top of the climb. It's the only spot available. I met a guy named Sierra Steve. He was nice but lingered silently for a few moments too long and things got awkward. I cooked ramen, but ate little of it. My appetite left me and I just feel sick. I'm so tired and hope that a decent nights sleep will help. 

I waited for the sunset. I have a great view of the West just a few feet from my tent. 

This is just beautiful...

Wow!

Good night!