One Pan Wonders

Yeah yeah. I know. This is way late. But I finally got it typed up and thought I'd share... For those who are interested. Writing it up helped fuel my PCT obsession, however. Now I'm looking at a 117 mile section for 2010.

Day 5 Deception Lakes to Stevens Pass

19+ miles

We awoke early. Jared came and shook my tent a little before 6am, but I was already up. We took about an hour to break camp, intending to have breakfast a bit further down the trail so we weren’t inhaling bugs with our coffee> We were on the trail by 6:45am.

The day started with the bugs following us up a long steep and hot climb to Pieper Pass. Then the trail drops back down via long, hot and rocky switchbacks to a bench where we got a great view of distant Glacier Peak. It seemed we kept getting closer and closer to Glacier Lake, but never actually arriving there.

There were a few minor stream crossings on our way down, and I soaked my bandanna every chance I got. The trail passes above Glacier Lake and meets up shortly after with the Surprise Lake Trail. The trail climbs again, above Surprise Lake via long hot and brushy switchbacks to Trap Pass.

I insisted that we take a short break here. I was overheating and needed both to cool off and have a snack. There wasn’t much shade – it was quickly approaching noon, but we found a log to sit on. The boots came off temporarily and I got my snack. We didn’t have time to dawdle though, if we were going to make it back before dark.

From here, I started to look at the mini sections – how many miles until the next landmark on the trail? I was checking the guidebook just about every mile, but it did make me hike a bit faster, knowing what was coming up next that I could look forward to.

We got to Hope Lake around 2 or 3pm and broke for lunch. Again, the boots came off. We were both having foot troubles and Jared toyed with the idea of fishing until we saw all the day hikers swimming. Day hikers!! We hadn’t seen any day hikers in 5 days, not since Kendall Katwalk. I knew then that we must be getting close to home.

Hope Lake is also a major intersection, with several trails converging on its shores. We spent a bit of time picking huckleberries before heading back on down the trail.

Next “stop” was Mig Lake, just 0.7 miles uphill. It is very pretty, with large flat campsites and cotton grass along its shores. We were climbing again, but graced with views of more lakes – Swimming Deer then Josephine. We passed the Icicle Creek Junction, and not far beyond that we could see the fire damage from a few years back (2005?).

The trail drops down a ravine into talus as we approached sparkling Lake Susan Jane. We stopped briefly to resupply water and have a snack, but it was getting late. We couldn’t afford to stop for long.

Just past the lake we could see the power lines and other structures of the Stevens Pass Ski area. We had dropped down to Lake Susan Jane, but the trail was climbing back up the backside of Stevens Pass.

The switchbacks were short and steep. As they evened out and got longer and less steep, we were blessed with huge ripe huckleberries. We were hiking and eating as fast as we could do both at the same time. We should have skipped the huckleberry picking at Hope Lake and spent more time picking here.

When we reached the top of the chairlifts we called home to check in and I called my dad to come and pick us up. We were just five miles from the trailhead and despite my sore knee and aching blistered feet, I turned on the turbo boosters and left poor Jared in the dust. I was ready to be home and clean. He was taking it slow, having foot problems of his own.

I let him catch up with me and we walked out the last quarter mile or so together. My dad was already there waiting for us – and didn’t even comment on how bad we smelled.

We got off the trail around 7:30 or 8pm, but by the time we drove down the pass, nothing good in the way of food was open (and there was no way I was going to put my boots back on!). We ended up going through the Jack in the Box drive through – French fries and OJ for me, a full on greasy burger, Oreo shake and fries for Jared.

Jared’s truck was at my house and he still had a 2 hour drive back home. Meanwhile, I showered, and then took a long hot bath. Even after that my hands and feet were still dirty!

I spent the next day downloading photos, decompressing and eating anything that would sit still long enough for me to shove it in my mouth.