Day & Section Hikes Pacific Crest Trail: Washington. Adrienne Schaefer

I WOULD FIRST LIKE TO THANK my husband, John, for supporting me through all of the ups and downs of this bumpy adventure. I would also like to thank our two boys, Tye and Reid, for sitting through all of my pictures whenever I would return from a hike and being on their “best” behavior when I was gone. I am forever grateful to both my parents for supporting me through all of my crazy endeavors, and I owe my mom special thanks for hiking on trails that she would rather have read about.

This book would have never happened if it hadn’t been for Amanda and Judy Ford discovering this opportunity for me and encouraging me to pursue it. Tyler and Lindsay Kellet get special recognition for spending a semihypothermic afternoon on Little Giant Pass with me, and their words of advice helped make this book what it is.

Numerous folks kept me company on the trails, including Aaron Sherred, Mike and Maurisa Descheemaeker, Reggie Descheemaeker, Rebecca Lofgren, Terri, Stacy, Jen Glyzenski, Carla, Dani Reynaud, and Abby Pattison. Thank you to the crew from Carlton, John Jorgenson, Surya and Bhavesh Dimodica, and Zeke and Kathleen Hirschstein for sharing their amazing garden (are you sure it’s organic?) and their homes with me.

My good friends at Mount Rainier National Park kept me entertained on rest days, and Rebecca A., Andy, and Barry (my saving grace up at Three Lakes) made me feel right at home. While I’m a country bumpkin at heart, there’s nothing quite like a night of good wine and great food after a day’s hike; thanks to Bob and Sarah White for a memorable weekend in Portland. When I couldn’t drag anyone out, I could always count on my parents’ dog, Maggie, to join me. Come rain or shine, her enthusiasm to be out was contagious. I couldn’t have done the second edition if it weren’t for my dog, Lemah, who helped me carry all sorts of stuff into the Pasayten and Glacier Peak Wilderness Areas.

Thank you to all the men and women who braved the mountains when they were truly wild and who laid the foundation for what we have today. My hiking experiences would not have been nearly as enjoyable if not for the hard work of the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service employees who maintain our roads, trails, and bridges.

I could not have researched, written about, or hiked these trails without the help of countless other resources, including Dr. Fred T. Darvill Jr.’s Hiking the North Cascades; Ira and Vicky Spring and Harvey Manning’s 100 Hikes series; Chester Marler’s East of the Divide; Andy Selters’s Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon and Washington, also published by Wilderness Press; and the wonderful people at the Washington Trails Association who posted trip updates online. Their words were truly inspiring.

To all of the other people who touched my life in one way or another during this incredible journey through the Washington Cascades, thank you.

—Adrienne Schaefer

PREFACE

JUST OUTSIDE MOUNT ST. HELENS National Volcanic Monument lies the small town of Cougar, Washington. It’s your typical mountain town, complete with a diner, tavern, convenience store, and two RV parks. Normally I would continue down the road to a more primitive site, but exhaustion prevailed, and the next thing I knew I was driving by the neon flashing vacancy light of an RV park.

I knocked on the door and was immediately greeted by a friendly couple. They invited me into their home, and I told them I was looking for a tent site. They gave me a quick head-to-toe, and I suddenly became aware of how I must look: my legs covered with a thick coat of dust; my hair matted from too many days under a hat; my clothes a wrinkled, dirty mess. The woman spoke first, saying, “Well, it looks like you need to treat yourself to a good night’s sleep.” I informed her that I was on a budget, but she waved her hand, telling me not to worry. The next thing I knew, I was unlocking the door to a sweet little cabin with clean towels in hand.

Throughout my time exploring the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in Washington State, spontaneous moments like this were part of what made my trips so memorable. Whether it was fresh goat cheese from a gardener in Stehekin, homemade honey from a street vendor in Hood River, colorful veggies from the Twisp Farmers Market, or a hot cup of espresso from the hardware store in Plain, each mountain community surrounding the PCT had something unique to offer.

This book is a culmination of my experiences along a trail full of culture, history, and breathtaking scenery. Selecting my favorite hikes was no easy task. Like the communities that surround the PCT, each trail offers something special that sets it apart from the others. I found myself on numerous occasions saying, “I had no idea this place was so beautiful. This hike is definitely going in the book!” Or perhaps it was a bit of history that caught my attention, such as finding an old sheepherder trail or seeing the remnants of an abandoned fire lookout. In the end, I whittled them down to 33 spectacular hikes that stretched from the mighty waters of the Columbia River to the majestic peaks of the North Cascades.

The actual task of hiking all the trails was no easy feat. (I would be lying if I said my trip to Chain Lakes in a torrential downpour was a highlight of my hiking career.) But as time fades, memories of napping on sunbaked rocks, taking a dunk in alpine lakes, or watching alpenglow dance on snowcapped peaks replaces those less desirable moments.

This book will inspire you to discover a side of Washington State that you may have never seen, whether you’ve lived here your whole life or you’re just passing through. Hike with open eyes, and your journey through this beautifully diverse state will bring you as much fulfillment as I experienced while hiking these trails.

RECOMMENDED HIKES

BEST OVERNIGHT HIKES WITH KIDS

1 Gillette Lake

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