Day & Section Hikes Pacific Crest Trail: Washington. Adrienne Schaefer
to Use This Guidebook
THE FOLLOWING SECTION walks you through this book’s organization, making it easy and convenient to plan great hikes.
The Overview Map, Map Key, and Legend
Use the overview map on the inside front cover to assess the exact locations of each hike’s primary trailhead. Each hike’s number appears on the overview map, on the map key facing the overview map, in the table of contents, and at the beginning of each hike profile.
The book is organized into three regions. The hikes within each region are noted as out-and-back day hikes, loop and semiloop day hikes, and overnight hikes in the map key (pages i–ii) and the table of contents. A legend that details the symbols found on trail maps appears on the inside back cover.
Trail Maps
In addition to the overview map on the inside cover, a detailed map of each hike’s route appears with its profile. On each of these maps, symbols indicate the trailhead, the complete route, significant features, facilities, and topographic landmarks such as creeks, overlooks, and peaks.
To produce the highly accurate maps in this book, I used a Garmin eTrex GPS unit to gather data while hiking each route, then sent that data to Wilderness Press’s expert cartographers. Be aware, though, that your GPS device is no substitute for sound, sensible navigation that takes into account the conditions that you observe while hiking.
Further, despite the high quality of the maps in this guidebook, the publisher and myself strongly recommend that you always carry an additional map, such as the ones noted in each profile opener’s “Maps” entry.
Elevation Profiles
Each hike also contains a detailed elevation profile that augments the trail map. The elevation profile provides a quick look at the trail from the side, enabling you to visualize how the trail rises and falls. Key points along the way are labeled. Note the number of feet between each tick mark on the vertical axis, or height scale. The height scales provide an accurate assessment of each hike’s climbing difficulty, so that flat hikes don’t seem steep and vice versa.
GPS Trailhead Coordinates
As noted in “Trail Maps” on the previous page, I used a handheld GPS unit to obtain geographic data and sent the information to the publisher’s cartographers. In the opener for each hike profile, the coordinates—the intersection of latitude (north) and longitude (west)—will orient you from the trailhead. In some cases, you can drive within viewing distance of a trailhead. Other hiking routes require a short walk to the trailhead from a parking area.
This guidebook expresses GPS coordinates in degree–decimal minute format. The latitude–longitude grid system is likely quite familiar to you, but here’s a refresher, pertinent to visualizing the coordinates:
Imaginary lines of latitude—called parallels and approximately 69 miles apart from each other—run horizontally around the globe. The equator is established to be 0°, and each parallel is indicated by degrees from the equator: up to 90°N at the North Pole and down to 90°S at the South Pole.
Imaginary lines of longitude—called meridians—run perpendicular to latitude lines. Longitude lines are likewise indicated by degrees. Starting from 0° at the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England, they continue to the east and west until they meet 180° later at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. At the equator, longitude lines also are approximately 69 miles apart, but that distance narrows as the meridians converge toward the North and South Poles.
As an example, the GPS coordinates for Hike 1, Gillette Lake, are as follows: N45° 39.110’ W121° 55.888’.
For more on GPS technology, visit usgs.gov or refer to Steve Hinch’s Outdoor Navigation with GPS (Wilderness Press).
The Hike Profile
1 SAMPLE PROFILE: Gillette Lake
SCENERY:
TRAIL CONDITION:
CHILDREN:
DIFFICULTY:
SOLITUDE:
DISTANCE: 5 miles
HIKING TIME: 2–3 hours
GREEN TRAILS MAP: Bonneville Dam 429
OUTSTANDING FEATURES: Access point to Table Mountain, a good early-season hike close to Portland and Vancouver. Hood River, Oregon, just 20 minutes away, offers great grub at its many cafés, wineries, and brewpubs.
The cool shade of the forest canopy provides relief on a hot, sunny hike to Gillette Lake.
IN ADDITION TO A MAP, each hike contains a concise but informative narration of the route, from beginning to end. This descriptive text is enhanced with at-a-glance ratings and information, GPS-based trailhead coordinates, and accurate driving directions leading from a major road to a parking area convenient to the trailhead.
At the beginning of each hike profile is an at-a-glance box that gives you easy access to the following information: quality of scenery, condition of the trail(s), appropriateness for children, difficulty, level of solitude expected, hike distance, approximate hiking time, and outstanding highlights of the trip.
The first five categories are rated from one to five stars. In the example on the previous page, the star ratings indicate that the scenery is passable but not great, the trail condition is good (one star would mean the trail is muddy, rocky, overgrown, or otherwise compromised), the hike is accessible for able-bodied children (a one-star rating would denote that only the most gung-ho and physically fit children should go), the hike is easy (five stars would be strenuous), and you can expect to encounter people on the trail (you may well be elbowing your way up the trail on one-star hikes).
Hiking times assume an average pace of 2–3 miles per hour, with time built in for pauses at overlooks and brief rests. Overnight hiking times account for the effort of carrying a backpack.
Following the key info and star ratings is a brief description of the hike. A more detailed account follows, in which trail junctions, stream crossings, and trailside features are noted, along with their distance from the trailhead. Flip through the book, read the brief descriptions, and choose some hikes that appeal to you.
Weather
WHEN MOST PEOPLE THINK OF WASHINGTON STATE, the word rain usually comes to mind. The truth is, however, that Washington weather is actually quite varied. West of the Cascade Crest it’s mild, with average temperatures ranging from the mid-70s in the summer to the mid-40s in the winter. The official rainy season begins in November and lasts through April. Weather east of the crest is marked by a much warmer summer, with average temperatures in the 90s. In the winter, snow levels drop to around 1,500 feet and temperatures dip into the low 20s. Occasionally, the difference in these two climates is dramatic, with bluebird skies in the east and a thick, dark wall of clouds hovering directly on the crest.
What does all this mean for the mountains in Washington? Lots and lots of snow! Some of the heaviest snowfall in the Lower 48 occurs on the PCT. While snow enthusiasts love this, avid hikers scurry from trailhead to trailhead to cram in as much hiking as possible before the snowflakes fly. To take full advantage of a hiking season in the Cascade Mountains, consider the pros and cons of where to go and when to head out.