PNT - Ross Lake, WA to Puget Sound!

The Final Week - Ross Lake to Puget Sound  Mileage: 160

Day 1 - I was dropped off at the Diablo Lake information center, which I quickly learned was the wrong access point for Ross Lake Resort.  I had a 5 mile walk ahead of me just to pick up my food for the week, but the skies were looking promising, and it was a nice easy walk along Diablo Lake.  I arrived at the resort about an hour and a half later, and threw all my gear on the dock to organize and pack up all my food.  I took my time, and by 1pm, the rain had moved back in.

I started down the trail in a light drizzle, and by the time I arrived at Luna Camp around 7:30 it had turned to a downpour.  Thanks to good packing at the resort, things in my pack were nice and dry, and I found a comfortable spot that was somewhat sheltered from the rain.  It had not been the most pleasant day of hiking, and I already was questioning whether it was a mistake to come back out here in uncertain weather.

Day 2 - I woke up very late at 8:15.  Turned out that this was sign of things to come today.  Light clouds in the morning turned to sun (it does exist!) around 9:30 and I had blue skies for the rest of the day.  Amazing!  The walk to Whatcom pass went pretty slowly, though the trail wasn't difficult.  In my day of rest at home, my body seems to have gotten used to relaxing, and fast walking just wasn't in the cards today.  The climb up the pass was steep, but I maintained my tortoise pace like a champ.  Views along the river valley and from the top are great.  The steep valley with glacial streams every half mile almost reminded me of Glacier Park back in Montana.

Unfortunately, I discovered that my camera isn't working.  Must have drained the battery accidentally at home.  Oops!  Anyway, I found a nice campsite and set up without rain for a change!  Let's hope things can stay this way for a few days.

Day 3 - To make up for a late start and short miles yesterday, I made sure to get going real early this morning.  The fact that it wasn't raining helped a lot.  Packing up a dry tent was almost enjoyable.  Almost.  Just as I finished packing up, a light sprinkle started.  Talk about good timing!

It rained lightly until I made it to the top of Hannegan Pass, where I performed some minor foot repairs and enjoyed a snickers bar.  The trail from the Mt Baker Hwy up to Hannegan pass is apparently quite popular, and I must have passed 75 people on their way up for the weekend.  I had easy walking down, and got a pretty quick hitch from the trailhead down to the town of Glacier for a hot lunch at Chair 9 restaurant.

30 minutes of waiting after lunch got me a ride up to Artist's Point where I could pick up the trail again.  The Great Backpacker here might have left his wallet in the car and got extremely lucky to flag it down again as it left 20 minutes later.  The trail down past Lake Ann is a regular highway, and very easy walking.  The turnoff to the Swift Creek trail is nicely signed, but clearly unused.  Amazingly, the trail has been brushed out very nicely sometime in the past few years, and it was real easy to follow.  I found a great campsite and called it an easy day around 6:30.  I had a light dinner of that classic berry pickers' meal: equal parts granola and huckleberries.  Yum!

Day 4 - I woke up this morning to a heavy fog.  Normally, I love early morning hiking, but in this fog, it just seemed a little creepy.  Wandering down a clearly unused trail in a suffocating fog, you can almost feel the terrible things waiting in the still grayness.  Bigfoot.  The Swamp Thing.  The Octomom.

Other than that, not much to report today.  I had a lot of old road walking, and the mosquitoes down near Baker Lake are the worst I've ever encountered.  Future PNT hikers would do well to skip the trail up Mt. Josephine.  Take the Les Hilde cutoff trail...you won't be missing any views from the top, and I got two bee stings.  Not worth it!

Day 5 - Today was the first morning in 10 days of hiking that I've put on dry shoes.  It was amazing!  No instantly uncomfortable feet!  Of course, it only lasted about 4 hours before some swampy trail on the Gurdgieff connector trail put an end to it.  The walk up Lyman Hill was boring and consistently steep.  It drizzled on me for most of the day and there were no views to speak of.  I couldn't find water anywhere on the backside of the mountain, and had to break down and ask some nice old lady on Hwy 9 if I could fill up from her hose in the backyard.  She clearly wasn't buying my story of hiking, but I got my water anyway.  I set up a sad last campsite of the PNT in the powerline right-of-way, under the crackling transmission towers.  Ironically, it was the nicest sunset I've seen all trip.

Crossing I-5

Day 6 - It was an easy walk up and over Anderson Mountain today and down into Alger for my crossing of I-5.  I stopped after only 15 miles to stay in a cheap motel in Alger and enjoy one last hotel.  Met a friend for dinner in Burlington.  The Trainwreck Bar & Grill is recommended!  Only one more day and I think I'm done with the PNT.

Day 7 - I started late, but only have to cover about 15 miles on my last day of hiking here in the PNT.  I've got some mixed emotions over my finish, but I think I'm ready to be done.  I had a few hours of quiet road walking to prepare for the sudden end to my trip.  The trails up and over Oyster Dome were nice walking, and I took my time before dropping down to Chuckanut Drive and the end of my hike.  Suddenly, I popped out onto the highway, and that was it.  No parades.  No fireworks.  Just a busy highway and happy day hikers.  I sat around for about 15 minutes, winding down, and then stepped out to hitch a ride back home.

I think I'm glad to be finished.  I definitely don't have the desire to walk Whidbey Island, as I pretty much bike toured the exact route last summer.  I've also spent my fair share of time in the Olympics, and though I'll definitely be back this summer, I don't know if I'll walk the PNT route.  There are some other areas I'd like to explore, and it's definitely going to be more fun to do it with a friend or two.  We'll see what happens I guess.  It's weird to be home and suddenly have to think about what shirt I'm going to put on, or how I'm going to fill my day, or go grocery shopping.  I'll get used to it I'm sure, but it will take some adjusting.

Anyway...thanks to the PNTA and everyone I've talked with along the way.  Though the trail wasn't always enjoyable, it was rewarding in its own way.  Probably would have been more fun to have a buddy on the trail, but spending 4 to 5 days without seeing another person gave me a sense of enjoyment and adventure as well.

Finished!

If anyone has plans or questions about a future hike on the trail, feel free to get in touch with me.  I'd be happy to talk more about my experience (as if you weren't already sick of hearing about it).