The Wall of Snow

We started hearing horror stories about the snow on the trail while in Stehekin 9/28-9/29, but by the time we got to Mazama and Winthrop 9/30, the stories had whipped into a terrible tale of impassable “walls of snow,” irreconcilable avalanche and hypothermia dangers, etc. etc. There’s a great blog post that talks about the chaos on the PCT during this time and about the ill-fated group that headed north one day ahead of us (October 2).

The group of PCT hikers who went out October 2. Most turned back.

I decided to ignore the stories and see for myself. By then I’d learned that fear-mongering was really shit-thick on the trail, and that it did me no good.

I formed a team of four for safety (including a South African who had never seen snow before), and waited for the weather reports to look just so, and went for it…

Our preparations

An extra day or two of food, an extra fleece layer, crampons, and snowshoes. There, ready!

Goofing with El Jefe. I'd met him the day before and we spent the night in the public bathroom at Rainy Pass to keep from freezing.

Chozen One (left) as it turns out hiked out before anyone, in sneakers, and laid trail. His film crew (right), Cherub, and El Jefe, consider the risks of heading into the snowy North Cascades.

Hotel room preparations included a lot of snowshoe dancing in our brand new snowshoes.

Laughing nervously, headed “out to die.”

Walking over walls of snow

Cherub’s first icicle was not a small one.

It was here we decided it was time to don the snowshoes. I’d say there was 12-16″ fresh powder on the first pass.

Night Rider was having a difficult time walking those last 60 miles. Her horse, Valentino, HATES snow. They were turning back. After a month of trying, they finally finished in November.

October 4, 10:12am. Headed to Harts Pass to dry out in the public toilet despite the government shutdown. Mount Ballard in the background.

October 4, 5:55pm. Could have slept low and out of the snow near Horse Heaven down there, but ended up pushing huge miles back up to elevation near Glacier Pass – and made camp in the dark – in the snow.

Cherub looking cool, getting the hang of this "snow" stuff.

October 5, 1:07pm

October 5, 6:07pm. A race to find camp before sundown.

Mine and Cherub's last camp on the PCT, 2013. I built snow walls to block the wind. Probably the coldest night I've ever had on trail!

It was a tricky four days of cold and wet feet, postholing, and way-finding, but it was also super fun. I love snow. Turns out two of our team, , had a romance brewing (a total surprise for me) and they split off, leaving Cherub and I to hike as partners. This was great, because Cherub was my favorite person, and it was charming to see her learn all about snow and tough it out to the end despite a serious tendonitis. She’s one tough chick!

As far as the snow and weather went, it was amazing what a difference one day made. I’m super thankful to the crew who went out the day before and blazed trail, as they did the bulk of my navigating work for me. But I’m also super thankful I waited a day. Their first day out looked hellish, whereas my group had pretty good weather all four days.

That insane moment where it starts to sink in that you’ve finished walked 2668 miles!

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