PNC Days 6-8 – Into & out of the snow!

This stretch of trail took us through the rainforest, then high into the snow-covered Olympic Mountains, and then down out of the mountains to lower (and safer) elevation. We walked through S’Klallam and Coast Salish ancestral lands.

Day 6 – PNT Mile 98.8 – Olympic Mountains

It was slow moving today, but the trail didn’t disappoint with variety! We started at low elevation in the rainforest. I’m pretty sure we mentioned this already… but the rain forest is wet! I put on my waterproof socks right away this morning and they helped. We spent the morning walking uphill, and when we got to 2800 feet we spotted the first snow. As we went higher snow increased, and on north faces above 3,500 feet or so it is nothing but snow. On previous hikes we’ve always started in the desert and hiked northbound, so it is strange to be dealing with snow so early into our trek. Fortunately we got plenty of experience in the snow last summer in Colorado on the CDT, and so far the snow in the Olympics hasn’t been any worse than we can safely handle (it’s close though). When we got to where we thought we’d camp there was no site — it is somewhere under the snow. We found a clearing in the snow under a tree and pitched our tent there. It isn’t flat, but it’s working fine 👍. For dinner we had peanut butter noodles. Yum! -T

Day 7 – PNT Mile 97.7 (made it to 101.6 then turned back) – Too much snow

We continued through the snow hopeful it would get easier at some point. Yesterday’s clouds cleared, and we had stunning views—snow covered mountains all around with the ocean in the distance! The walking got harder and harder as the morning went on though. After a mile or so, the trail became a traverse along the side of the mountain. There was no trail or footprints to follow, so Tim led the way kicking steps into the snow on the side of the mountain. Our speed was less than a mile an hour. As we got higher, the slope below us got steeper making a potential fall more and more dangerous. At one point there were some trees not far below us, and Tim fell and slipped 15-20 ft down the side of the mountain and hit a tree. He was ok! It was quite a scare though. We looked at our maps and saw that the traverse continued for miles and the elevation continued to increase. We decided to turn around. There was a trail junction a few miles back with a different trail heading down and out of the mountains. It was a bit demoralizing, but we will find a different route to hike around the Olympic Mountains at lower elevation. -R

PNT Day 8 – Alternate Mile 21.8 – Dry and sunny

Today we did a lot of reflecting as we walked downhill from the snowy mountains. On previous thruhikes, snow has never forced us onto an alternate route. But, our previous thruhikes have always started in the south, not the north like this one. At the end of the day, we’re confident this was the right decision, even if it is still hard to swallow a day later. The weather today was perfect. Sunny, dry, and warm. We got cell service as we got lower, and we were able to download maps and find an alternate route that will take us around the northern rim of the mountains. We even found a bike path we will walk on for a bit — the Olympic Discovery Trail. We are camped in a beautiful old-growth forest above Crescent Lake. For dinner we had chili with noodles. Yum! -T