DAY 161: STEHEKIN

miles: 25ish

We didn't know it yet, but this would be the last 25 miles we hike on the PCT this year.

The snow started falling again at some point in the middle of the night. I say "again" because, although it never snowed on us in any significant way during this section, the first day out of Stevens Pass would bring a startling realization that the higher elevations were already sporadically seeing blizzard-like conditions. I'm not sure if I already mentioned it, but that first evening, as we left Stevens Pass, was alarming. As we gained elevation, losing daylight quickly, in the downpour, we passed numerous strong hikers going the wrong direction. All of them bringing bad news.

"Turned around due to snow"

"Too much snow up there"

"White out conditions"

"I told myself I'd go home when it started snowing"

"Maybe next year"

Goku, a fellow hiker we'd hiked with off and on in the beginning of the trail, went as far as to pull out his digital camera and show us what awaited us at the top. Thick snow, and zero visibility.

OKAY! It was enough to scare the shit out of me.

That first night out was the first time Ben and I had a serious (and upsetting) discussion about the possibility of "not" finishing. Neither of us wanted to believe that we were even having such a discussion. The reality was setting in that, as much as we didn't want to believe it, our hiking season had come to an end. This was no longer a 3-season hike. It was now a 4-season endeavor - full blown winter was upon us.

Even though a mere 4 days had passed between that first night in Section-K and this last day into Stehekin, we were allowed much short-term reflection time as we descended into the valley, aiming for our final town stop.

Packing our things up in a light drizzle, we were pretty excited, actually, and eager to arrive in Stehekin, as it had been somewhat of a legend in our minds for so long.

Stehekin.

That mystical place that means you are almost to Canada. The place of final pick ups/drop offs/send outs/duties. Where we would pick up our border libations and run gleefully into Canada a few short days later...

We were anxious to get get there. Not only because it was a very important milestone, practically signifying our completion of the trail, but also because we were quite wet and miserable at this point, more than ready to dry out our bodies and gear. Pining for a (preemptive) celebratory high-five and cold beer.

First thing on the agenda, however, was a moderate climb that brought us up in elevation enough to place us in the midst of an active snow storm. Shuffling along with great speed (tricky due to slippery conditions) we made the miles in order to begin our descent rapidly. We were on a strict time schedule - the bus that shuttles people to and from Stehekin only comes a few times a day and the last bus leaves at 4:15pm and we were 25 miles from that bus stop.

Ben and I were practically running.

The beginning of a snow event, just before we lost elevation, relieving us from any potential weather danger...

Going down down down down down...

Made it to lower elevation where the snow turned to rain, thankfully.

Just a minor road block.

Surprise, this is what the trail looks like in this section.

The snow turned to rain somewhere around 4,500 feet and the rain began to let up around 2pm, allowing us to actually stop and eat lunch at that time. We had eaten nothing the entire day, to nervous to stop and waste any time whatsoever for fear of missing the bus or worse, freezing to death, so we kept moving.

Always a race to move forward.

By 2:00pm we only had a couple of miles left - WE FLEW! LITERALLY!

So we took our time eating lunch and drying out our feet a bit, waiting to see if Smiles and Dr. Slosh caught up to us, which they did only once we were at the bus stop.

We made it!!!!! 

I got goosebumps as we crossed the threshold into North Cascades National Park.

That was a hard section.

Smiles and Dr. Slosh arrive!! Cheering!! 

HELL. YEAH.

Convening and discussing Stehekin logistics and plans...

We made it to the bus stop early and were thrilled to see Dr. Slosh and Smiles come around the bend right behind us!

Excited chatter, an air of celebration and accomplishment for having made it to our final resupply destination, and unfettered smiles we could not contain were interrupted when a ranger appeared from behind us.

"Y'all heard the weather report?"

"....no" we definitely hadn't and were all anxious to find out as soon as possible, keeping our fingers crossed. There had been rumors that the weather was going to take a turn for the worse, but anything could have changed during the 5 days we were out hiking, and we had all been hoping for the better.

"Well, it's not good news, guys.... The forecast calls for up to 10 feet of snow at some points in the mountains, and record rainfall at lower elevations.... Hikers have been going home in droves, boarding the ferry to Lake Chelan in large numbers. I've never seen anything like it before in my ____ years of working out here. It's sad... really sad. I am sorry to be the guy who brings the bad news, but your trip might be over."

..........


.......

............

"...o.k. thank you."

Now. I don't think I am equipped to accurately convey the feeling in the air at this point in time. I'll leave it to you to imagine.

Spirits crushed, we sat in silence waiting for the bus to arrive. Once it did arrive, we learned we would have to sit on the bus for 15-20 minutes with the bus driver, waiting for any straggling hikers. That 15 minutes was agonizing.

The 4 of us were the only souls on that bus, as we rode through the valley and into Stehekin, in a thick, black fog. A wall of rain had made an appearance again, only adding to the tragic mood.

For some unknown reason, it was basically dark by the time we arrived at the Stehekin Lodge - it was too early to be dark already, but the weather was so threatening, it made us feel as though we were in some sort of horror movie.

Maybe we were just upset. I won't go into details here, but we had a hell of a time booking a room in Stehekin, managing to swoop in on the last room in town. Even the campground was "full"...

Deciding to sleep on it, find out the facts for ourselves, and re-gather our thoughts/emotions, we attempted (the best we could) to set our feelings aside and have a good time unwinding and relaxing. There were many, many, many old faces waiting for us at the restaurant next door, and it was great to catch up with a few folks.

Some serious luxury (at a high cost $$$$)

Beers beers beers. 

One of our nicest stays on trail - which, ironically, wasn't an option. This was our only choice unless we wanted to illegally sleep in our tents in a pour down, on the street.