Days 135 – 137: PCT Miles 2500.73 – 2575.1
Day 135: Hiking into the night 2524.5 (23.77)
The morning was cold and we kept sleeping till 6am. It was below 10C. We left at 7.30am. We saw the sun come out. It was so great.
We warmed up and I solar charged my power bank. We climbed a lot and soon saw glacier covered peaks and red mountain tops. It was so beautiful. My left shin hurt a little but not to bad. We went over a saddle down into a deep valley and for the rest of the day stayed in a forest. We had lunch near a stream where the sun could dry our sleeping bags and tent.
We had to climb countless fallen trees, sometimes several on top of each other and in many places there was no trail and we went straight up a slippery mud slide. At some point Iceman slipped into a tree and his hip belt buckle broke. Oh no! He could tie it together somehow but the hip buckle is essential, with no service the next few days, this is an issue. Section K is infamous for having over 30 massive fallen red wood trees on trail. Sometimes Iceman had to push me up one side of the tree.
We calculated in order to make the 6.15pm shuttle to Stehekin we should hike 25 miles today and tomorrow and 20 miles the third day. Weirdly, in the afternoon my left shin hurt so bad I had to take Ibuprofen and cool my foot in a glacial stream. It seemed to help.
We hiked up some more and saw an incredible sunset over rugged mountains. With still at least 3 miles to go, we had to night hike. This is always spooky to me as you see only a little bulb in front of you. It’s scary. We climbed over a ridge line and down on the other side.
The lake we wanted to stay at has about 10 tents so we kept going. Another mile out so and we were almost alone, just one other tent. Much better. Amazing stars all around.
Miles hiked: 23.77
Ascent: 5799 ft
Descent: 5643 ft
Steps: 54.786
Day 136: Miner Creek 2552.3 (28.9)
The day began in the most responsible way possible — by turning off my 6 a.m. alarm and falling blissfully back asleep. When we finally stumbled out of our tent at 6:30, the world was already smoky, and we were already behind schedule. Things only went downhill from there — well, first they went uphill, eight miles and 2,500 feet of it.
I also made an unfortunate early-morning contribution to the PCT landscape. I thought I’d found a discreet side trail, but nope — turns out it was visible from the main path. Somewhere out there, a hiker is probably still wondering about my life choices. Sorry about that.
By lunchtime, things got real. We’d only covered 10 miles, it was already 1 p.m., and we realized that to catch the 6:15 p.m. shuttle to Stehekin tomorrow, we needed to crank out another 20 miles today. Nothing motivates quite like the threat of missing your ride to civilization (and real food).
The trail responded like a cranky old gatekeeper. Blowdowns everywhere — tree trunks taller than us, forcing awkward climbs, yoga moves, and questionable language. Progress was slow and sweaty. Somewhere between fallen trees, we finished our audiobook ‘The Last Season’, a fascinating read about a backcountry ranger’s disappearance in Sequoia & Kings Canyon, my favorite section of the PCT. It made me grateful that, unlike him, I only have to worry about getting to Stehekin on time and not going missing entirely.
To keep the mental wheels turning, we switched to ‘21st Century UFOs’ on audiobook. Nothing adds atmosphere to a smoky mountain night like aliens. The haze stuck around all day, making our heads throb just enough to add an extra layer of misery. Meanwhile, Iceman managed to embody trail magic by gifting a lighter to a fellow hiker, and Arnoud worked some satellite-messaging magic to book us a cabin in Stehekin. Civilization was calling — faintly, through the smoke.
We kept hiking until 9 p.m., headlamps cutting through the gloom, stumbling over roots like zombies on a mission. Luckily, we found a flat camp spot with room to spare — and just one other hiker, no witnesses to our late arrival. My hip was complaining, but my left shin was quiet, and my right knee seems to have accepted its fate after weeks of stretching.
The stats say it all:
Miles hiked: 28.9 😝
Ascent: 5,668 ft
Descent: 2,650 ft
Steps: 66,178
A long day, a smoky sky, and a hard-earned camp. Tomorrow, Stehekin — assuming we can still stand up in the morning.
Day 137: The Day We Chased Stehekin (and Steak) 2575.1 (23.56)
Some mornings, adventure starts with a sunrise. Ours started with an alarm that laughed in our faces at 5:30 a.m. You know that blurry-eyed moment when you question every decision that led you to this exact point in the timeline? That was us while stuffing breakfast into our faces at dawn, convincing ourselves that the early bird gets… a shuttle seat, apparently.
By 7:00 a.m. on the dot, we stepped into the wilderness like punctual legends. If there’s a spiritual reward for hitting the trail before coffee fully hits your bloodstream, we earned it.
Around midday, we stopped at “the Creek”—which sounds poetic but is really just a gorgeous creek. There, we assembled what can only be described as a mourning burrito: tortillas, rice, beans, and the faint scent of regret that we didn’t pack cheese and salami. It was warm, which automatically made it the best lunch of the week.
With tortillas in hand and questionable enthusiasm in our legs, we pressed on.
After 10 hours of steady climbing, descending, and pretending to enjoy nature’s cruel beauty, we rolled into the High Bridge Ranger Cabin at a precise 5:50 p.m. (Is this what adulting looks like?)
We even had time to check out the salmon under the bridge—serene little zen masters of the current, gliding in circles while we contemplated our own mortal fragility and whether we smelled as bad as we thought. Spoiler: we did.
Then, at 6:15 p.m., the shuttle appeared like a chariot of glory. Destination: Stehekin Valley Ranch. Estimated mood upon arrival: feral delight.
When we got there, we ditched our packs with the grace of collapsing storks and beelined to dinner in the “big kitchen cabin.” And oh, dear reader, let us tell you—this was no sad freeze-dried affair. This was the banquet of our wildest backpacker fantasies: a salad buffet starter, a 12-ounce steak flanked by potatoes and carrots, and a dessert buffet that almost made us cry.
Every bite whispered, “You did it. You’re not just hiking—you’re living.”
We checked into the trapper cabin, which had all the rustic charm you’d expect—wood walls, mountain silence, and precisely zero outlets. Charging our phones became a social ritual in the communal bathroom, where guests mingled in that half-desperate, half-zen camaraderie that only comes from trying to hold your toothbrush and your charging cable at the same time.
Stats That Don’t Lie
- Miles hiked: 23.56
- Ascent: 3160 ft
- Descent: 6181 ft
- Steps: 54,146
- Steak satisfaction level: 10/10, would hike again for dinner
In the end, the day wasn’t just about the distance. It was about how far you can push your body, your patience, and your love of tortillas before realizing that heaven might just look like a ranch kitchen filled with tired people and unlimited dessert.
Thanks for reading. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. I always love to hear from you.
🫶🫶🫶
Disco
Days 130 – 134: Snoqualmie to mile 2501.3 (2396.3 – 2501.3)
Day 130: Starting famous section J in Washington (15.96 Miles hiked) / Mile 2411.1
Section J in Washington is a 75 mile section from Snoqualmie to Steven’s Pass, and it is supposedly one of the most beautiful sections of the PCT, so we were stoked to check it out. We left at 10.30am and will try to do so last 17 miles.
We both feel better this morning. I had a great night of sleep, best one in weeks. Little hiking and no alcohol, 78 sleep score, body battery 63, more than 20 more than on trail.
We had a cappuccino at Laconia Market and Iceman talked to his parents, coordinating the pick up at Harts Pass in a few days.
We have an 8 mile 2500 ft climb ahead of us.
The climb was through forest, first with highway noises and many day hikers. But once we got to the top of the climb, we saw no more people and the views kept getting better and better. We kept climbing almost all day with little breaks and it was tough on the legs because the trail consisted of rocks and you have to pay attention in order not to trip or break an ankle.
We enjoyed the sun and the views and later in the afternoon we saw marmots again – we haven’t seen those since the Sierra and they were really really cute and quite big – the size of cats. They conversed with each other over long distances with really high shrieks. They weren’t afraid of us as they’ve probably seen thousand of hikers walk by their „house“. I think they’re getting fat for hibernation – perfect as there were millions of huckleberries everywhere.
We were eating them too. After yet another climb, we didn’t make it to our desired campsite but one before it at a beautiful little pond, just before it got dark at 7.30pm. The views were so incredible at sunset, large rugged mountains all around us, beautiful green and red valleys, just wow!
I iced my knee in town and did some research on taping it with k2 tape and knee stretches. Did those too, plus the arnica cbd rub several times a day. I also found a knee brace in the hiker box at our hotel and took that too, and it actually seemed to work – my knee didn’t hurt for the first 15 miles – the last mile wasn’t great. But I also started paying more attention to how I walk and tried to focus on my gluteus maximus, hips and hamstring more and knee less so let’s see if that does any good. At this point I gotta try everything in order to make it to the Canadian border.
Miles hiked: 15.96
Ascent: 4751 ft
Descent: 2916 ft
Steps: 32.025
Day 131: 2433.2 (23.43)
We left at 7.24am, tent was wet, didn’t sleep well.
We had a gorgeous day: sunshine, beautiful glacier views, Spectacle lake, many more lakes, one huge lake, Waptus lake from high above in the afternoon and then hiked around it on the other side, climbs and descents. My feet hurt but it was great. We started listening to the book “Chaos” about the Manson murders. Wild! Very interesting.
Got to camp at 7.00pm right next to a water source.
Miles hiked: 23.43
Ascent: 3723 ft
Descent: 5367 ft
Steps: 46.163
Day 132: Deception Lake 2455.3 (24.2 Miles hiked) / 200 Miles to Canada
Alarm at 5.30am, we left at 6.47am – yay – we usually take 2 hours in the morning but we’ve been trying to shorten that to 1h – so we did better today.
We noticed to our shock that a mouse had chewed through our tent and my odor proof food bag to eat our granola breakfast. Because we camped next to a river, neither of us heard it.
We started with a long climb, and had phenomenal views all day. We stopped at Cascade creek for lunch which was beautiful. We had done 12 miles at noon.
Then we climbed 2500 ft up again and around 4 we stopped at Deception Lake and jumped in – it was gorgeous and very cold. We cliff jumped and cannon balled into the cold water. It was wonderful.
Then we started climbing again and got into a boulder wonderland with phenomenal views over Glacier Lake.
We camped at the most epic spot on top of a gnarly climb. Maybe the most elevation we have done in a day?
We are at mile 2455.3 which means we will reach the Canadian border in a mere 200 Miles. 😳😱
Miles hiked: 24.20
Ascent: 6201 ft
Descent: 3661 ft
Steps 48.029
Day 133: Steven’s Pass / Mile 2478.4 (24.15 miles hiked)
We left at 7.10am and had sunshine and blue skies again. This section is gorgeous, many climbs and incredible views of mountain ranges.
We got to the top of a ski lift and got close to civilization, seeing many day hikers hiking up the other direction on this sunny Saturday.
We got to Steven’s Pass shortly after noon and were delighted the restaurant serving burgers that according to Google was closed, was indeed open. We ordered two cheese burgers and Pepsi, hooked up our electronics to charge and got the resupply box we had sent ourselves.
Food for another 5 days. It is our second last resupply box. We will pick up the last box in Stehekin in 5 days. Crazy.
We had ice cream for dessert and left at 2.15pm to hike 12 more miles, entering Washington Section K, We got to camp just before it got dark, at the end of a 2 mile hill. Our packs were heavy with the 5 days of food and we were tired.
Miles hiked: 24.15
Ascent: 4.759 ft
Descent: 5.478 ft
Steps: 49.466
Day 134: 2501.3 (24.03 miles hiked) 2500 miles / 4000 km!!
When we woke up to our alarm at 5.30am, we could hear the rain so we slept a bit longer. We left at 7.40am and it was rainy and very cold for the first 5.5h. We tried not to stop much for water or to take pictures because we were completely wet, despite rain jackets, from climbing and sweating and wet bushes.
It was still raining when lunch time came but luckily we found space to sit between some boulders and threw Ice’s tarp over the top, fixing it with some rocks. We were still cold with our puffies so we kept hiking soon.
We started an audiobook to get us through the cold: about ranger Randy Morgenson in Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park, called “the last Season”, which was super interesting. Highly recommend.
It stopped raining and the next climb warmed us up. The clouds lifted a bit and we could finally see the beautiful landscape with an abundance of red huckleberry bushes and some yellow bushes, rugged mountains and soft rolling green pine covered valleys.
We only saw a few people all day and a few times the sun broke through the mountains, feeling warm on our skin. We hiked till 7.00pm and did more than the 23 miles we have to do, as it took a mile to find a flat spot to camp.
We found a beautiful meadow to camp in. Two French PCT hikers we have been seeing for hundreds of miles came while we were eating and set up next to us.
Today is our 3 month anniversary but with the rain this morning we both forgot. We celebrated in our little red home this evening with a simple but cozy dinner. Time flies!
The stars were clear and bright, the wind howling and rattling on our tent, we finally in dry clothes and our warm sleeping bags, slurping hot ramen soup with bear creek, passing out at 9pm. Another day done. Good. Not many left. Scary.
Miles hiked: 24.03
Ascent: 5393 ft
Descent: 5429 ft
Steps: 52.775 (usually what I do in 5-7 days)
Thanks for reading along! Only 155 miles to go – will we make it?
As always, let me know in the comments what you’d like to see and read about or if the post sparked any thoughts in you. I love hearing from you.
Happy trails,
Disco