July 17, 2017 – Did you know the Washington Section of the Pacific Crest Trail spans 511.8 miles through the diverse landscape of the rugged Cascade Mountains? Stretching from the Bridge of the Gods on the Columbia River to E.C. Manning Provincial Park (in Canada), the total elevation gain is 111,000 feet with a total elevation loss of 107,450 feet traveling south to north. That’s like climbing Mt. Rainier from Paradise over 12 times in a month!

I’m getting really excited about this PCT hike, which we’re calling “Trek for Tots” in honor of the children at Kindering who conquer obstacles and move mountains every day. I’ve been accompanied on my training hikes by Courage the Lion, Kindering’s mascot who will be joining me on this trek, to be sure he’s trail-ready as well.

The Plan

To tackle this big challenge, we’ve broken the hike up into seven sections with only three days built in for rest out of the 30 total days for the trip. We plan to hike an average of 19 miles and gain/lose 4,015 vertical feet per day. The longest section will be six days, traveling from Stevens Pass to Stehekin on the far north shore of Lake Chelan. We will definitely need one of my rest days after that big push.

The Trip

On our journey, Courage and I will climb up and out of the Columbia River Gorge toward the Indian Heaven Wilderness, home to an abundance of lakes (and huckleberries), after which we’ll round the base of Mount Adams and head into the Goat Rocks Wilderness. This place is especially rugged, with rocky trails leading to the Packwood Glacier.

To begin section 3, we’ll cross Highway 12 at White Pass and head into the William O. Douglas Wilderness. I’m looking forward to more lakes here and good opportunities for a swim – though knowing cats and water, Courage might sit that part out. We’ll make our way to Chinook Pass and the flanks of Mount Rainier, and from there we’ll head to Snoqualmie where we’ll take two rest days. At this point we will have completed 244.7 miles of the journey.

Back on the trail, we’ll begin grueling section 5, where the plan is to cover nearly 5,000 vertical feet and over 20 miles a day for three and a half days until we reach Stevens Pass. We’ll wave hello to a few friends and head toward Stehekin for our final rest day before pushing on to the finish line a few miles past the border in Canada. The North Cascades offers many challenges: lots of climbing in and out of deep canyons, travel through clear-cut forests with high exposure to the elements, and of course the ever-present threat of rain. We’ll have many rewards too: incredible views in the Alpine Lakes and Glacier Peak Wilderness Areas, loads of wildlife, including marmots, ptarmigan, mountain goats, and maybe a few bears, plus the unmatched reward of knowing our journey will benefit the kids and families of Kindering.

I’m not sure when the journey will officially begin, but luckily we have flexibility and can wait for a good weather window. A few special guests may join us on the trail as well! We hope to be on the trail as early as August 27 but can wait for good weather until September 7. After this it gets a little harder due to the increased possibility of high elevation snow going into October. Here’s hoping we continue to enjoy great weather this summer!

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(Pictured above: Out on a training hike with my trail partner Courage the Lion.)