PCT Day 135 – 137 Goat Rocks Wilderness

Stats

Start: Tentsite for an Army – Mile 2,154.7
End: White Pass – Mile 2,295.9
Elevation Max: 7,751
Elevation Min: 1,230
Elevation Change: 20,504 up & down
Walking Time: 14 hrs 41 minutes
Date: 8/15/2022 – 8/17/2022

The Walk

Day 135 – Tentsite for an Army to Goat Rocks Tentsite (2,254.7 – 2,277.3)
Day 136 – Tentsite to Hidden Springs (2,277.3 – 2,285.7)
Day 137 – Hidden Springs to White Pass (2,285.7 – 2,295.9)

I woke up ready to get out of camp. I was a few miles from goat rocks wilderness. A section of trail that is a favorite of many hikers. One of the best camp spots on the entire PCT was only 23 miles away!

I looked around and saw the 50 other hikers at camp as competition. I was going to fly to a camp site today. It was a hard section of trail. A day of tough hiking is exactly what I needed to clear my mind. I took off early in the morning with open trail ahead.

Walking felt great. I didn’t take a break all day. Only pausing to refill my water. I was back into my 40-mile per day mode. The 23 miles flew by. And I must have passed 30 hikers along the way.

I made it to the camp spot around 2pm! Holy smokes. This is way too early but the view was unreal! I decided to stop for the day. I set up my tent and got some water then relaxed until Fozzie got to camp.

We wandered around the area and took in the amazing views. From my campsite I could see Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens. It was beautiful.

Also the camp site was only a mile from Old Snowy. I want to climb it for sunrise! The plan worked. The day of hiking helped. I felt refreshed and in a good mental space again. The magic was back.

The next morning was perfect. I truly felt like I was walking among giants. Walking on ridges with clear views of 10,000+ foot mountains rising all around. The section of trail is called knife’s edge because it’s a narrow, rocky section of trail. But not so narrow I was afraid of falling. This was one of my favorite days of trail.

My momentum carried me all the way to White Pass and the hiker bubble thinned out.

I hiked into White Pass and decided to stay at a motel in Packwood. It was a quick hitch and my body needed a good night sleep. 350-ish miles to go!

Days 135 – 136