Galleries

Oregon & Washington — Fire Zones

c) Andrew Carter, 2022

I’m back home after hiking most of the miles I had left in the Pacific Northwest. That was all of Washington plus the miles in Oregon from Santiam Pass to Cascade Locks.

Unfortunately, the northernmost section of the trail near the Canadian border is currently closed due to wildfires, so I got off the trail at Stehekin. That leaves me 80 miles of the PCT to hike in 2023. My “Thru in Two” effort will now become a “Thru in Three” endeavor.

I’m disappointed I won’t be able to complete the PCT this year, but not terribly so. I’m retired. I live close by. It’s easy for me to get back to the trail.

It’s not like I’m one of the many younger hikers I saw who have put their lives on hold for a year and may not be able to return to the trail anytime soon. I’m also not a foreign hiker who has travelled thousands of miles to get to the US, spent hundreds of dollars, perhaps thousands of dollars for the airfare, and had to procure a visa to make the trip.

The one advantage to the delay is that Canada may once again allow PCT hikers to hike into their country next year. The Canadian border has been closed the past three years due to Covid. The northern terminus is just 8 miles from civilization in British Columbia. It’s about 60 miles from civilization in the US.

Also, given the back and forth nature of my LASH (long *ss section hike), it will be nice to finish at an official terminus point. If that happens, I plan to take a photo of myself at the Canadian border to mimic the one I took in 1977 of me at the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. (See below.)

Wildfire is the new norm on the PCT. Fire interrupted my hike four times last year and one time this year. I walked through miles of fire-scarred country in both years. Here are photos which show that.

Mother Nature begins her recovery

Mammoth to Independence, Part 1

c) Andrew Carter, 2021

Here are some photos from the last Pacific Crest Trail section I hiked this year.

I had been forced off the trail at Mammoth at the end of August by the closure of all National Forests in California due to the on-going risk of wildfires. When the National Forests were reopened, I got back on the trail on 9/17 with the hope of making it to Walker Pass by early October. If I’d succeeded in that, I would have hiked 1985 miles this year and would have left to hike in 2022 a 15-mile section near South Lake Tahoe, which I skipped due to the Caldor Fire, plus the 650-mile section from Santiam Pass, OR to the Canadian border.

I ended up getting off the trail near Independence due to smoke from the active fires in Sequoia National Park. On several days during the last week, visibility was less than 1/2 mile. The picture-perfect views one expects in the Sierra were either non-existent or transformed into depressing grays and browns. More important, I had developed a smoke-induced cough and I didn’t want to permanently impact my health.

The trail will be there next year. Let’s hope that most of the green forests it passes through will be there as well.

Smoky haze the morning of 9/18
No, I’m not a hunter.
The wind direction changed the afternoon of 9/18 and the skies cleared
Threatening skies, but it didn’t rain
Picture-perfect views on 9/19
Split rock
Muir Hut on Muir Pass
The view north from Muir Pass
On 9/21, the smoke returned
Mather Pass
The view north from Mather Pass
The view south
Looking back to Mather Pass
Interesting rock
The view west from Taboose Pass
Looking back to Taboose Pass
The Owens Valley north of Independence
Looking back to Taboose Pass
I stayed at the Courthouse Motel in Independence. That’s the Inyo County courthouse across the street.

Sierra City to Mammoth, Part 2

c) Andrew Carter, 2021

More photos from my most recent trail section on the PCT. I started 8/14 at Sierra City, which is north of Donner Pass. I finished on 8/30 at Mammoth. I’m hoping the Forest Service will open back up the national forests in California so that I can get the remaining 270 miles of California done this year. We’ll see.

Smoky haze near Sierra City. A theme of this section due to the Dixie Fire and the Caldor Fire.
PCT bridge over the Yuba River near Sierra City
Smoky haze obscuring the afternoon sun
Abandon hope all ye who enter here.
My assumption is that X-7A is a logging subdivision.
A Sierra Club X-Country Ski Hut
PCT underpass beneath I-80 at Donner Pass
Old section of Union Pacific RR near Donner Pass.
The concrete walls and roof were to keep the snow off in the winter.
I looked over the edge. The drawing does accurately represent the slope involved.
South of Donner Summit (US Route 40)
Sierra Club Benson Hut. I spent the night here.
The only shelter I’ve used during my hike so far.
The hiker himself
Inside the Benson Hut. Note the tri-level bunks to the right.
Rocks, rocks, and more rocks
Grouse
Squaw Valley Ski Area
Someone left this painted rock at a campsite I used.
The Desolation Wilderness near Lake Tahoe is beautiful. Mostly granite and glacial lakes.
Because of this, the Caldor Fire has not been able to burn into it.
The view looking north from Dicks Pass in the Desolation Wilderness.
That’s Dicks Lake below.
The view looking southwest.
The white stuff is ash from the Caldor Fire
Lake Aloha, Desolation Wilderness
In case you’re wondering how far it is from your current mental state to desolation.
Only three miles. But at least there’s a water taxi.
Echo Lake near Lake Tahoe, looking west. Some of the southern shore (left) has since burned. The northern shore (right) has not. There are boat-in cabins on both sides of the lake.
Lots of ash
Because of the Caldor Fire, I had to skip 15 miles of trail
from Echo Summit (US Route 50) to Carson Pass (CA Route 88).
The trail south of Carson Pass. Beautiful despite the smoky haze.
Rough going for a tree at this altitude in winter
Not much easier for a sign
American flag flying on top of Ebbetts Peak (CA Route 4). Someone may have hiked it up,
but my guess is that the flag pole was flown up by helicopter.
Two trees, weathered but surviving
The PCT from Ebbetts Pass to Sonora Pass is also amazing
The trail south of Sonora Pass was my favorite section so far. A true “but wait, there’s more” experience as you cross saddle after saddle and look into different pristine wilderness basins.
One deer to the left. Two in the trees to the right, including mother deer far right.
Entering Yosemite National Park at Dorothy Lake Pass
After Wilma Lake, the trail gets particularly difficult. The trail is heading east/west and you have
to cross over four or five different north/south creeks which drain into the Tuolumne River.
Between each creek is a ridge to climb and then descend.
Moon during the day
I camped beside this lake one night.
Waterfall on the Tuolumne River
Another waterfall on the Tuolumne River
Rock slope near Tuolumne Meadows
The PCT joins the John Muir Tail at Tuolumne Meadows
Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne River
The climb up to Donahue Pass (11,100 feet)
The view northwest from Donahue Pass
Rocks at Donahue Pass
The view east from Donahue Pass
Ansel Adams Wilderness, Inyo National Forest
1000 Island Lake
Devils Postpile
Reds Meadow is on the back side of Mammoth Mountain.
I was forced off the trail here by the blanket closure of all National Forests in California.

PCT Signs & Logos

c) Andrew Carter, 2021

I’m going to add a bunch of posts with photos of things I’ve seen to date on the trail. These are things which, for one reason or another, have caught my eye. The first few posts will focus on the signage along the trail. For whatever reason, I like signs. Here are some basic signs with the PCT logo, the National Forest logo, simple arrow directional signs, and the like. Enjoy.