I ticked off another PCT section with my friend Sally. We started at Panther Creek because we'd been told logging north of Cascade Locks detoured the trail to roads baking in the 100+-degree heat. We finished a 9 days later - including an extra 2-mile day for ride coordination.
What struck me most was that phone apps and the bestseller "Wild" have forever changed the population on the PCT - for good and for not-so-good.
GOOD: We saw at least as many solo women on the trail as solo men. Back in the day, even as recently as 2012 when I hiked the Wonderland, people would remark on the "safety" of my traveling alone, whereas all the other women I saw tended to be with men. No more! The apps, as well as SPOT beacons, have encouraged many women to follow Cheryl Strayed's example and go solo.
BAD: Many folks on the trail - male and female - have absolutely NO CLUE where they are, where they're going, or what Leave No Trace means. And they don't CARE! They know only "what's next" or "how far to the next ____" Campfires rings are everywhere! Toilet paper is everywhere! It's weird to see people staring at their phones even in the wilderness.
North side of Cispus
Yahoos camped all over the vegetation in these meadows north of Cispus Pass. I and another hiker I met tried to "educate" some of them, and in both cases were told the vegetation had already been crushed, which created an "established campsite."
I'm torn about whether apps are good or bad, but the upshot is that the trail gets more used every year.
That said, the trail was almost all in excellent shape. BUGS BUGS BUGS from Blue Lake to the end of Indian Heaven were atrocious. They were much more manageable north of Trout Lake.
Bugs gone
GLACIER
Adams
Crossing the Lewis River at 2pm WAS hairy. We met some desultory Boyscouts who'd been forced to build a log "bridge" and many people who offered advice. In the end, we "downward dogged" across with packs tight on our backs.
Crossed Lewis on this
At Killin Creek, my platypus fell from a tree and was tragically punctured. Who knew Duct Tape could save the day and hold for 60-some miles?
Fixed my platypus
We had a lovely dip in Nanny Ridge Lake
Nanny Ridge Lake
Stinky no more
Wildflowers were at their peak throughout the hike:
Flowers galore
Here are a few more shots from the knife edge, etc. I put the whole trip in a video - below.
Thanks for sharing. I was planning a section in Oregon leaving in a couple weeks but the fires are closing everything so I have to figure out new options this weekend. This section might be a good alternative.
Curious about your conclusion that apps have encouraged women to go solo... what kind of apps are you talking about? Glympse-type apps? Mapping apps? Something else?
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I'm torn about whether apps are good or bad, but the upshot is that the trail gets more used every year.
That said, the trail was almost all in excellent shape. BUGS BUGS BUGS from Blue Lake to the end of Indian Heaven were atrocious. They were much more manageable north of Trout Lake.
