Forum Index > Trip Reports > 8 Days in the Pasayten wilderness-Aug 2014
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Rich Baldwin
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Rich Baldwin
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PostWed Aug 27, 2014 7:51 pm 
Great trip. A hike across the Pasayten with my son is one of my favorite memories.

Was you ever bit by a dead bee?
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wakerobin
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PostWed Aug 27, 2014 9:09 pm 
You two are rock stars, what a crazy adventure. I sympathize with Cassie, I have been dealing with/recovering from some severe hip and back problems over the past year. It's been a long, slow road but I am finally ready to put on more than just a day pack.

Between the silence of the mountains and the crashing of the sea...
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D. Inscho
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D. Inscho
Not bored yet...
PostWed Aug 27, 2014 9:26 pm 
Gripping narrative: pain, hope, and redemption. That Pasayten sure can spank a hiker. Mother nature sure didn't help things. Glad you didn't take on the full 200 miles. Thanks for taking the time to share this; I wub.gif The Pasayten. I had a Labor Day trip planned there but the weather report warned me off tongue.gif

http://david-inscho.smugmug.com/ The key to a successful trip is to do the planning during work hours. -- John Muir “My most memorable hikes can be classified as 'Shortcuts that Backfired'.” --Ed Abbey
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duvidl
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PostFri Aug 29, 2014 9:30 am 
Great report. Nice meeting you and Cassie. I'm one of Porcupine Phobia's friends. I hope I can get my daughter to do something like this w/ me when she becomes a college student next year. BTW, the scree field we'd been warned about was a piece of cake. -David

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cascadetraverser
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PostFri Aug 29, 2014 12:04 pm 
Incredible read! Great stuff. Tough but amazing trip. Strong daughter you got! (not to mention you and that extra poundage!)

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Hikingqueen
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PostFri Aug 29, 2014 12:56 pm 
What an adventure you two had! Great read & photos! biggrin.gif

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HitTheTrail
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PostFri Aug 29, 2014 8:37 pm 
What a great father-daughter experience! I cherish the times I have been able to backpack with my daughter.

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostSun Aug 31, 2014 9:37 pm 
williswall wrote:
I feel no great longing to return to the area but Cassie and I are interested in the complete Bounday Trail, perhaps next year (533).
I just ran into a guy today who is hiking the Pacific Northwest Trail. He was raving about the Boundary Trial thru the Pasayten, said it was the highlight of the trip thus far.

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cascadetraverser
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PostMon Sep 01, 2014 12:59 am 
OTIUTB: In the early 90`s I did the full boundary Trail from Iron Gate to the Hanegan Pass TH and it was spectacular. It is a nice alternative to the Pct for a long more lonely through hike (generally about 14-18 days if you take your time) but unfortunately as WW presents in this narrative and other posts here, big chunks of the trail in the Pasayten are difficult to pass due to fire damage and extensive blowdown, including the stretch down from Elbow basin to Ross Lake. Hopefully in the coming years, it will get on the radar of those interested in such an adventure and it will be a more viable trip.

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostMon Sep 01, 2014 10:02 am 
Cascadetraverser--the guy doing the PNT is hoping that as it gets more hikers doing it and more publicity, it will get some needed funding and improvements to the route. Sounds like it's quite an adventure. He said the route is about 70% completed, includes some bushwacking and figuring out how best to get from one point to another without much of a suggestion of how to do it. Lots of road walking too.

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Distel32
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PostTue Sep 02, 2014 6:48 am 
Thanks for the extensive conditions report! Much appreciated. Looks like a great trip.

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jupsal
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PostTue Aug 07, 2018 2:09 pm 
williswall wrote:
I feel no great longing to return to the area
Williswall, I know it's been a while, but can you elaborate on this a bit? I'm interested in the traverse as sort of a long shot dream, but these words aren't exactly a high praise, and since this is the only trip report I can find.. maybe it's not worth it!

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williswall
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PostThu Aug 09, 2018 11:32 am 
jupsal wrote:
williswall wrote:
I feel no great longing to return to the area
Williswall, I know it's been a while, but can you elaborate on this a bit? I'm interested in the traverse as sort of a long shot dream, but these words aren't exactly a high praise, and since this is the only trip report I can find.. maybe it's not worth it!
First I would say don't be discouraged from something you really want to do just based on one report. You talk about a traverse versus an out and back like we did. The not so pleasant parts of the trip were transiting the burn areas with sketchy trail and hundreds of blow downs. One evening we could hear trees falling on the trail, went around a switchback and immediately ran into the tangle. And the night where we couldn't continue past Middle Hidden Lake because of blowdown and overgrown brush was probably the worst, looking for a campsite on trail with 8 foot growth on either side and no flat areas...that was a tough evening. But the Boundary trail was in pretty good shape, and I've read that the Boundary is in excellent shape further east. Things were much more pleasant once back on good trail and the circuit around Jack mtn was great. Also, consider the source...I have always pushed trips into "uncomfortable" zones, going long distances and hiking at night. Add in that our packs were torture machines under the load of carrying 9 days of food....these were older models of the Gossamer Gear Mariposa and were not designed for more than 25 pounds....I think my load was close to 40 at the beginning. The Pasayten is an incredible area with lots to offer. Check on trail conditions prior to a trip so you know what to expect, but I think a straight transit would be a wonderful trip, you wouldn't be crisscrossing hard hit fire areas like we did. Definitely go for it and see for yourself!

I desire medium danger williswall.com
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wamtngal
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PostMon Aug 13, 2018 5:28 pm 
It's worth mentioning that a huge fire went through the Pasayten last summer and additional miles of the Boundary Trail are now burned. Some miles more so than others. The area around Quartz Lake east to Remmel Lake burned and then south of Peeve Pass to the Billy Goat trailhead. I've heard there are around 1,000 trees down in the burned section (combining the Diamond Creek Fire, which is the one that burned last year, with the older Bunker Hill fire). Just worth knowing as you plan a trip. The Pasayten is a beautiful and special place but a good deal of it has burned. The far eastern section hasn't around Horseshoe Basin and the far west around Devil's Dome and the PCT hasn't.

Opinions expressed here are my own.
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