PCT18 24 July

I’m sitting in a diner in Trout Lake WA, a very, very small town. And extremely friendly. Got here today with my buddy Nadab, a hiker from Israel. We hitched a ride in the back of a pickup from a guy who seemed determined die on the windy mountain road. But we made it. Once again I’ve hiked for several days with no connectivity that would allow uploads. Since leaving Snoqualmie, the hiking has been fun and varied. We have started to hit regions of thick mosquitoes, and this has been trying. A few days ago I came to the famous Razor’s Edge in the Goat Rocks Wilderness Area. It was a tough climb up as the trail went higher and higher. The “trail” is actually a narrow 1 foot wide path scraped onto the side of a mountain. Once reaching the Edge, I was faced with a choice–take the high route, which had no snow but looked nearly vertical and dangerous. Or, take the low route which included 2 snow fields, each with about 100 ft of run out if one should slip. I decided on the lower route, but waited about an hour for the morning sun the soften the snow, which freezes over night.

The Cascades continue to amaze me. They are so beautiful.

PCT18 17 July

This is a quick update on the hike. I really appreciate your interest in my hike. Thank you for being here with me.

I got back on the trail in Washington on 3 July. Despite all indicators there was a lot of snow. Basically the first 120 miles was snow. There were some very sketchy passes and long stretches on mountain faces. The trail is running through the Northern Cascades. I never heard or read a description of the NC that does them justice. These mountains are spectacularly magnificent!

And remote. Basically there is no connectivity. Even the little towns I’ve seen often have no connection.

All is well. I feel fit and the trail snow is decreasing.