PCT Map Miles 30.5
Miles Hiked 61.1
Elevation 6,188 feet
Miles Hiked Today 5.8
And the drama continues. More on that later.
Today, I’ll return to Harts Pass and finally pass my start point of several days ago. I cached some food there, and I’ll need to retrieve it before continuing to Rainy Pass. I was up and going by 6:30. By the way, have I mentioned the weather?
One of the reasons I chose to hike in Washington was to escape Florida summertime heat. Well, that didn’t work out too well. The temperature today is 95 degrees fahrenheit. It’s probably cooler in Florida. But I digress.
So, I’m enjoying the relatively cooler morning temps (high 70’s?) on my way to Harts Pass. The trail doesn’t have any big ups and downs, so I’m not exhausting myself before noon. And then, there it is in the distance – Harts Pass with the ranger station and campsites. I arrive about 10 minutes after first seeing it. There’s a tent setup across from the ranger station. Oh, great! Trail magic! No, it’s not. It’s a tent setup by the PCTA and the word is that the trail is closed. WHAT! It’s the “Easy” fire and it has closed the trail to Rainy Pass.
The PCTA worker and ranger both say, while the trail is not closed past Rainy Pass, it is recommended to skip down to Stevens Pass, which is over 100 miles away. Ugh! So that’s the end of my hiking for today. The ranger got me a ride down to the Lion’s Den and I’m officially evacuated from the trail.
At the Lion’s Den there is a lot of discussion about the trail after Rainy Pass. It’s open but very smokey. The better plan seems to be to go to Stevens Pass as recommended. A decision for tomorrow.
