Start – nr Porcupine Creek
Finish – Bridge Creek Campground
Daily Distance – 29 km
Ascent – 350 m
Descent – 1580 m
When one imagines this romantic life of socially approved vagentry, it generally doesn’t include mosquitoes laying in wait outside the tent mesh and delaying breakfast in order to use a real toilet that is an hour down the trail. It did have a very pleasant stars and stripes vanilla air freshener though, so was certainly worth the wait. It really is the little things.
The undoubted highlight of today has been my first bear sighting. Off the trail, perhaps 20 metres away, with no more than a disinterested glance, it ambled off into the bushes. While this area does have signs warning of high bear activity, it is quite another thing to come face to rump with the fact. On balance, when it comes to animals who could conceivably eat me, I would really rather being the one doing the noticing and not only being alerted by crunching undergrowth. For the next hour or so every shady log or unexplained noise was enough to make me pause lest it was another bear.
Camp company tonight has been Tony (again) and Bad Sherpa (Geoff to his mother) who I met earlier at one of my many foot cooling breaks. The trail today crossed several ice cold streams, all of which received the dubious gift of my overheated feet. The soles of my feet are not yet accustomed to multiple days of hiking, so have become pretty sore. A situation improved dramatically by regular dips in frigid streams.
Because of all the bear activity in this area each campground has a metal “bear locker” for storage of all scent producing items such as food and toiletries. PCT hikers are also only permitted to stay in two of the numerous campground in the North Cascades national park, which necessitated another hour of walking today. Rather my own fault as the information was there, I just hadn’t seen it until running into a notice at the park entrance. On the up-side the camping areas here are the nicest so far. There are picnic benches, a stream and an outhouse (which smells like the gateway to hell, but is nevertheless a luxury).
Tomorrow I have a quick 2 hour walk to the busstop, passage to the hamlet of Stehekin, and reputedly a very good bakery.
A full on day by the sound of it. You kept your cool when you came across the bear. High bear activity – wow! I guess there’s enough berries and stuff about this time of year.
Enjoy your bus ride.
Pleased that you are seeing the wildlife. I can understand the cracking of twigs close by would unnerve me. Not sure that handle will defeat the Bears, if they can undo knots I am sure their school will be having classes on that !
Hope the baked good live up to expectations.