Smokey West Coast

Hardy little ground squirrels add some delights to our travels.

Hiking through Washington has been an interesting challenge. The terrain is tough, though beautiful; cold, wet mornings thaw into steamy afternoons as we crunch out more miles. Then there is all the smoke. As of a few days ago, there were 94 wildfires on the West coast, mostly started by lightning in the abundantly dry conditions that characterize this region. Simultaneously hiking through previous burn areas while seeing and smelling current forest burning elsewhere but nearby is quite an experience.

We finally spied a couple of black bears in Washington.
Creek crossings can be thrilling.
This burn area is two years old.

Although we are disappointed of not being able to finish the northern part of the PCT in Washington state due to Covid, landslides and wildfires, we are thankful to have seen what we have. We had to leave the top 185 miles of the trail for another season, but we traveled back down to Oregon and finished up 87 miles we previously averted since a burn area opened back up. Now we head back to California, and try to head south again while the cool fall temperatures remain.

Cute marmot munching away.
Towering sentinels of the forest.

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