PCT: Chinook Pass to Mike Urich Cabin

Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail has become an exercise in flexibility. After my first two section hikes in 2014, none of the other sections I've done since has ever ended the way I thought it would. This section continues that pattern.

When I discovered my friend Becky had plans to backpack a section of the PCT this summer, I asked to come along. The trip was organized by another mutual friend, Cathy, whom I used to work with who happily extended the invitation to me as well. Cathy retired last year and has become a Pacific Crest Trail afficionado, completing a section in California, and several in Washington the past year. She researched the section she wanted to do and her plan was go to from Chinook Pass to Snoqualmie Pass, section I.

Cathy had planned the section meticulously, preparing a spreadsheet with notes about mile markers and distances, using comments and notes from the app FarOut, which I also use. I am usually the one who plans my backpacking trips and it was nice to have someone else do the planning and research. She discovered that Mt. Baker Snoqualmie National Forest recently instituted a mandatory bear can policy and bought a small bear vault for herself. I already have a large and small bear canister and so I loaned my large canister to Becky so she would not have to purchase one.

Cathy's husband, Randy, had agreed to drive us all up to Chinook Pass and to meet us at various spots along the way to resupply us. What a deal! I've usually had to coordinate dropping cars off at the end and beginning of sections and to have a trail angel willing to drop us off, resupply us and pick us up was amazing. Because of a family reunion obligation I would not be able to hike the ten days that Cathy and Becky wanted to do but Randy said he would pick me up at one of the resupply points and take me home in time for the reunion. The goal was to hike as far as possible in the time allotted.

On Sunday, July 9, Randy picked us all up and drove us to Chinook Pass, about a four hour trip from Whidbey Island. We arrived to a packed parking lot, the area swarming with tourists. We shouldered our packs and Randy got a picture of us at the trailhead and then we started north on the Pacific Crest Trail. It was a warm, sunny day and the tourists quickly thinned out as we began the ascent towards Sheep Lake and Sourdough Gap.

We slowly made our way up from our beginning elevation of 5492 at Chinook Pass to Sheep Lake at 4755 where we stopped to filter water. Towering above Sheep Lake was the mountain we would climb to cross over at Sourdough Gap. I filtered several liters of water but not wanting to have a heavy pack for the upcoming climb ahead, unbeknownst at the time, I left myself about a liter short of what I would truly need.  I was off on the mileage I would need to do until the next water source as well. Plus it was a dry camp the first night.

We continued our climb, marveling at the views along the way.

Below us is Sheep Lake. We trudged upward until we finally got to Sourdough Gap at 6733 feet and we began to descend down the other side. 

The view down the valley towards Placer Lake and Morse Creek was amazing. It was close to 6pm by now and I was worried about finding a level place for all three of us to set up our tents, but eventually we found a spot at 6100 elevation right off the trail and we stopped for the night. I rehydrated a freeze dried package of white bean soup I purchased from REI. Sadly, it was horrible. The thyme overwhelmed everything and I had to force myself to choke it down. We kept hearing a drumming sound and Cathy told us it was a thrush. We tucked our bear cans down below us against a log and retired for the night.

The next morning I woke up early and got my bear can so I could eat a breakfast bar and make a cup of coffee.

Becky and Cathy joined me and we looked down the valley ahead. We packed up and headed north.

Looking back at where we camped for the night at the top of that rocky outcrop.

Cathy is a slow hiker. It was odd for me to have to stop and wait for her because I am always the slowest hiker in the group. She also stops frequently to take pictures. We had all discussed "hiking our own hike" and after traveling only a mile in an hour, Becky and I decided to hike ahead to the next water source before waiting for Cathy again. I was down to about a half liter and we had 5 more miles to go for water through a burn area with no shade as the day got increasingly warm. We sent word back down the trail to Cathy via a southbound hiker of our plan and continued up the trail.

The views were beautiful and we enjoyed the undulating terrain.

We walked a ridgeline for a bit as we went up Pickhandle Gap. I always love walking a ridgeline because of the views on both sides.

We ascended up to Crown Point, (elev. 6309 ft) where we stopped for awhile to enjoy the views of Mount Rainier and I took off my shoes and aired my feet out.

Looking back at where we came from. You can see the Pacific Crest Trail in the center. 

We still had about three and a half miles through a burn area before we could get water and I was starting to feel my lack of water as my energy lagged. We continued on our way and hit the burned area. The sun beat on us and there was no shade along this section. Eventually we reached the water source. It was about 15 feet down from the trail and we filtered water and I guzzled a bunch! So cold and delicious! We sat and waited for Cathy and eventually I did some laundry while we waited. 

After several hours Cathy arrived. Her hip had been really hurting her and she was in a lot of pain. She did not feel able to come down  the hill to the water so we climbed up to the trail again and we continued on about a quarter mile where we came to a shady camping area with close water. There were plenty of camping spots so we set up our tents, got more water and had some dinner. Cathy did not think she would be able to continue with the pain she had been feeling so she contacted her husband and we made plans to hike to the Mike Ulrich cabin which was the first place we could get off trail that he could meet us at. 

Several through hikers rolled in that evening and I off loaded some of my extra food to them since I was now carrying more days than I would need since we were getting off trail. They were happy to have extra to eat and I was happy to not have to carry extra weight. Win, win!

I enjoyed an early morning cup of coffee. We were lucky to have come to a non-burned area to camp in for the night. But for most of the day we hiked through a gray dead burn area. We decided to all hike together for the rest of the hike since Cathy was in pain and occasionally needed some help on some of the slanty sections of the trail and also getting over blow downs.

Becky ahead on the trail. We re-entered the Norse Peak Burn from 2017. New grass and plants have grown back but it will be years before this is again a green shady area. 

Raven's Roost in the distance. I have so many memories of this area from living in the Nile Valley. My husband hiked this area on multiple Survival Hikes when we worked at the Flying H Youth Ranch.

Cathy straddles the log of one of multiple blowdowns in this section. 

It is so odd how there are islands of green in the midst of the gray burn. We did not want to camp amongst the dead trees so we hiked to the Louisiana Saddle just out of the burn zone. We set up our tents for the night and made plans to hike out to the Mike Ulrich cabin the following morning. It had been a 9 mile day.

We got up early and headed for our meeting with Randy at the Mike Ulrich cabin. 

It was nice to be back into green again, but there were still several blowdowns that were challenging to cross with Cathy's sore hip. 

And here are some more blow downs. As a short person, these can be challenging for me, too.

Getting closer!

Abundant water at Government Meadow. Beautiful!

Mike Ulrich Cabin ahead!

We took a quick look around the Mike Ulrich Cabin but I tried not to touch anything. There had been reports of norovirus infecting the cabin and I did not want to get sick. Later, a health official went in and swabbed multiple places in the cabin and discovered every place he swabbed was contaminated with fecal matter. Gross! No wonder so many people got sick after staying there. Washing/disinfecting your hands can be challenging when backpacking, but it is important to try to try.

While we waited for Randy to arrive we laid on the grass and gazed at the sky. Bliss! I do not remember the last time I laid on the ground and just looked at the clouds. 

Eventually Randy arrived and we hiked down the trail to where he'd parked the car. We stopped for lunch in Enumclaw at the Naches Tavern, enjoying a post-hike celebratory hamburger and fries before driving the rest of the way home. This was a shorter trip than planned, but I still enjoyed it. 

New Central Whidbey State Parks Island Transit Route

Island Transit, the free public transportation service on Whidbey and Camino Islands recently added a route that I think is absolutely brilliant. The route only runs from June through Labor Day and it goes to the State Parks around Coupeville. If you want to play tourist for a day this is an amazing way to do it and avoid paying any parking fees. On a budget, or trying to beat the high gas prices? Give this route a try.

Highlights of the route are Fort Casey State Park, Coupeville waterfront and museum, Ebey's Landing State Park and Fort Ebey. It would be very easy to take a full day or two and visit some of the best hiking and scenery on Whidbey Island. 

I take public transportation at times and have never had a negative experience on Island Transit. You do have to pay attention to the times though, since the buses on this route only go from about 8:30am to 4:00pm. Find the route here.

There are multiple awesome hiking places along this route where you can be let off the bus. On Engle Road is the trailhead to Walking Ebey and Admiralty Inlet. The hike at Ebey's Landing is absolutely stellar and you can see the historic Jacob Ebey House which usually is open to the public Thursday through Sunday. 

Get off at the corner of Libbey Road and Hwy 20 and you can hike the Kettles Trail area for miles. Download a map here before you go since it is easy to get turned around on the trails. Take the bus back to Coupeville and enjoy an ice cream cone at Kapaw's Iskreme on Main Street or an adult beverage at Toby's or Penn Cove Brewery.

Recently I flagged down this new bus in front of my house. Stand out by the street and wave your arm at the bus as it approaches and it will stop and pick you up, but along Hwy 20 you have to use the bus stops for safety reasons. I rode it to Fort Ebey State Park, where the driver kindly dropped me at the front gate, and I then hiked the two miles back to my house through the park and along the Kettles Trails.

The smells of the forest and the sight of the greenery soothed my soul as I ambled along. I avoided the stinging nettles but if one was to brush up against them and get stung, just look for a fern, crush up a couple leaves, rub it on the spot and it lessens the sting. 

Beware of stinging nettles

 Ferns and nettles are complimentary plants and grow close to each other

I plan to utilize this service this summer to revisit some of my favorite hiking places on Whidbey. I hope lots of others will join as well. Whidbey is wonderful (there is a reason I live here) but the roads can be crowded with tourists during the summer. What a great way to showcase central Whidbey with less cars! Come visit, but give public transportation a try!

Central Whidbey State Parks bus route and time table

How I Got my Groove Back and Fell in Love with Teaching Again

Although this blog is typically about my hiking, I do have a professional life and in that life I am a teacher of 8th grade Spanish. I have another week of school left and I've decided to throw my thoughts about the year out to the universe, mainly so that I never forget what I learned this year. 

I've been teaching off and on for thirty years. I started out teaching at a small Christian school and then went into public education after I got my teaching credentials. I have seen a lot of things change over the years and teaching through the perils of Covid, the pivot to on-line instruction and then the return to the classroom for a "normal" year this year has stretched me tremendously. 

In August we had several days of professional development before school started and although I've attended a lot of PD there is one thing that a presenter did this year that has stuck with me the entire year. He showed a picture of a class of elementary children and front and center was a little boy flipping off the camera. We all laughed at the picture and then he said "How many of you noticed the two girls standing in the back row?" And until he pointed them out I had only focused on the boy with the bad behavior. I realized how often I have not noticed the good, quiet compliant students because they are good, quiet and compliant. They are also the students that I have a hard time remembering their names. But the boy who flipped off the camera I would have noticed and learned his name probably the first day of school. 

I resolved that I would go into this year seeing the quiet ones. 

Then the year began. Everything came at me to try to shake that resolution. 

My 6th period (last period of the day) had some major heavy hitters of poor behavior. The FIRST DAY of school I visited the dean to discuss ideas about one of the students in the classroom. There was NO honeymoon period which pre-covid really was a thing. Trying to teach 6th period was like playing whack-a-mole with multiple poor student behaviors. I also had a group of mean girls in my first period which were very challenging. I was frustrated and I wanted to quit. I cried at home multiple times. Several times I just about walked out of the building and in fact, one day I did. I went home sick after 2nd period so I wouldn't have to face 6th period. 

I was tormented by thoughts of quitting. I envisioned quitting multiple times a day. I dreamed about just walking away, what I would say and how I would do it.  If I could have quit, I would have. But I stuck with it because I did not want to potentially lose my health insurance or my house. 

Then in October I learned about another opportunity for professional development called a professional growth plan where I could get lots of free clock hours and also design what I wanted to do. I decided to do a project where I made weekly positive phone calls home. 

I have occasionally done positive phone calls but never made it a consistent part of my weekly routine. The decision to do this changed my life and helped me fall in love with teaching and with my students again. 

Part of the professional development involved researching how to do a good positive phone call home and the rewards of doing them. I already knew their power because after teaching for 30 years I know that if I can catch a potential problem student being good the first couple weeks of school and call home with a positive phone call, that kid and I will likely have a good relationship for the whole year. And if I need to call home later on with a not so positive call the parents are much more likely to hear what I have to say and support me. 

But I have not done a lot of positive phone calls for good kids. This was all about to change. I started by putting a sticky note on my desk with 1st through 6th period. Throughout the week I would look for someone to do a positive phone call for from each class. When I saw a kid doing well, I would write their name and what they'd done next to their name. Then on Fridays before leaving for the weekend I would call the parents of the child. 

Within just a few weeks I no longer dreaded going to work anymore. Talking with a parent about how great their kid was made them and me happy! It also broke the power of the negative thought cycle and I'd walk into the weekend leaving my cares and frustrations about school behind me instead of stressing about things all weekend. I started to sleep better. I started to notice and see the quiet ones. My mental health improved. 

I made it a point to stand outside my door and greet students by name even when they ignored me or did not respond back to me. I went to some after school activities to cheer kids on. I attended the school Culture Fair. I put more time and energy into trying to develop relationships with kids than I ever have before. And slowly but surely it began to pay off. Some kids who disliked my class began to express how much they liked it. 

Shifting some kids around also helped. A few kids from 6th period were moved into some of my other class periods and just getting them away from that group changed the dynamics with them. A couple kids moved away and a couple left to attend Virtual Academy. And I found myself genuinely sad to see them go. 

This week will be my last week with this group of students. And I've fallen in love with them. I am looking forward to chaperoning the 8th grade dance on Thursday and seeing them dressed up. I want to sign their yearbooks on Tuesday and tell them how much I will miss them. Because I will. I look back at the contrast between the beginning of the year and the end and I am amazed. The time and effort I put into making those phone calls were seeds that have blossomed into a rich and beautiful harvest. 

Below are some resources that I found about positive phone calls.

Positive Phone Calls home count as an Act of Kindness. Performing acts of kindness can lead to improved moods and can decrease blood pressure and the stress hormone cortisol. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/the-art-of-kindness 

A positive phone call home can help nip behavior problems in the bud. Read the results of a teacher who started the year by doing positive phone calls home. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/power-positive-phone-call-home-elena-aguilar 

How to do a positive phone call home https://www.burlington-nj.net/ourpages/auto/2017/9/17/64072750/Phone-Call-Scripts-Positive-and-Compliment-Sandwich.pdf 

Here are some more scripts for positive phone calls https://www.readingandwritinghaven.com/making-positive-parent-phone-calls

A Whimsical Walk through Krueger Woods

The morning was gray and overcast as I headed out the door to take a walk. The featured hike of the week from my favorite local hiking blog was in Coupeville and I wanted to stay close to home. (https://hikingclosetohome.weebly.com/hike-of-the-week/sun-break#/

Normally I like to get out into nature a bit more, but Coupeville is a lovely little town and since I'd gone to the trouble of trying to actually map out the walk based on the blog description, I pulled up the map on my phone as I pulled into the parking lot at Whidbey Health Hospital. 

my rough attempt at a map

I crossed the street and walked through a cute neighborhood, admiring the cottages and wondering if I'd ever want to live in a neighborhood like that. I think the reality of close neighbors on either side would take some getting used to. 

I paused at a trail sign for Krueger Woods on my way down to the green space by the public library and considered taking a side loop to explore the woods but decided to wait until I came back up. Walking past the local restrooms I tried to figure out where the trail was. Several people were playing with their dogs on the grass and a woman asked if I was looking for something. I told her I was trying to find a trail and with a smile she pointed ahead to where it trampled off to the right. After meandering between two full stormwater ponds I began a small ascent up 7th Street towards Broadview. 

whimsical fairy house

The houses in this historic town are worth wandering by and I did not regret my urban trail choice, captivated by charming white picket fences and cottages. Approaching Krueger Trails, a doe walked towards me down the trail. Her large eyes gazed at me, contemplating whether I was a danger or not. Eventually as I turned towards her on the trail she moved off to the side, ears flicking in irritation at my interruption.

deer in Krueger Woods

I explored Krueger Woods, a small enclave of wooded area in the heart of the neighborhood, walking the trails until I looped back to Broadview where I passed the Foursquare Church and the community garden area. A wide graveled path took me back towards Whidbey Health. I love walking areas and discovering hidden gems you can't see from the road. The trail goes parallel to Highway 20 but a large berm blocks the road noise and hides the traffic. I've driven past this trail for 15 years and never knew it was there. You can't see it from the road because of the berm.

The trail connected into Birch Street and I passed the Northwest Art School pausing to admire the funky metal sculpture in front of it.

I made it back to my car just as it started to rain. I enjoyed every minute of this 1.9 mile, 42 minute walk. If you ever find yourself at Whidbey Health Medical Center needing a nature walk or break, I highly recommend this trek.

 

Winter Wonderland

Snow started falling on Whidbey Island on Sunday night and by Tuesday morning we had over six inches at my home in Coupeville.

Around noon I pulled on my new lined Eddie Bauer pants from Costco, laced up my snow boots and headed down the road to Kettles Trails. Almost no traffic was out along Libbey and I cut across the road and into the forest. 

The woods were eerily quiet and besides the deer, bunnies and birds, mine were the only human footprints. I stopped and filled my mouth with the snow off a bush, the crisp taste taking me back to my childhood. Occasionally a tree would shiver and then snow would rain down on me as the trees playfully threw snowballs from their branches.

A snow covered mound on top of a trail marker revealed itself to be a small hand saw after I brushed the snow away. It looked like a gun. This section of the trails used to have a homeless encampment here and the trail name, Breaking Bad, is perhaps a tongue in check reference to that history. The land was donated to Island County a few years ago and the homeless have moved out as the trails were constructed and the local mountain bikers and hikers took the area over.

I gazed upwards, enjoying the view of the snow covered trees. Occasionally the red bark of a madrona tree wending its way towards the sun broke the monochromatic view of brown and white. 

Hiking through six inches of snow is hard work. I wished I'd thought to bring my hiking poles with me when I approached a steeper part of the trail, and then I reluctantly turned to begin circling back home.

As I popped out onto the old road I saw that several large trees had fallen. They had been cut off the trail and I was appreciative that I did not have to try to go over or around them. Island County, along with the local bike group, has done a fairly good job of stewarding these trails. I'd love to see a better clean up of the homeless encampment occur. Old wood pallets and detritus still scar the land in places.

Downed trees

I trudged through the snow, eventually rejoining my original footsteps, and I saw a chipmunk scurry around a tree trunk and birds began to flit through the trees and shrubs. The snow crunched beneath my boots as I hiked down Libbey Road towards my house and as I arrived, John opened the door for me, welcoming me back into the warmth of home.

People and Marmots and Bears, Oh My!

Rated the most beautiful hike in Washington, Cascade Pass has been on my hiking list for several years. So when I learned that the road had been repaired to the trailhead this summer, I decided this was the year to do it. When I heard that a small rain shower was going to clear out smoke and that Saturday, September 24 the conditions would be perfect for great views but not too warm, I put out the word to my hiking group at school and Russ and Angie decided to join in the fun.

Russ picked me up and we met Angie in Oak Harbor and headed from Whidbey Island to Marblemount. Angie tries to do this hike every year because it is her favorite and it was nice to have someone along who knew how to get there. When we arrived in Marblemount we headed straight across the one lane bridge on Cascade River Road and up the road to the trailhead. The road was paved part of the way and then became gravel but was in surprisingly good condition. The views, even on the way up, just got better and better, a preview of what lay ahead.

Russ and Ang get hiking shoes on

We arrived at the trail head and had to park about a half mile down the road since the parking lot was full. There were lots of cars and lots of people. Even in the parking lot the views of the mountains were amazing.

As we put on our shoes and suntan lotion we suddenly heard a rumbling and realized that up above there had been a small avalanche. We paused for a beginning picture at the beginning of the trail and then started the multiple gentle switchbacks up the mountainside. The trail was soft beneath our feet as we climbed gradually out of the trees.

My goal was to hike to Cascade Pass, but Russ and Angela were going to attempt to make it to Sahale Glacier. 

We paused for a water and snack break at the bend of one of the switchbacks that had a clear view back down the valley. Snow glistened on the mountain top glaciers.

Eventually we broke out of the trees and began a more level traverse, crossing a large talus field. The only running water for drinking was along this section, about three mile in.

After that traverse we crested Cascade Pass. We could look down the valley toward Stehekin. There were several large rocks for people to sit on, and people milled around taking pictures of themselves and the views. A path led up the hill with a small toilet sign. Tucked back off that path was a plastic compostable toilet with a view. Bring your own toilet paper.

We settled on the steps leading up to the toilet and began to eat our lunches. The Angela saw a Volvo key lying on the ground. Oh no, someone had lost their car key! We asked the people standing around but it did not belong to any of them. There was a metal survey marker that we laid the key on, hoping the owner would see it if they came back past it, and decided that if it was still there later we would take it down and try to find the car and leave it there.

We settled back down to finish our lunches and Angela suddenly saw that there was a bear about 30 yards from us, munching on blueberry plants. I got a picture of it and then we skedaddled up the trail. Even though Angela and I were both carrying bear spray, that was too close for comfort.

Russ and Angela continued up towards Sahale Glacier and I climbed up a ways before turning around and returning to Cascade Pass to wait for them. The black bear had ambled away when I returned and I sat on the rocks and chatted with some of the international hikers that were taking pictures there. A hiker saw the key and said he'd take it down and try to find the car that it went with and leave it there.

Eventually Russ and Angela returned and we headed back down the trail.

When we finally reach the bottom we passed the car that the key belonged to. There was a thick layer of dust on the back window and the kind hiker had written a coded message in the dust and hidden the key under a water bottle and some foliage on the front window. I hope the people figured it out. From the amount of dust on the back window the car may have been there a few days.

We drove back towards Whidbey, stopping for a fabulous dinner at the Train Wreck, where we ran into a couple of the hikers we'd met at the top of Cascade Pass. What a fabulous hike! Great time with great people and great views. It does not get much better than that!