We decided to hike part of the Pacific Crest Trail south from Rainy Pass into North Cascades National Park, intending to stay in Stehekin for a night, then hike back to the trailhead, a there-and-back hike. It didn’t work out precisely like that, but it was close.
After bailing out early on our Olympic National Park Beach Trek, I looked for a portion of PCT that didn’t have snow on it, and decided on a twenty mile stretch south of Rainy Pass. We already did the section north of the pass back in 2014 and 2022. So, after spending a night in a motel in Aberdeen, we continued east on Highway 20, deep into the cascade range. That entailed a lot of driving, so we took our time and enjoyed the ride. We stopped to check out the views of Diablo Lake and Washington Pass, then stayed the night in the Klipchuk Campground in the national forest near the town of Mazama. We spent that afternoon reorganizing our food and backpacks for an early start the following morning.
We didn’t rush too much the next morning. We chose to eat breakfast at the Mazama Grill, then headed back west on the highway to Rainy Pass. I noticed on the map that there were two or three PCT trailheads there. I had Vicki drop me off without a pack at the main southbound (SOBO) trailhead, then drive east to the Bridge Creek Trailhead and wait for me. Then I hiked a very fast mile and a half downhill on the PCT and crossed the road to the parking lot. As a dedicated PCT hiker, I wanted to experience every mile that I could, while Vicki was happy to make the day’s hike a bit shorter. Win-Win.
It was finally time to begin our first foray on the Washington PCT in 2025. The plan was to hike six miles to Six Mile Camp and spend the night there. The next night would be six miles further, to the Bridge Creek Camp. The third night we would meet the bus to Stehekin and spend the night at the Lakeview Campground. Since we didn’t like snow we would be returning in the reverse order. These are the only three campsites that PCT Hikers with a Valid Long Distance Permit are allowed to stay at within North Cascades National Park. The park normally issues wilderness permits that have quotas for each trailhead as well as each campsite within the park. They’re picky that way. Vicki and I got long distance permits from the PCTA for the 500+ miles from Cascade Locks to the Canadian Border, so we were fully legal. In fact, this small section of PCT was the only part of Washington that requires a permit that isn’t freely self-issued at a trailhead. This exact hike is 100% why we got our permits!
Well, maybe not 100%. We also used them to get official PCT Hangtags to attach to our backpacks. Worth it!
The first mile was quite mellow, hiking through a green coniferous forest with plenty of lush, healthy undergrowth. The trail slowly left the highway behind, as it descended along Bridge Creek into a deep valley. We would be following that creek all the way to Lake Chelan and Stehekin. The lake was about 30 miles from Rainy Pass, but we wouldn’t have to hike the final ten miles or so because of the bus. It was all downhill for the next three days. Coming back would be a whole other problem, and Vicki really wasn’t looking forward to it. But that’s life on the trail. What goes down must come up.
After crossing the footbridge over Bridge Creek, the trail mostly stayed high above the valley floor. We only had to deal with crossing side-creeks after that. The trail in this section was within the Okanogan National Forest, and it was a bit overgrown in spots. But that isn’t surprising considering the rainfall up here in the PNW. Luckily the bushes were both soft and dry, and we enjoyed hiking through them. And the weather was fine.
One mile beyond the bridge, we entered North Cascades National Park. It was obvious that a trail crew had been here within the last day or so. The brush was knocked back, and we could smell the freshly cut grasses. Nice! We continued downhill, often in the sunshine, but there were also some clouds that gave us shade as they drifted by. At the halfway point of the hike, we came upon a wide spot at a trail junction that was perfect for taking an extended break. Vicki was already getting tired at this point. We decided to eat a bit of lunch, and Vicki took a short nap. This usually recharges her battery for another round of hiking.
After our break, we had about three more miles to go. As we hiked, there were wooded regions as well as views across the way. The clouds built in the sky until there was very little blue remaining. Then it started raining lightly. We heard a bit of thunder, but it was far in the distance. Typical afternoon showers in the mountains, in other words. We put on our pack covers and rain jackets, but not the pants, as it wasn’t raining too hard and our legs were warm from hiking.
We made it to the Six Mile Camp marker and hung a left. Vicki was totally whupped by then. She was like a zombie hiking down the totally overgrown side trail to the campsite. It was way down the slope, close to Bridge Creek, which was perfect for getting water. The site had a communal cooking area with fire ring, and even had a totally modern “Space-Age” outhouse. The original box seat with a hole on top was still nearby, so we had options.
After setting up the tent, Vicki took yet another nap, while I filtered two gallons of water. I joined her in the tent after that. Every so often some drops of rain would make it through the pine needles above us, but mostly the rain was finished. We ate some dinner long before sunset, and headed into the tent. We ended up alone in this campsite. We met a couple of early SOBO’s from the Canadian border earlier on the trail, but they blasted past this camp.
We weren’t blasting at all. In fact, Vicki had hiked so slowly today that it worried me. Normally, she’s a sub-mile-per-hour hiker when heading uphill, but at least she typically cruises along on the downslopes. Not today. She was still feeling terribly weak, just like she did on the North Coast Trail a few days ago. I knew that she would be able to make it through two more days of downhill to Stehekin, but what would happen on the way back? I was worried. I spoke with her about it. I tried to outline all the choices we had, such as letting her take the ferry across Lake Chelan while I hiked back uphill solo then drove to meet her in the car, or buying more food in Stehekin and hiking back uphill over multiple extra days, but none of them really worked out. In the end, we decided to head back to the car from here. We could visit Stehekin via the ferry together later on. Vicki wasn’t thrilled but she agreed with the plan, and let me tell you: She was already dreading tomorrow’s uphill hike. So was I.
We woke up early the next day, just like always. We cooked and ate our breakfast, then packed up all the gear. We got hiking right away, hoping to get in some miles while it was still cool. Naturally, today there were no clouds whatsoever in the sky. The sun beat down and roasted us. Vicki wasn’t happy, as she overheats easily. This also made her slow down even more. She was hiking at less than a half mile per hour. And suffering the whole time.
Poor Vicki! We stopped for a break in the shade and I came up with a new plan: I would carry both our packs! One at a time, meaning that I would hike ahead with one, set it down, hike back to the other, then hike up to the first one. This meant that I would be hiking three times the distance, with all of the weight. But if it helped Vicki make it, then it was worth it. I like hiking fast. It’s what I do. I told her that I would set a timer for ten minutes, then stop and come back, so I wouldn’t get too far ahead. Meanwhile, she would be trudging along slowly, and if she got thirsty all she had to do was stop and wait. This ended up working fairly well, as I could easily hike three times faster than her, in her current condition anyway.
The plan seemed to be working. Vicki was surviving, and not as a total zombie, which often happens when she overdoes herself. Sure, we took a few extra breaks, but the days were long in late June, so I told her not to worry.
Video of me hiking along at my normal fast speed
Video of unwell Vicki hiking poorly – why I had to carry her pack – but I should have carried HER!
We hiked a bit over two miles before Vicki was toast. She took a nap at a wide spot on the trail, where a side trail headed down to a campsite along Bridge Creek. We didn’t need water, but I was bored so I went down there. Then I came back and read my kindle for a while. Eventually Vicki woke up, but I don’t think the nap elicited its usual magic. She was still whupped, and walking like a zombie almost as soon as we started.
We hiked one more mile, to the halfway point, the three mile marker where we rested yesterday. Vicki took yet another nap. She was in sad shape. Not her usual self at all. I got out my CalTopo app and stared at it for a while. There was a campsite not far away from us, one of the ones we weren’t allowed to camp at with our PCT permits. We talked about our options when she woke up, and I went to visit the campsite. It was quite nice, much nicer than the one last night. I went back and grabbed a backpack, while Vicki walked across the log over Bridge Creek. I set it down at a likely tent spot then went back for the other pack.
It turned out that this was the Equestrian Campground, not the regular one. So, technically, other hikers without horses weren’t allowed here either. That was fine by me. If any park rangers came by I would invoke the Emergency Clause. I considered Vicki’s weakness to be an extenuating circumstance. But no ranger showed up.
Vicki took yet another long nap in the tent once I blew up the air mattresses. I even joined her. We left the tarp off the top and enjoyed a bug-free environment under the trees. It was a lovely day, perfect for a nap.
Later on, I filtered some more water and we ate dinner in camp. No horses arrived, nor any hikers. It was a big campsite, and quite nice. It almost made me want a horse of my own. I was pretty sure Vicki wouldn’t have said no to a horse. Anyway, we cooked and ate our dinner, and went to bed early once again.
The next morning we woke up at dawn and ate a no-cook breakfast. That made packing up even faster. Today’s hike was about the same distance, three more miles, but the trail was steeper than yesterday. I asked Vicki if she could carry her pack across the log bridge to the PCT junction, then I would take over from there.
Once again, we started the uphill progression, where Vicki walked steadily while I hiked thrice the distance. It wasn’t a bad plan, and Vicki’s pace, while very slow, was at least a pace, and we managed to make some distance.
There was a wide spot at the NPS-NFS border. Then it got extra-steep. This seemed like the perfect spot for a nap. Vicki was more than happy to comply. I read my book while she slept. There was no point in carrying backpacks during the interval, because I was already more than fast enough. We just relaxed, and there was no real rush, after all.
We continued on for another mile, until we reached the Bridge Creek Footbridge. Vicki was basically whupped at that point. She ate some snack for energy and took yet another nap. The trail was steep but we were making progress. And we only had less than a mile to go at that point.
We hiked less than a tenth of a mile further and Vicki was already toast. We were at a trail junction and there was a campsite there if we needed it. I told Vicki to take a much longer nap this time while I carried my big backpack all the way to the car and then return. It would take me less than an hour. Vicki agreed, and away I went. I got to the car and tossed the pack inside, then took a big drink of water and blasted down the trail again, partly running and partly walking.
When I arrived she was awake but lying there, simply resting. I picked up her pack and showed her my app, which stated that we had less than a mile and only 141 feet of climbing to do. This last bit was much less steep, so she would make it fine. Well, maybe she wasn’t all that fine, but she sure did make it!
We got in the car and headed east, down the hill toward Mazama and the store. We ate lunch outside at a table with plenty of other hikers. It was a good crowd.
There was cell signal there, so I searched online for a nearby motel. Vicki deserved a proper bed for the night. So we headed down Highway 20 to the tourist town of Winthrop. We liked Winthrop. It was a hiker-friendly town. We arrived in time to check in early, and headed into our room. It was rustic and fun.
I got out my laptop and began making plans for the future. We still wanted to visit Stehekin, so I booked us rides on the ferry, there and back with a night at the Lakeview Campground (that our PCT permits would let us use). Sadly, it wasn’t until the day after tomorrow, so we looked around at the map, and came up with a place to stay tomorrow night and a plan for an easy dayhike to a nearby lake.
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
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