Day 1 - And we're off

Start Time: 1:20 pm
End Time: 4:50 pm
Start Mileage: 2466.7 (Stevens Pass)
End Mileage: 2473.00 (Lake Valhalla)
Distance Walked: 6.30 miles
Elevation Gain: 1460 feet
Descent: 617 feet

I thought I would begin today’s blog by sharing a couple of what I thought were funny stories about both Dan (hereinafter referred to by his trail name Huckleberry) and my (hereinafter referred to as Wanderer) journey to Seattle ahead of meeting up for the walk.

In my case, I had two buses to catch from the seaplane terminal at Lake Union down to the REI store in Tukwila. Dennis, our Trail Angel, had very kindly texted me details of where I was to catch the buses and where to get off, which was very helpful. Catching the first bus was very simple, but the bus driver failed to tell me where I was to get off, after I had explicitly asked him to do so. There was a recorded announcement advising each bus stop we were due to arrive at, but not once was mine mentioned. All of a sudden, an announcement was made that the next stop was where the bus terminated the journey. I asked the driver where I needed to go to reach the REI store and was pointed across the street. When I had made the crossing, something just didn’t feel right, and I ended up turning around to cross back to where I had come from—and there was the bus I required, at the very stop I had just got off at. I was able to make the connection and off we set for a very fast bus ride along the freeway. Again, I was unsure where to get off, but the second set of instructions from Dennis was much clearer and so I was able to get off the bus right across from REI.

If I thought my ride was bad, then Huckleberry’s was a lot hairier, and here’s what happened.

Huckleberry was flying from Ottawa to Vancouver with Air Canada. The flight was delayed leaving Ottawa by about 35 minutes, which meant he was going to have a tight turnaround to make his connecting flight to Seattle. Upon arrival in Vancouver, Huckleberry stepped off the plane and walked up the ramp and was greeted by May from Air Canada Concierge, who was holding a sign with his name. May then ran with Huckleberry, who was trying to keep up running behind, carrying two heavy bags. May cleared a path through crowds and led Huckleberry from Terminal C to Terminal E. May dropped Huckleberry off at security and US immigration, and met him on the other side, and they continued their run to the departure gate. They got there 15 minutes before departure and 5 minutes before the gate closed, with Huckleberry in a full sweat. Huckleberry said May was a true customer service hero.

Today, we were picked up by our Trail Angel, Dennis, who is just one of the many true heroes to all of those folks who walk the PCT. Dennis was scheduled to pick us up from our Air B’n’B for the drive up to Stevens Pass where this year's walk commenced. Dennis was delayed a bit, but by 9:45 am we were on our way to breakfast. We stopped at Patty’s Eggnest for what was our last meal before leaving civilization.

We got dropped off at Stevens Pass and made a last-minute pit stop before finally getting away at 1:30 pm. We had a relatively short day ahead of us of 4–5 miles but hoped to get a little further than that. It was a beautiful day, although too hot if the truth is known, but we found both shade and shelter right from the off as we dived into the trees. The trail was excellent as it was both flat and dry and we were able to make excellent time. The trail was too good to be true and we were nervously waiting for the climb that was due to come. After a while, we had a well-earned break and Woody announced we had knocked off 2.4 miles already, which we were all pleased with.

During our break, we were set upon unmercifully by the mosquitoes, and this was a portend of things to come. There were numerous hikers heading south, some walking the PCT and others being day hikers. We asked about the mosquitoes and everyone said they were bad, and this is one of the negatives of starting our walk at this time of the year.

We set off after our break and now we began to climb. Up and up we went, and we were all beginning to breathe heavy and sweat in the conditions. We eventually came upon the campsite we had originally planned to camp at, but as it was still relatively early, we decided to push on to Valhalla Lake that was supposed to have excellent campsites. We took another short break but were soon on our way again. We were all feeling it today as the weather takes its toll when you start climbing, but we put our heads down and carried on.

We eventually reached Lake Valhalla at 4:50 pm, and if truth be known, we were all pleased to get the first day over and done with.

As we were setting up camp, the mosquitoes descended upon us and I immediately donned both my rain pants and my hoody, as well as digging out my mosquito net that goes over my head. The mozzies were relentless. After what seemed an eternity setting up my tent, it was time to test drive my first sponsored dinner, courtesy of Briden Solutions, and I chose to go with Backpacker’s Pantry Risotto with Chicken.

The instructions on the package called for 1 and 3/4 cups of boiling water to be added to the dinner and stirred thoroughly before being left to sit for 8 minutes, and then to stir the contents thoroughly again before leaving it to sit for another 7 minutes.

It was a very tasty meal with lots of lovely white chicken, but it was a little too watery for my taste, and so when I cook it again, I will try it with maybe a cup of water to see if that makes it better. Tomorrow I will be trying Refuel’s Teriyaki Rice with Chicken.

Well, it’s just gone 8:30 pm, so it’s time to close the blog for today, but I will be back tomorrow to tell you all about the 13-mile day we have planned and the 3000-foot elevation gain we have ahead of us!!