I had a plan for my 70-mile backpack trip from Rainy Pass to Manning Park. My husband would drop me off at the Pacific Crest Trail trailhead. Then he’d pick me up six days later in Canada. In the middle, I figured, I’d mostly be by myself.
I was looking forward to the solitude and quiet. And, in fact, I found solitude and quiet. But I also found three new friends who made my trip immeasurably more fun.
I stopped in the ranger station on Highway 20 before heading up to the trailhead. I chatted with the ranger on duty. He reminded me about the weather forecast — “rain” — and mentioned that another woman hiking on her own had stopped in just before me.
“Excellent,” I told him. “I’ll watch for her on the trail.”
I assumed, though, I’d probably never see her. I’m used to other hikers leaving me in the dust.
Turns out, I ran into her after only a few hours on the trail. Her name was Denise, she lives in the Cayman Islands and I liked her immediately. I hiked with her for awhile, happily chatting, before heading down the trail. We planned to camp at the same site that night and I told her I’d watch for her.
I made it to the Snowy Lakes site — a steep, half-mile climb off of the PCT — just as rain was starting. I threw my tent up quickly and went to sleep early.
When I woke up, I discovered there was only one other tent around the lake. This was lucky — from talking to other hikers, I knew it had been filled to bursting over the weekend. I was thrilled to not notice any trash around the lake or camps. It’s rare such a popular destination is treated so carefully.
It was lovely and peaceful. And yet, I was kind of sad I hadn’t seen Denise again. I wouldn’t have minded sharing the setting with someone.
It wasn’t long, however, until we met up.
I caught up with her while she was having lunch with a big group of other hikers. It turned out she’d reached the turnoff to Snowy Lakes just as it started raining and made the wise decision to toss up her tent and call it a day.
I chatted with her while we all ate lunch. She introduced me to two other women, Margaret and Miranda. They were hiking the trail together and had met the previous year on a long-distance hike in England. We ate and shared stories then each headed off.
When I reached the camp that night, the three women I’d met had already settled in. I stopped and hesitated. I felt a little bad barging in where they were camping. Denise solved that problem for me by inviting me to join them, which I did.
I didn’t camp alone for the rest of the trip.
Each day, we’d all wake up at our own time, and slowly pack up. We usually ate breakfast together, and hit the trail when we were ready. We quickly fell into a comfortable rhythm. Denise and I hiked together often, but not all the time, and Margaret and Miranda hiked together. At the end of each day, we gathered together to camp.
One night, just north of Hart’s Pass, we spent at least 45 minutes companionably watching the sunset. Eventually, the three others headed to bed. I meant to follow them. But I wandered off to another overlook for just one more photo and, before I knew it, I found myself settled in on a rock and waiting for the last hints of sunset to fade.
I was rewarded for holding still. I heard a rustle in the bushes behind me. I turned to see a pine marten (a member of the weasel family) staring at me out of a bush. It was close enough I could have touched it. I stared, entranced. It vanished. A moment later, it popped out of a different part of the bush. It stared at me for a few seconds before vanishing.
Soon the last rays of light faded, and I went to bed very happy and very tired.
The next day, the promised (and dreaded) rains arrived. One night we reached camp after hiking almost all day in the rain. For the last mile or so, the rain was at least half ice.
I was gladder than ever for my new trail friends. We clustered our tents under the trees, squeezing for any shelter we could find. We were all friends now, and so no one minded that our tents’ rain flies overlapped.
But the best part, without question, was a deal Denise and I made. She was carrying a stove. I was not. That meant I had less weight, but also cold meals and no hot tea. I offered to carry a fuel canister for Denise.
In exchange for this small service, Denise made me hot tea and gave me hot water for my dinner. (I definitely got the better end of the deal.) Better yet, that freezing night, she boiled a liter of water to pour in a Nalgene bottle. I slipped it in my sleeping bag before I went to bed. A hot water bottle has never felt so amazing. I snuggled it while the four of us talked through the walls of our tents.
On our final night, we camped just five miles from Manning Park. It was a well-developed campsite with a fire ring and an outhouse. It felt like luxury.
As we set up camp, the on-again-off-again rain finally stopped. For awhile, a rainbow shined over our camp. Denise got a fire going in the fire ring — some blessed soul had chopped up kindling.
We all sat around the fire, laughing and joking as we held our feet over the flames. We watched our socks steam as they slowly dried out. We ate the last of Margaret’s chocolate and went to bed after dark.
The next morning, Miranda discovered that while the bear box was probably bear proof, it was definitely not mouse proof. A mouse had chewed through her trash bag to get to the chocolate wrapper. It had also tried, and failed, to make off with some of her huge raisins.
We hiked the last five miles to Manning Park quickly and easily.
When we arrived at the lodge at the park, we asked if we could pay for a shower. Nope, they told us, “You can’t pay. But you can have one for free. And here’s a free drink ticket.”
So, after a desperately needed shower, we all headed to the restaurant. We ordered drinks and toasted to new friends and good hikes.
My trip on the PCT was not at all what I had planned. It was ever so much better than that.
If you go
It is getting to the end of the season on the Pacific Crest Trail. If you head out now, be prepared for snow. Or plan a trip for next summer. You won’t regret.
The section of trail from Rainy Pass to Manning Park is about 70 miles. Most of it is lovely, well-graded trail. If you’re considering a first long backpack trip, this is an excellent option.
Entering Canada: To legally enter Canada, you must apply for a permit in advance. For information: www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/permits.
Day trips: Few roads access the PCT on this section of trail. For a day trip, start either at Rainy Pass on Highway 20 or Harts Pass, which can be reached by Harts Pass Road out of Mazama. Harts Pass would be an excellent place to start to view larches.
More information: www.wta.org or www.pcta.org. Additionally, Halfmile’s PCT app is extremely useful.
Be responsible: Bring the 10 essentials, www.wta.org/hiking-info/basics/ten-essentials, and be sure to follow Leave No Trace principles, lnt.org.
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