Hiking Three Miles of the Pacific Crest Trail
When my plans to see an active volcano in Iceland fell through this summer (Volcanoes: 2, Robyn: 0), I had an empty weekend to fill. I decided I would finally check out a backpacking trail down in Washington.
I choose this particular trail not only because it looked beautiful, but also because it intersected with the Pacific Crest Trail! Broken into three days and two nights, I spent my first night at Pete Lake which was busy but pleasant. I spent the evening chasing the sun across the beach and reading.
On my second day, I only had to hike for about 30 minutes before I spotted my first PCT thruhiker at a river crossing. It was immediately obvious by their long hair and beard, worn clothes, and ultralight gear - and little triangular PCT pass hanging off their ultralight backpack - what their main objective was.
I got to hike three miles of the PCT, passing by several more thruhikers along the way. I went through old burn sections, fireweed wildflowers, up exposed switchbacks, and across a lovely waterfall.
Arriving at Spectacle Lake was honestly a little overwhelming. It was a gorgeous setting but such a widespread area that it was difficult to choose a spot to set up my tent. I wandered back and forth a few times before deciding on a spot on a rocky cliff beside an arm of the lake and with a clear view of the sky.
Since the Perseids meteor shower was happening over this weekend, I set up my tent without the fly. Every time I woke up in the middle of the night, I opened my eyes to endless stars and caught a handful of meteors streaking across the sky.
On my third day of the trip, I hiked out all 11 miles back to the trailhead and my car. Even though it wasn't an active volcano in Iceland, it was still a pretty damn good weekend all around.
