Even the best of plans have inherent holes. I looked for hiker holes before I left. Holes of water crossings, water availability, miles I should not do, and resupply. I also looked at places I could get off trail if needed.
I missed a few of these holes. I hadn't planned on such a wet trail in places. That is something that just happens. What may be dry in one year may be under water the next. A creek crossing early in the morning and hopping rocks is a possibility may be knee deep in the afternoon.
I also didn't know about the over growth. I've never hiked in the Pacific Northwest. Ferns and other plants push over the trail hiding tripping hazards. Sometimes the overgrowth is so thick it takes effort to push through. If it's wet, it gets miserable being soaked through. Thankfully, I had hot afternoons to dry out.
One of the hazards I plan for but, is hard to predict is fire. Fire danger gets higher as the days get hotter and drier. The last 5 years there is a trend for warmer hotter summers. when I looked into the 15 year average for Washington, 76 degrees is the norm. In the last five years 80 plus is the trend. On my web page, I have a link to one of the quickest fire tracking sites I've found, if you know of another please leave ot in the comments. Most of the word on fires comes from word of mouth on the trail. Cell services is nonexistent along PCT Washington. The Park Rangers are quick to find out info from hikers to update resources in this region.
I will also look into other bailout options next year as there were lots of weekenders in areas that are not otherwise seen. Side trails like Suiattle Junction or Kennedy Creek have access points. Millcreek access however is abandoned. These side trails may or may not be favorable but when the blow up happens as Southbow did yesterday afternoon, retreating may be the better option.
I know I can hike 15 to 20 miles per Uinta weekend day for my local backpacking. On the thru-hikes I am not constrained to driving to/fro the trail therefore I use 20 mile as the planned standard day. Days are then limited by terrain, like Milcreek which makes it hard or Ollaie (Oregon) which made it easy.
Other than that pack weight is a consideration, I hike farther with a lighter pack than heavy. The food and water makes a difference. Psychological hiking a 20 is hard on a full food bag of 5 days. With 2 or 3 days I can cover 25 if I keep hiking all day without many breaks.
The unknown, ugh, what if I have to bailout. I did look for a few options but, did not secure anything in hard copy. My Dad helped greatly with this bailout to Chelan to Seattle. He did the hard digging when I left him a voicemail. Now comes the execution of it. If I were to hard copy plan every bailout there wouldn't be time to plan the hike.
Next year, I'll have other options available in case I want to skip around. I've left gear at a friend's place so I need to retrieve it, otherwise I might skip to the Sierra's. Again a contingency plan left unplanned.
Gear knowns and unknowns, I'm glad for the larger tent to spread out in however the freestanding will give me options to pitch on solid rock or sandy environments. The Sawyer filter needs the zippered water bags so that I can leave it attached. Rhe smartwater bottle approach worms but does require one to unscrew the filter regularly. This action lead me to over tightening the fliter too many times thus shreeding one gasket. I do carry Aqua Mira drops to chemically treat my water. Aqua Mira takes a few minutes to activate and then more time to make the water safe to drink. Nothing tastest better than ice cold mountain stream water.
Injury unknowns, I know I had a stride problem that lead to tendonitis in my right knee. I took gym time to correct this issue. No knee pains this time. Also the gym time made getting up Mt Olympus strides easier. No, I'm not hiking that trail when I get home. I did have a few blister on the feet that aways happen regardless of shoe and sock choice. The blisters were worse with the stride issue.
Three things to keep in mind. One have another experienced (fill in the blank, in my case long distance hiker) look over the plan for holes. They may spot something you missed. Two, don't skip on the small luxury of water/camp shoes. They may weigh ounces but, its worth not hiking 20 miles in wet shoes. Three, drink up. Have a main and secondary water source to keep you going. And a bonus, stay friendly. The individuals I met along the way made this journey a lot more enjoyable.
Shortly I'll be on the ferry to Chelan.
Hike on. Hike wise.
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