Washington PCT 2015: Day 1

Starting a long hiking trip is always very surreal. As Laura and I drove our car up the Columbia river gorge with my mother and nephew in the back seat, we could easily have been going for a day hike. We got lunch right next to the Bridge of the Gods and looked out at the river. My cousin and I made funny faces at each other.

Nice face, Austyn!

Crossing Bridge of the Gods for Washington

But this was not just another day hike. We were gonna start hiking north and not turn around for the next month or so. I had hiked around the gorge and looked longingly at the mountains beyond it, and now I would walk through them! Laura was also feeling excited and well rested from her earlier solo adventure. We posed for a couple shots at the Washington State Trailhead of the Pacific Crest Trail before my mother drove the car back home.

Here we go!

 In an ironic twist, as we walked onto the trail we unknowingly scared a black bear across the road. My mother almost hit it as it ran in front of the car. Laura and I never saw a single bear in the entire hike, but my mother almost hit one about 30 feet from us on the first day!

Looking back toward the gorge

The hike started like a dream. Laura and I were very excited to be on the trail together. We would stop and look at things constantly. It was fun to point at places we had been, like table mountain. It was a bit warm down in the gorge and we took breaks often.

Gillette lake with Table mountain in the background

We stopped for some time at Gillette lake a few miles in. It was a gorgeous little swimming hole, but we were brand new on the trail and didn't feel like swimming yet. Instead, we just sat and talked about how crazy it was that we were really on the trail!

Relaxing by the lake

After a few more miles, we camped by a little stream about 6 miles from our starting point. We had started a little late in the afternoon and Laura had learned during her own solo hike that there is no need to push the body hard on the first day. There would be plenty of time to hike big miles.

Camping below Table mountain

We were all cozy in our tent and it was getting pretty dark when we heard someone come into our camp. It turned out to be a middle-aged military guy. He was going on a solo hike south from Goat Rocks and had really pushed it to go a good 30 miles that day. It was nice to hear about the upcoming trail and that it was in good condition.