Washington PCT 2015: Day 18

It was about 13.5 miles to Snoqualmie Pass when we started our 18th day. We woke up well rested and ready to get there. Laura was still in pain but felt better after our afternoon of. And she would get to rest those knees even more when we slept in a hotel! We entered park lands on our way up to the top of our final ridge. Near the top, we came across Mirror Lake. It was a little dirty from irresponsible campers but still very beautiful.

Yay! No more clear-cuts!

Mirror Lake

Soon, we were in sight of the highway. It was really a cool thing for me to remember this valley from my 2014 bike trip. I could even see the trail pass below the PCT through a tunnel.

Hwy I-90 and the Snoqualmie Valley

The John Wayne trail!

Looking west down the Snoqualmie Valley

As we approached the Pass, we ran into more and more people out for weekend hikes. It was a warm day and we were very excited to get to our destination. The last few miles of the hike seemed to take forever.

Weird old cabin above Snoqualmie Pass

Looking north across the pass

About to head down the ski slopes

Finally, we walked over the crest of a hill and looked down ski slopes to find ski cabins, a hotel, a gas station, and other wonderful amenities. The first thing that we did was secure our lodging and get our box of food from the summit hotel. The lady at the front desk was a little rude at first but after was had checked in and showers, she was much more chatty. I imagine we smelled quite a bit!

Our Hotel!

After getting settled in, we strolled across the street to a pub called "The Commonwealth". It was a cool place. We got drinks and ordered a giant nacho platter. Eating those nachos will always be one of my favorite memories of food! I honestly wonder if it was mostly in our hungry heads, but those nachos tasted unbelievable delicious! We went back to our hotel and called the Goldmyer Hot Springs because we hoped to stay there.Then we settled in for a good sleep on a real bed. We would take our first real zero-day tomorrow and got started on the relaxing early.

Yummy drink

Yummy Drink

Delicious Nachos!