PCT: Cultus Creek to Walupt Lake

I didn’t have a chance to get a post up for our summer trip, but here’s the short version. We’re living with Matt and Jessi for 6 weeks this summer. I’m working remotely for most of it but will squeeze in PCT miles every weekend and on some days off.

First up for was a 47 mile gap in southern Washington between long day hikes Matt and I did last year. This one has been bugging me since last year, and it’s nice to put it to rest. I headed out early on a Saturday and got to the Cultus Creek trailhead in Indian Heaven around 8am. A couple miles and a grueling climb later, I was back on the PCT.

The trail started with about 15 miles of pine forests with smooth trail, large trees, limited views, and tolerable mosquitoes. It was a warm day with highs in the upper 80s, but I had plenty of shade to make it pleasant. Unfortunately, right as I thought the heat was breaking, the trail entered a burn with no shade for miles. On the bright side, the lack of trees provided incredible views of Mt. Adams. I plodded along, eventually getting to camp after 26 miles and more than a mile of climb. I quickly setup camp and jumped in the tent to hide from the mosquitoes that were now out in full force.

I started day 2 early, hitting the trail at 5:30am, to get in front of what was going to be a hot, 26 mile day. I started with more spectacular views of Mt. Adams as the trail traversed the western side of the mountain. I was treated to limited views of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier before diving back into tree cover for the last 10+ miles. My plans to take a lunch break 17 miles in were quickly squashed as I didn’t even manage to filter water before getting swarmed by mosquitoes. I grabbed some snacks, donned a bug net, and kept hiking instead.

The rest of the miles dragged by as the heat climbed and mosquitoes followed, hoping for a bite. I made it to Walupt Lake around 2pm and quickly found shade near the water to try to cool and rehydrate. Angela picked me up an hour later to put the wraps on this section.