Pacific Northwest Trail chunk hike

[BrianLe]

My friend Lucky and I did close to a third of the Pacific Northwest Trail this month, the western ~third. Hoping to do the other 800 or so miles soon, perhaps next year.

I was surprised that I couldn't find a thread here under "other trails" talking about the PNT. It's listed as a National Scenic Trail, and is the north end of the Great Western Loop.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwest_Trail
It has its own organization (pnt.org), guidebook and town guide, even its own equivalent to Jonathan Ley in the form of Li Brannfors. And it is best compared to the CDT, insofar as there are a lot of alternate routes, like the CDT it's a bit of a "make your own adventure". And also like the CDT, if you want to use the guidebook it's best to go a particular direction (WEBO for PNTs Youngbluth guide, similar to SOBO to use CDTs Wolf guide).

Starting on the WA coast was pretty cool; due to what the rangers told us about snow levels in the Olympics we road walked to cut off some of the coast part in order to get to a reserved spot in the Olympics. In retrospect we didn't need to do that, really, or for that matter to have gone through the snowy high divide route, but all part of the adventure. And we got to walk through the town of Forks, featured (as I understand) in the 'Twighlight' books.

Overall quite a mix of wonderful along with some inevitable route finding frustration and --- in the western portion once out of the Olympics --- some populated areas to road walk through. Fortunately we've paid our dues there this year, should be none of that in the remaining 800 miles.

My blog for the trip starts here if you find this interesting:
http://postholer.com/journal/viewJou...entry_id=46235

[garlic08]

I'm heading off soon for a month in Seattle, and I hope to hike the western third of the PNT to finish it. I hiked the eastern 2/3 a few years ago, from Glacier to Sedro Wooley. Talk about road walks and frustration, along with some memorable wilderness highlights. I'm looking forward to crossing the Olympics in August.

[BrianLe]

The Olympics should be great in August, if a bit more populated than we found them. Some of the bits from Sedro Woolley until you get into the Olympics maybe not so much, very much depending on route alternatives of course. The upside is that we were calling some of the less-fun parts the "deli circuit", in memory of some parts of the AT, i.e., relatively ready access to food along the way. I guess there's always an upside!

[BrianLe]

Resurrecting this thread just to say that my hiking partner (Lucky) and I are going to hike the other ~2/3 of the PNT starting in a little over a week.
I'll blog this in the same place as last time, http://www.postholer.com/brianle

The first blog entry is there now.

[Venchka]

Have fun and good luck.
Wayne


Old. Slow. "Smarter than the average bear."

[Dogwood]

I'm starting the western third starting aCape Alava in a couple of wks after a short PCT leg stretch and then a Bailey Range Traverse in O NP. See ya there.

[Dogwood]

So Brian Le where are Lucky and you picking up the EABO walk?

[BrianLe]

Hey Dogwood. We're starting from the eastern terminus, Chief Mountain --- initially along the Belly River.

I thought the western third was GREAT, btw, or at least a lot of it was --- after we got into Whidbey Island it was more road walking than we cared for.
Didn't do the Bailey traverse option, but it was tempting --- we started that July 1st, and figured there would be too much snow still.

Similarly, we're taking a route option early on (still in Glacier N.P.) that most PNT hikers don't take because of snow, a more northerly route that's supposed to be beautiful. Like the CDT, the PNT is just full of choices, lots of "sort of" and not well marked trail, and just generally navigation challenges. One thing we found about going east in 2014 was that it gets to be a real PITA looking at the Youngbluth guidebook backwards, to the point where eventually we didn't look at it much. Will be interesting for us to see if and how much we look at it when walking in its intended direction.

Hope to see you out there! Likely won't though, as you should be done with your third before we get near.