Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - September 8th
Day 138: Sunday 8th September Sheep Lake – Arch Rock Shelter
I didn’t leave until 8am since I was intending an easy day. I’ve said that before! It
was still freezing and it had already clouded over after early morning sunny periods.
The trail climbed through Sourdough Gap, above Placer and Miner’s Lakes, Bullion
and Pickhandle Basins, passed Pickhandle Point and Gold Hill, with a view across to
Crystal Mountain; All reminders of the time when gold was mined in these hills.
It was back in the land of the Marmots and I also saw an American Kestrel and
what was probably a Goshawk. Now that I had climbed up to 6,000ft there were a couple
of inches of melting snow on the trail from yesterday. I met several hunters and spent
30 minutes chatting with a 55 year-old lady who was day hiking. She had already
completed the PCT through Oregon and had the final 18 miles of the Washington PCT
to complete this weekend. She had tried to persuade her husband to accompany her on
a two-day backpack, but he had insisted on doing it as a one-day hike. A non-hiker, he
was not very fit and pulled a groin muscle so they had to abort, and she was completing
on her own today.
There were showers in the afternoon and I could see a belt of rain coming in from
the west so I camped well before dark at the site of the now demolished Arch Rock
shelter.
Day 138: 15.7 miles 7.30 hours Camp: Arch Rock Shelter
I didn’t leave until 8am since I was intending an easy day. I’ve said that before! It
was still freezing and it had already clouded over after early morning sunny periods.
The trail climbed through Sourdough Gap, above Placer and Miner’s Lakes, Bullion
and Pickhandle Basins, passed Pickhandle Point and Gold Hill, with a view across to
Crystal Mountain; All reminders of the time when gold was mined in these hills.
It was back in the land of the Marmots and I also saw an American Kestrel and
what was probably a Goshawk. Now that I had climbed up to 6,000ft there were a couple
of inches of melting snow on the trail from yesterday. I met several hunters and spent
30 minutes chatting with a 55 year-old lady who was day hiking. She had already
completed the PCT through Oregon and had the final 18 miles of the Washington PCT
to complete this weekend. She had tried to persuade her husband to accompany her on
a two-day backpack, but he had insisted on doing it as a one-day hike. A non-hiker, he
was not very fit and pulled a groin muscle so they had to abort, and she was completing
on her own today.
There were showers in the afternoon and I could see a belt of rain coming in from
the west so I camped well before dark at the site of the now demolished Arch Rock
shelter.
Day 138: 15.7 miles 7.30 hours Camp: Arch Rock Shelter
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SE of Sourdough Gap
Mount Rainier
from Crown Point
from Crown Point
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