Day 3 - Epic Day! — Walking People Out of Poverty

walkingpeopleoutofpoverty.ca is the personal blog of Peter Thorpe, long-time Opportunity International Canada supporter and Walking People Out of Poverty founder. For Dan Murray’s blog and information on OIC, please click here.

Start Time: 8:23 am
End Time: 6:56 pm
Start Mileage: 2271.3
End Mileage: 2283
Distance Walked: 11.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 3,250 feet.

As we were getting ready to leave camp, a couple of PCT’ers were coming down the hill we were about to head up. We shared pleasantries, and they told us we had a big climb ahead of us, which we didn’t want to hear!

We set off, and sure enough, up we went. The first hour or so was in the trees, but then we broke free of the forest and were greeted by beautiful panoramic views of the valley. We could also see the trail going up!! We eventually crested the ridge top and were greeted with more stunning views of the next valley.

There was a sign that read Elevation 6473, which meant since we left our campsite, we had climbed 900 feet.

We started the long descent down after a short water and snack break. We could see at least two water sources and set our sight on the last one as it offered better runoff. At the bottom of the hill, we were greeted with a water source that was hidden from view up top, and I took the opportunity to wash my feet and legs.

Oh, to have had more time to frolic in the water. It was so refreshing.

Off we went off to fill up our water bottles. We use a Sawyer Squeeze, which is very efficient at filtering water. We were soon on our way, and the climbing got more severe. The worst thing is not the hills but the incredible heat that just sucks the energy right from you. It was relentless.

Finally, after a long hard slog, which included a piece of the trail that had been maintained by the PCT Volunteers and which was a work of art, you will get a greater appreciation for this in the photo below, we reached the summit and greeted with spectacular views of Goat Lake and the even more impressive Mt. Rainier.

After a short break, we reached the 2nd viewpoint, which included Mt. Rainier and the Knife’s Edge, which is the highlight of hiking through the Goat Rocks Wilderness. To get there, we had to traverse a snowfield that runs along the face of Old Snowy, which is a large mountain that still had a lot of snow in places. We could have taken the alternative route, which would have added another 600 feet in elevation, but none of us wanted any more climbing, so I took the lead and set off across the snow and was very careful with my steps. I also used my two hiking poles to help with my balance. It was a slow process but in a case like this very necessary.

After getting across the snow field, the next obstacle to present itself was a very rocky area, and the best way to describe it is like walking on plates and saucers, and this must’ve gone on for at least a quarter of a mile or so before we hit a second snow field crossing. There was also a third snow field before we finally reached what I would consider typical terrain. The trail although not the greatest, leads down to the start of the climb up the Knife’s Edge, which was very impressive looking. I highly recommend enlarging the photos below as they will give you a greater impression of what we were facing.

Halfway up the climb, we needed a water break, so we stopped for two or three minutes before setting off again. We eventually reached the top, and took a celebratory team photograph with a thumbs up. The climb down, however, was a lot trickier because of the loose gravel and shale.

We now had a second mountain to climb, but this was not as severe as the first one, and after the second one was put to bed, I was tasked with leading us up the final climb, which didn’t take us much time as it was the shorter of the three hills and we were soon at the top and working our way down.

It had been an exhilarating and epic climb, and we were all feeling very pleased with our efforts and rightly so. We were now heading for our campground, and the trail down in places was very, very difficult, and it would’ve been really easy to twist an ankle, but we made it safely into camp, and I must say it was a day that I think we will all remember for the rest of our lives. The views we had today were spectacular, and John’s camera got a workout and a half, and I’m looking forward to seeing the finished work when John has assembled it all.

Dan and I told John that he should make a collage of the photographs of this trip and put it on YouTube. I’m sure it would be a massive hit. My photos, taken with my iPhone turned out well, and I’m incredibly pleased with how they turned out, but I can only imagine how spectacular John’s pictures will look.