Solitude and Serenity: On the PCT with Three Days of Complete Isolation"

I packed up and as I started to move the van to Stehekin showed up.

It was 7 am.

I decided to keep moving because I had all the food I had all the food I needed for about two weeks.

I had a temporary solution to help with chaffing.

It would have been nice to check out the bakery everyone said it was amazing.

As a few people hopped off the bus and went their separate ways I headed on SOBO.

This was going to be my longest stretch of hiking without being able to resupply about 100 miles.

Some of these days blurred together because there was so much to take in and I was exhausted.

There are a few things I do remember.

While walking up hills I wanted to stop so many times to rest.

Sometimes the rest was finding a nice stump to rest on.

After doing this so many times it got me thinking.

If I keep doing this I will start to lose my pace and not finish the trail.

It would become winter and I would have to bail.

My rest went from sitting on a stump to taking a quick break standing in place and moving a few seconds later.

My feet, back, and hips hurt from walking all day.

There was one area where the brush was so thick if you did not pay attention then you would slip off trail.

This is what I was thinking when these three men passed me soon after and told me they fell off the trail two or three times.

There was a bunch of brush to keep you from falling and hurting yourself but it would have been a struggle to get out without help.

Once I got to the top of a mountain I camped near this old couple.

The next morning I packed up and started moving.

This old man was sitting on the hill painting.

He asked if I would mind being in the painting.

I didn't mind but wondered how long it would take.

I know I am slow at drawing so as long as it did not take the same time for me to do so it is fine.

He told me "It would only take a minute"

Once I started moving again I thought about how the painting looked.

How in interpretation me in his art.

How my legs were covered by tall grass, with nothing behind me because of the cliff side behind me, and the mountains in the background.

I did get a few more days of moments of maddness in but I ended up stopping it because I got lost in the beauty all around me.

Also, could not think of much else besides focusing on the next steps.

Day 8 of Moment of Maddness

All I know is I needed to stay motivated and keep moving forward.

When going uphill I wanted to stop so many times.

I would see a clearing in the trees above and tell myself just a little bit farther.

The top of the mountain is on the other side of this switchback.

But it wasn’t the top of the mountain.

So, I would tell myself the same thing.

The top of the mountain is on the other side of this switchback.

One of the most beautiful spots on the trail was hiking under Glacier Peak.

The name was Red Pass on the map.

Before I got there I should of done some things differently.

Part of the trail was underwater.

Not wanting to take off my shoes I decided to walk through it with them on.

I thought it would be faster.

Also, I did not have any water shoes.

It ended up being about 50 feet of trail underwater.

Once out of the water I keep walking.

My feet soggy and wet.

So I stopped to ring out my socks.

I put them back on and kept moving.

Walking in soggy shoes my feet hated it.

My eyes loved what I saw next.

I was walking alongside a creek with water flowing through the trees.

I stopped to fill my bottles to fill it with some of the clearest water I have seen in a long time.

Once I got to the end of the tree line there was a beautiful meadow surrounded by bowl shaped ridge lines.

You could see Glacier Peak right over it.

Once I got to the top of the ridge at Reds Pass I saw mountains as far as the eye could see.

I wanted to camp here but also know I had a mile left until White Pass the campground I chose to stay at.

Once I got to camp, I took my shoes off to dry out and enjoyed the view until the sun went down.

After, Whites Pass I saw a few people at the start of the day but didn't see anyone for the next three days.

I had the whole trail to myself.

I spent the time enjoying every moment forgetting about the aching of my body.

I thought about why I came out here.

I came out here.

I really wanted to spend the time to enjoy the views.

Not to walk right past them.

but there are still more views to be enjoyed ahead.

I thought about slowing down but knew I was limited on food so I needed to keep pushing.

Once it was about a day or two until I got to Stevens Pass and Snack a NOBOer told me about a hikers hut I could stay at in Baring.

There is a lot of food so you don't need to buy too much and you can stay there as long as you need.

You can donate money if you like.

My new goal was Dinsmore's Hiker Haven.

After a few more days of walking, I was just a few miles away from Stevens Pass.

This guy told me if I am quick enough I can hitch a ride from the person who dropped them off.

My name is Romell and I will bring you along on my journey of self discovery!

I hope some of my stories help give you the confidence to explore if you have been afraid to do so.

I am also bringing this to you without ads and will be giving my honest opinion about the gear and other things I have learned along my journey.

If you like to support me please visit my Patreon page where I will upload the film photos I have taken! You will find it in the circle with the chain link inside on the left.

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Thank you, I will continue the story! I hope to see you next time!!