While the scenery was gorgeous as always, yesterday was only the second time I've gotten sick on a run. The first time?
Last year when I also did the same PCT section from Rainy Pass down to the Stehekin River. I'm fairly convinced it's just so easy to run that 13 miles that I don't drink and then hit the bottom of the valley, which is hot, and I can't turn it around. After Park Creek Pass when things got bad it was a rough walk out the 17 miles of Thunder Creek...
Relevant trail conditions:
- PCT/Bridge Creek: lots of water running over the trail; handful of easy blowdowns within the first few miles leaving Highway 20.
- Old Wagon Road: mostly growing back to singletrack.
- Park Creek Pass: A little brushy, but not as bad as Little Beaver last summer. Snow started around 5200' and is no issue reaching the pass. Expect to stomp through a lot of streams and ponds in the meadows. Descending into Thunder Basin I checked out the summer trail route and ultimately decided to glissade the central gully which was still holding enough snow. With the melt, that probably won't be feasible much longer.
- Thunder Creek: a bit of snow and debris through the upper basin, no issue past the Thunder Basin camp ford.
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Stream across PCT/Bridge Creek |
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Paintbrush and Lupine coming out below ~3600' |
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Memaloose and Goode ridges, from PCT/Bridge Creek |
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Bowan Mountain and pass; snow doesn't look bad, Bridge Creek ford definitely not passable |
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Seven Sisters area (l) and Le Conte-Sentinal ridge on the Ptarmigan Traverse in the back |
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The giant cedar at the bottom of Bridge Creek; can't miss it |
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Bridge "creek" from the Old Wagon Road |
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Old Wagon Road |
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Old Wagon Road |
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Park Creek and Goode Mountain |
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Cat scat |
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Reaching Park Creek basin; shoulder of Storm King (r), Buckner and Booker |
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Goode Mountain |
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More cat scat |
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North face of Buckner, rising 5000' over Park Creek Basin |
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Park Creek Basin |
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Falls coming off of Booker Mountain |
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Marmot tracks |
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Park Creek Pass, Buckner and Booker |
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Marmot near Park Creek Pass |
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Looking south from Park Creek Pass, prominent peaks: Bonanza (r), Martin (c), Devore (l) |
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Bear tracks going over Park Creek Pass |
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Looking north to Redoubt, Mox peaks and Spickard, from Park Creek Pass |
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Thunder Basin |
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Corresponding bear scat 200 yards over the pass |
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Looking back up at Park Creek Pass; summer trail contours left above the trees before descending, I glissaded the central gully |
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Thunder Creek falls |
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Thunder Creek ford not an issue |
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Chilling in a stream...suffering a bit... |
I love the North Cascades trails. Really well maintained. I did the same run from last year of August. Good job, Luke!
ReplyDeletehttp://deanperezbc.blogspot.ca/2014/08/thunder-creek-to-rainy-pass-traverse.html
Nice; Thunder and Park Creek basins are something else, right? Yeah, as long as you're in the Park most of them are really good.
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