| AUGUST 28, 2010 It was a sunny day when I started this
solo hike on the PCT. I met a group of Cascadians in the parking
lot who were hiking the Naches Loop trail and invited me to join them.
I also met a thru-hiker who was waiting for his sister to arrive and
whisk him off to civilization for a meal, supplies and a shower--not
necessarily in that order. He told me that Bear Gap was full of
marmots when he hiked through earlier that morning.
The trail makes a long traverse along a slope above Chinook Pass, so
the road and traffic noise are an inevitable intrusion on this hike.
The views are generous, though, and the grade is gentle and it doesn't
take long to reach pretty little Sheep Lake. I stopped for a few
minutes at the lake before continuing the climb above the lake to
Sourdough Gap and my ultimate goal for this hike, Bear Gap. I was
delighted with the trail and the scenery on this hike, but I had a hard
time regulating my temperature on this hike. The sun was very
warm, but a tricky little wind was cold and I stopped repeatedly to put
on a fleece, only to take it off again where there was no wind. I
encountered many people on this trail, most of them section hikers who
were hiking this stretch of the PCT from north to south, but no
marmots--or other wildlife for that matter. The wildflowers at
Bear Gap were beautiful, but the ski resort looks barren and riddled
with roads. The junction of so many trails in the narrow gap
promises many adventures, but it was very windy and cold, so I didn't
linger long before starting my return trip. I had saved the side
trip to the view point above Crystal Lake for my return trip, but storm
clouds were building when I returned to Sourdough Gap, and I saved that
for another day.
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