I told you in my last post that we would try doing a few shorter hiking trips before deciding whether or not to continue on the next leg of the PCT.  I am pleased to report not only that Nathan and Rupal are recovering wonderfully from their injuries, but also that through the recovery process this past week, we have had several splendid hikes to some of our favorite areas in the North Cascades.

The weather has been unbelievably good and, now that school has started and most of the working population has returned to their desks, we’ve had the trails all to ourselves.  So whether or not we are able to resume our PCT hike in the coming weeks (which we are crossing our fingers and hoping to do), these adventures in our own backyard have been an unexpected and beautiful gift for which I will be forever grateful.

Our first backpacking trip was an overnight to Lake Dorothy in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.  The trail is short and easy, and we had the entire lake to ourselves. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and clear skies before the rain came the following morning.  We didn’t mind. That’s the beauty of a single overnight: we simply put on our rain gear and made the easy trek back to the car.

Staying the Night in the Mount Pilchuck Fire Lookout Tower

Encouraged by the lack of pain in Nathan’s knee, we decided to attempt a slightly more difficult hike to one of our favorite places—Mount Pilchuck.

For one of our first dates, Nathan took me to the renovated fire lookout tower perched on the very top of the mountain.  Mount Pilchuck lies at the edge of the North Cascades, and in clear weather, its tower provides a 360° view of the surrounding peaks, including Mount Baker to the north, Glacier Peak to the east, and Mount Rainier to the south, as well as of the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains to the west.  Luckily for us, the weather was phenomenal.

Because we were there midweek, we had the tower to ourselves overnight. The tricky part was getting the dogs up the ladder, which is placed precariously on a pile of giant, slippery boulders.  We tried to find a way up the rocks on the opposite side of the tower, but to no avail.  Both Rupal and Nuptse resisted our attempts to help them climb the ladder on their own, and Nathan ultimately had to carry them up in his arms, paws flailing all the while.

After watching the sunset, we realized to our dismay that the dogs probably had to pee and that we needed to repeat the process once again. Carrying them down was even more difficult, but we somehow managed to do so with all people and dogs intact.

We awoke while it was still dark the next morning, climbed down from the tower, and searched for a place to watch the sunrise.  We found the perfect spot—a small ledge carved into the rocks and facing east.  We drank our tea and coffee as Nathan quizzed me on the names of the various peaks and the dogs ran around searching for critters.  For all of us, it was pure bliss. The best part was that, aside from the usual sore muscles, Nathan felt great and kept talking about getting back on the PCT.  Perhaps we will after the next hike.