Day 3: American Lake to Bear Gap Junction (11.5 miles)
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Good morning Rainier!
It was a beautiful morning at American Lake. I was up with the sun and took my time getting out.
From American Lake the trail meandered back to the junction and climbed through a saddle. I got a couple great morning views of Mount Rainier. After a couple miles the trail dropped to the east and down to Anderson Lake. A couple more miles after that I reached Dewey Lake where I stopped for a good and well-deserved break.
After Dewey Lake I had a steep 700 ft climb to a meadowy saddle. Around that point I started to see day hikers, a good clue that Chinook Pass wasn’t far away. The last couple miles to Chinook Pass were gentle and quite beautiful, offering me views across the highway to the ridges beyond.
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Morning reflection at Dewey Lake
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Looking south from near Chinook Pass.
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The trail crosses the high over the park entrance gate
I took a short break at the trailhead to use the outhouse, dump my trash and have a snack. Even though I’d only been on trail a few days, it was still a bit surreal to have all the cars around. I can’t imagine how the months-long PCT hikers feel when they come across these busier roads!
The next couple miles were hot as the trail hugged a steep, wildflower-filled slope in full sun. My lunch destination was Sheep Lake, a beautiful spot below craggy peaks.
I decided to make my dinner for lunch, knowing that I would likely end up at a waterless camp for the night. I also rested for a couple of hours through the heat of the day. Eventually it was time to move on and push up through Sourdough Gap, one mile along and 600 feet up.
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The view from Sourdough Gap with Sheep Lake below.
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Looking north from Sourdough Gap. Can you spot the trail in the distance?
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Mount Rainier above Crystal Lake
The views were awesome at the top of Sourdough Gap. Looking south I could see back the way I’d come, and even all the way back to Mount Adams. I decided to take a brief detour along the Crystal Lake spur trail through another saddle and treat myself to a break with a Rainier view.
Once back on the PCT I continued 2 miles along the east side of a ridge. My destination was the Bear Gap junction. The sites at the junction itself weren’t very good. They were small, shaded, and the gap was incredibly windy. I could walk 20 feet in either direction and the wind would die down. Unfortunately the next camps were 5 miles away.
I was feeling a bit frustrated, and chilled by the constant wind. After sitting down in the middle of the sunny trail for some dinner, I had a better look around. Thankfully I managed to find a much better site down on a shelf. Bigger, better view, a little ways off trail and no wind!
Even out here there are some things things that make a difference to comfort and sanity.
1 comment
did you ever get shelter from the wind–I imagine it would be darned cold