Note: this website inexplicably deletes numbers and words from posts. That's why I wrote "20-thirteen."

Just finished the wonderful book, "Hikertrash- Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail" by Erin Miller.
Erin and her husband Carl hiked from Mexico to Washington State: over 2,000 miles. So close! Less than 500 miles to Canada.

Alas, they were slammed by ten feet of snow near Mt. Adams on September 30, 20-thirteen. With no winter clothes, ice axes or gear, they had to turn back. Two years later, they returned to hike Washington State to Canada, completing their PCT thru-hike.

I got caught in the same snowstorm high in the Cascade Mountains. From my hiking journal:

Six Feet of Snow. September 30, 20-thirteen

Can't find anyone fit enough to backpack to the Enchantment Mountains. I had overnight camping permits with then-boyfriend Michael, a runner, for three nights at Snow Lakes during the last weekend of September. I was teaching Michael to hike. From upper Snow Lake, the plan was to climb aptly-named Trauma Rib to the Enchantments.

Earlier that summer, a smoker had burned a cigarette hole in the back of my red raincoat as I walked by. I didn’t realize it. Although Michael argued, I insisted we both bring YakTrax and hiking poles because it can snow in the Enchantments year-round.

We steeply hiked up 65 switchbacks (yes, I counted) to Nada Lake in pouring rain. As I bent over the stove, cold rain ran down my back and through the hole in my raincoat, soaking my panties and pants. Lovely.

In the middle of the night, suddenly the rain stopped. It got quiet in the tent. "Hooray! The rain stopped," I thought sleepily, "We'll have a clear day tomorrow."

We awoke to six feet of snow! It was snowing hard. Snow was chest deep in the Enchantments, trail runners reported. The men barely got through the snow because they knew the way. They strongly advised us to turn back. We needed snowshoes.

We aborted the mission. I got us out safely. I led the descent slowly and carefully by following the faint edge of the trail in the snow. For safety, we had to test each step. Didn't want to break a leg on a log or boulder beneath the snow.

Finally, the snowstorm turned to rain after we descended to 3,000 feet in elevation. Whew!

Six hikers were airlifted out of the Washington Cascade Mountains that weekend.

After I got home, I patched the hole in my raincoat.

Photos:

1. Winter Wonderland at Nada Lake, 5,200 feet elevation.

2. Glad there was a bridge! Would hate to ford those freezing cold rapids.

3. Me cooking over a stove.