Trail Day 126: Tentsite near creek (mile 2556.9) to High Bridge Campground (mile 2569.4)

12.5 PCT miles

I had another early start today. I needed to make it to the ranger station at High Bridge to catch the noon bus into Stehekin. My feet had really been hurting lately, and I've been hiking at a slow pace, so I wanted to give myself plenty of time to get there.

I packed up my things and headed down the trail 0.2 mile to the larger campsite that was being used by Nemo, Little Engine, and Zorro. There was at least one other tent there as well. I tiptoed past them and then decided to listen to my audiobook. I reached into my pocket and found my phone, but not my headphones.

I dropped my pack where it was and tiptoed past the campsite again, all the way back to where I had set up camp last night. They were there, lying on the ground where my tent had been. I picked them up, tiptoed past the others one more time, then continued down the trail.

The entire morning was spent walking next to Agnes Creek, which I had camped next to. I had to pass over several feeder creeks/streams. Agnes Creek kept getting bigger and faster as I went downstream, carving a valley and then a deep gorge.

When I got to the gorge I had to cross a bridge to get to the High Bridge Ranger Station. Looking down, the creek was clear in the shallows and tinted blue in the deeper parts. I was a little surprised to see a large school of bright red salmon off to one side.

Agnes Creek from High Bridge.

A salmon as seen from High Bridge.

I continued over to the ranger station area, where the shuttle would come. I got there a little over an hour early. There were picnic tables there as well as a pit toilet. It was a sunny day for once so I was also able to take the time to dry out my tent and sleeping bag, which had gotten damp with condensation the night before.

I rested and ate lunch. Taylor and the Swiss were already there when I arrived. Little Engine and Zorro showed up a little later, followed by Nemo. We all took the shuttle into town together.

The shuttle makes a 10-15 minute stop at the famous bakery outside of town, so we all got off and grabbed some treats. I got a melted chicken/cheese/bacon concoction on a flaky crust as well as a black bottom cupcake, which was basically a cupcake shaped brownie. The shuttle also made a stop at “The Garden,” which sells produce but I was too fixed on the calories currently in my hands thanks to the bakery to get out and look.

Finally, we were dropped off in “town,” which was a collection of buildings on the shore of beautiful Lake Chelan. I first stopped by the store for a cold drink, then went to the post office for my packages.

Stehekin and Lake Chelan.

The postmaster recognized my name from the confusion with the Skykomish package being sent to Stehekin. He pointed out that it had been sent there because the zipcode on the label was for Stehekin, not Skykomish. Mystery solved.

I took both my packages and started unloading them, giving away various items that I had too much of. I was short on salty, crunchy snacks (e.g. chips, cheez its, gardettos), so I would have to buy some from the store.

Before hitting the store, I stopped by the North Cascades National Park Visitors Center. If I wanted to camp in Stehekin, or the next 15-16 miles of the PCT, I needed an extra permit from the park service.  I got one for High Bridge Campground, next to where I exited the PCT and caught the shuttle.

By this time, pretty much every thru-hiker I had met in the past two weeks was in town. Some were going to stay in town, some were going to camp at High Bridge with me, and some got permits for a campground 5 miles down the PCT.

Zorro and Little Engine invited me to come hang out with them at a little lounge area on the lake and go swimming with them. I took care of some things on the very slow and expensive internet,  then went down to join them. I saw a couple salmon swim right underneath where we were hanging out.

Lounge area on Lake Chelan.

The other two convinced me to swim in the lake with them, so I changed into my swimsuit. They dove in from the dock, but I was less adventurous and entered from the shore. The water was cold, but not too bad. It was warmer than Mica Lake had been and I was able to stay in longer.

After that it was almost time for the last shuttle of the day to take me back to High Bridge and I had to quickly get dressed and finish packing my bag.

The shuttle was completely full of hikers, who were very happy and exuberant. Brewhiker lead a popular rendition of “I Will Survive” on the ukulele. A local who was also taking the shuttle filmed the entire thing.

When I got back to the High Bridge Ranger Station, I took the road up to the High Bridge Campground. It was a luxury compared to where I had been camping with tables, a shelter, trash cans, a bear box, and a privy.  I was the first one there and grabbed a single tentsite in the bushes near the exit. I was going to have to do an early morning again tomorrow.

High Bridge Campground.

It was 4 days of hiking until the border,  but a storm was supposed to hit the evening of the 3rd day and the high was supposed to drop 20 degrees between the 3rd and 4th days. My goal was to push the miles on the first two days, when the weather was going to be really nice, getting myself as close to the border by the time the storm hit on the 3rd day making the cold, 4th day a short one.