With the snow permanently banished from the lowlands for the year and summer plans taking shape it's time to start thinking about this year's installment of the PCT. In order to even things out Paul has been asked to join John, Nick, and Dan in a 75-mile test of willpower from the North Cascades Highway to the Canadian border in August.
Getting in shape requires the four start hiking like madmen now lest they be full of woe and in need of rescue by the Mounties. To start this process the plan was to tackle the modest Mason Lake hike (2,000 feet of gain in 2.5 miles) just east of North Bend. Nick bailed out due to familial obligations, but the other three showed up in spite of the rain to make the ascent. Tokul and Paul's dog Emily also joined the troop.
The hike started off according to plan, as they almost always do. The dogs raced ahead while the guys maintained a more stately pace. Tokul disappeared for 20 minutes and wound up catching up at Mason Creek. In no time traces of snow were on the ground followed by mounds of snow followed by snow in the air. In May. Dang.
The lake was beautiful, if cold, and only just beginning to shake off its layer of ice. At only 11am they decided to continue on to Rainbow Lake which promised to be just around the corner, but in fact proved to be much more elusive. In the end they called it good atop a ridge that wasn't supposed to be there and retraced their snowing footsteps to the car, Starbucks, and the warmth of their homes.
