PCT north from Stevens Pass

On Tuesday (Nov 29) I headed up to Stevens Pass in search of snowy trails.  Be careful what you wish for! The Pacific Crest Trail northbound from the pass was a gorgeous winter wonderland, but no one had been on it recently and there was a foot of fresh snow just waiting for me. I really need to take up backcountry skiing so I can make the most of the powder I keep stumbling upon.

It was one of those days where I had to let go of any mileage goals and instead just focus on time-on-feet. In other words, the going was slooooow. In addition to the fresh powder, there was a tangle of snow-laden alder that had draped itself across the trail, and it did not want to let my pulk get through. But eventually I got into a rhythm: Tromp, tromp with the snowshoes, then grab the branch buried in snow in front of me and shake shake shake. Tromp, tromp, shake shake shake.  It was kinda fun to actually use my arms for something other than holding trekking poles! Honestly I was just happy to be outside, on a trail. I made it 5 miles in 4 hours (yes, really), but hey, I got to spend 4 hours playing in the snow. I’m not complaining!

The trail was clogged with snowy alder. Tromp, tromp, shake shake shake.

Sun just peeking over the ridge at 9 am.

The pulk is just a little too wide for the trench created by my snowshoes, which means I tend to pick up a lot of snow as I go.

I’ve seen lots of bunny tracks, but never have I been able to actually see the bunny toes.

View from the trail.

Details:
The trailhead is right off Hwy 2 at Stevens Pass, so if your car can make it to Stevens Pass, you can make it to the trailhead. You can check road and weather conditions here.
The PCT north trailhead is on the north side of Stevens Pass (go figure 🙂 ), in the northwest corner of the lot. Parking is free, no pass required.
Make every trip a round trip.