Oregon PCT Day 24: Where’s Washington?

by | Sep 17, 2026 | Oregon PCT, Trail Journals, West Coast | 0 comments

Wednesday. Sept. 16, 2026

  • Start:  End of the Lava Field (PCT mile 1990.3)
  • End:  Santiam Pass Trailhead (PCT mile 2002.6)
  • Distance: 12.3 miles

It rained a little more overnight, and when I woke in the morning, my surroundings looked like the set of a sci-fi movie. Dense white fog filled the air, and the lava fields looked like the Moon’s surface. I followed the PCT north for a short 1.5-mile climb around the north side of Mt. Washington, but the mountain itself would be invisible all day. The elk were rutting nearby (and one even ran across my path) as strong, cold winds gusted through the trees all morning. As the trail wound around Mt. Washington’s western side, I passed the climber’s trail that I’d used to climb Mt. Washington back in July, then took the alternate to Big Lake Youth Camp to get water. The remainder of the hike was on the Nordic Ski Trails before crossing the busy Highway to end this section at Santiam Pass.

I rose to a spooky sci-fi feel outside my tent this morning
Heading around the north side of Mt. Washington with no views
I could hear the elk rutting and even briefly saw one, but the hoof prints on the trail were the only evidence that I hadn’t imagined it all.
More fog and mist
The fog lifted a few hours into the day as the PCT dove into the forest on Mt. Washington’s western slope
Each time I left the protection of the trees, the wind was brutally cold, causing me to toy with the idea of putting on my second pair of gloves.
This rock pile marks the climbers’ trail leading up to Mt. Washington’s summit, and where I departed the PCT for that adventure in July
Views of Big Lake ahead under very low clouds
Views of Big Lake and Hayrick Butte on a clear summer day (taken during my Mt. Washington climb in early July 2026)
Like most PCT hikers, I took the detour to Big Lake Youth Camp
It was already mid-September, so the PCT hiker center was closed for the season, but BLYC still had the water turned on for late-season hikers like me.
After a very cold morning, I desperately needed to make a mocha to warm myself up.
The sun finally started to peek out from behind the clouds as the PCT continued north on the Nordic ski trails for the Hoodoo Ski Area
Crossing the busy highway took quite a bit of patience. Lots of fast traffic in both directions near Santiam Pass.
I made it to the end of this section!
I reached the trailhead nearly 80 minutes before my planned rendezvous with Keith. While I waited at a picnic table, two groups of kind people noticed my pack and asked if I needed a ride into town.

Highlights

  • I didn’t expect a giant elk to run across my path this morning. The dense fog obscured the animal until it was almost in front of me, and then it vanished so fast I didn’t even have time to take a photo.
  • Big Lake Youth Camp and its PCT hiker center were already closed for the season. But my detour to the lakeside camp gave me two small backcountry joys: a water spigot and a port-a-potty.
  • While I waited for Keith at the Santiam Pass trailhead, several people came up to ask if I needed a ride into Bend to resupply. What a nice trail community!

Challenges

  • The morning was moderately miserable, with temperatures in the low 40s, drizzling rain, and strong, gusty winds. I didn’t warm up enough to take off my rain jacket and extra layers until around noon.
  • There were zero views of Mt. Washington in today’s fog and low clouds. I’d been able to see the mountain’s profile for much of the past two days, and now that I was hiking around its base, it was as if it had completely disappeared.

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