July 28th Steamboat Lake to Big Huckleberry Mountain

The Pacific Crest Trail is lined with gleaming white beacons from the North Cascades in Washington to Northern California. As one glacier covered peak fades into the distance behind you another shows itself in the distance, beckoning as if with a siren song. Glacier Peak, Mt. Ranier, Mt. Adams and now for us the first glimpses of Mt.Hood. These peaks most definitely give you a good sense of where you're going and a vivid reminder of whence you came. This day was spent at lower elevation walking through an area of forest dotted with small lakes and filled with loads of pesky mosquitoes. One of the few areas where meals and snacks were eaten with bug nets left on, sneaking the food up and under the netting to the mouth without allowing any bloodthirsty suckers to breech your defences. Absent the views that Mt. Adams provided we had plenty of time for conversation as we walked over fairly even terrain. Steve and Kristen had completed a Southbound thru-hike last year, so I hoped to glean as much information as I could from them about their experiences. They were my trail tutors, giving me an education in resupply strategy, PCT culture, trail conditions and much more. Earlier along the trail Steve had also given me a crash course in the proper use and storage of an ice axe. I asked them first about their trail names and they told me that they didn't have any. True Southbounders don't have trail names. They informed me that trail names had originated on the Appalachian Trail which has many more hikers than the Pacific Crest. With such numbers it was inevitable that some years there would be 3 Daves, 2 Jims, 4 Mikes, etc. So, taking trail names was a way to avoid any confusion about which Dave, Jim or Mike you were talking about. With AT hikers coming to the PCT this tradition was imported and adopted mostly by those that are travelling Northbound. Southbounders represent only a small percentage of those thru-hiking the PCT and because our numbers are so small there really is no reason to take a name other than your own. That's not to say you can't take a name if you really want one. In fact, I met a Southbounder with the trail name Machine. As I understand it, you basically choose your own trail name anyway. People/Fellow hikers can make suggestions, but in the end it's up to you whether you accept the name or not. My parents gave me a good name---Eric. So, that's what I decided to stick with!

View of Mt. Hood

28 Miles