5-6 day trip on the PCT in Washington or Oregon?

[MyFeetHurt]

Hey all.

I have a week off next month and looking to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of my Katahdin summit with a week in the Woods out west. I live near Seattle now, so thinking of trying out the PCT in either Washington or Oregon, and looking for a nice stretch that will work logistically for a good week on the Trail. Any specific sections I should be looking at? I'll be solo, and probably just cruising, so ~10-15 mile days I'm thinking. Ideally it would be nice to loop off the trail via some other trail to get back to my truck, but no problem just hitching or finding a shuttle either.

Thanks.

[Malto]

North of snoqualamie pass.
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[Shutterbug]

I have not hiked north of Snoqualamie mostly because of the difficult logistics -- no loop and a really difficult hitch.

My recommendation would be the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Park your vehicle at White Pass and hike south. It is possible to use trails west of the PCT to make a loop, or you can hitch a ride from trailheads south of Mt Adams.

An alternate hike through the same area would be to park at Chinook Pass and hike south.

One other suggestion-- consider hiking the Wonderland Trail. It is a loop trail around Mt Rainier. It is usually difficult to get a permit, but for this year only, all permits are "walk up permits". I have been there a couple of times this summer and there seem to be fewer than normal hikers.

[garlic08]

Ditto the WT. Six days at 15/day would just about cover the 93 miles, but there are about 23,000' vertical in there which could eat your lunch if you're not prepared to climb, especially on the west side. With first come first served, you might need to make a long day, too, but the rangers are very good at getting you on the mountain there. You sure can't beat the ease in logistics, just drive to Longmire station and hike back to your car.

The best parts of the PCT in WA, I agree, are Goat Rocks and north of Snoqualmie. Good luck with logistics, there are long drives out there. Hopefully someone owes you a big favor.

[MyFeetHurt]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think I'm going to hold off on Wonderland for another year or two, I want to take the proper time to fully enjoy (read: go slow and take all the side trips).

I found the Three Sisters loop in Oregon to be up my alley I think. Looks like a good trip, and fits well with my time frame and logistical needs. Now, if only that week off would hurry its ass up...