2009  PACIFIC CREST TRAIL RIDE SCHEDULE

 

My name is Ed Anderson. I am a Back Country Horseman from California - Antelope Valley Unit. I am also a member of the Pacific Crest Trail Association and the American Endurance Ride Conference.

 

In 2008 I rode my Arabian horse, Primo, from the border of Mexico to Sisters, Oregon. This year, starting early in July, we will journey the PCT from Sierra City To Burney Falls, Ca. ( We missed that part last year because of trail closures due to fires) By July 28th I plan to ride out of Sisters west on the Old Santiam Wagon Road until we reach the PCT and then north to Canada - if all goes well!  I am sending my schedule as planned for your review and comments. I would greatly appreciate any inputs that you can give me. My approach to resupply will be the same as I used in most of California and in Oregon. I resupply myself by driving ahead and caching (burying) our food at trail heads and road crossings. I always will have left my tent and packs and Primo in a safe place, usually on private property near a residence. He will be highlined and have plenty of  hay and water. Once I have driven north to a (prearranged) safe location I have the problem of getting back to where I have left my horse. I will take public transportation, if available, and if  I don't have to wait too long;  otherwise, I hitch-hike. That has worked so far. Sometimes a volunteer Angel drives me back - I'm glad to pay for the gas. I already have a couple of those in Washington and would appreciate more help like this if you have the time and inclination.

 

As for horse-friendly places to camp,  here is what I'm looking for: Water, graze, and trees to highline. Corrals are nice if there is also good graze nearby - and water. In my planned schedule I have named the camp locations that I have decided on based on my research so far. If you know of others or better ones on or near the PCT please let me know. 

 

Here is my schedule beginning on about July 4th:

 

SECTION ONE: Sierra City, California  to Burney Falls State Park

 

Starting in Sierra City early in July I will drive north to Burney Falls. I will have cached food at four locations. 1) Quincy-LaPorte Road,  2) Beldon Town, 3) Highway 36. I will then drive on to Burney Falls State Park and leave cache #4. Then I will drive back to Hiker Hide-away, leave my rig there, and hitch back to Sierra City.  The following are the camp locations that I have planned: 1) Deer Lake  2) need a good camp. What is the trail like for horses north of the "A" Tree? I've heard that I might have to take a detour going east from the "A" tree to get around a bad place. 3) Black Rock Creek  4) Big Creek  4) Beldon town 5) Beldon Town layover day  6) Cold Spring  7) Carters Meadow  8) need one somewhere north of Highway 36 cache  9) need one near S. boundry of Lassen N.P. 10) Badger Flats 11)  Hikers Hideaway at Old Station 12) I've heard of a spot on private property a few miles south of the Northern end of the Hat Creek Rim that has grass and water - does anyone know where that would be? 13) I might need one more camp south of Burney Falls. I plan to ride in there on July 22nd or 23rd.. I will then leave my horse in the corral at Burney Falls State Park and hitch back to Hikers Hideaway to pick up rig, then north to pick up Primo - and then continue driving  north to Sisters, Oregon.

 

 

SECTION TWO: Sisters, Oregon to Cascade Locks

 

The plan is to restart from Sisters. I will leave Primo, packs, and tent in someones good care while I drive rig north to Cascade Locks on July 27, caching at road 1420 and at Barlow Pass. Will then need a way to get back to Sisters to re-connect with Primo.  My planned riding route going north from Sisters is to take the Old Santiam Wagon Road to its junction with the PCT and camp: 1) Just north of Santiem Pass 2) Shale Lake - a meadow south and down hill from the lake. 3) a small nameless lake 1/2 mile north of Breitenbush Lake 4)Trooper Spring 5) some location just past Warm Springs Road 6) Little Crater Lake 7) Devils Half Acre 8) possible layover day at Devils Half Acre after digging up cache at Barlow Pass. 8) Sandy River unless someone can tell me of a better one. I would have to hike down to get water and cut grass and bring it up. I will bring along extra processed feed for this camp. 9) Indian Spring.  I know, little graze here. Do you know of a better location for a camp? 10) Cascade Locks and my rig, and a layover day to get a new set of shoes put on Primo. Do you know of a GOOD ferrier to put them on to stay? I will have the rig and can drive to the ferrier.

 

 

SECTION THREE: Cascade Locks to White Pass, Washington

 

From Cascade Locks, after another layover day,  I will drive north to White Pass, caching along the way at Road 60 and at road 5603. Will need a way back to Cascade Locks on about August 8th or 9th. On about August 10th I plan to ride north to 1) A camp with water and fair graze along road 2070. Do you know of a better spot near there? 2) A GPS location with "excellent graze" north of Road 43.  3) Killen Creek Horse Camp)  4) Do you know of a good camp somewhere near and north of Road 5603 - where I will have picked up my cache? 5) Sheep Lake.  6) hopefully we will have good conditions to cross the Knife Edge on about August 15th or 16th?  Otherwise I will have to find a detour north and west of the PCT to eventually get to White Pass.

 

 

SECTION FOUR: White Pass to Snoqualmie Pass

 

By August 17th I hope to have left Primo, packs and tent at White Pass Ski Resort and will drive north to Snoqualmie Pass caching at Chinook Pass and somewhere along Road 54 at a stream crossing about 2 miles east of Stampede Pass. I need input on this one. Is this a possible camp with graze? I understand that there is NO graze at Lizard Lake. I will then drive on to Snoqualmie Pass and leave rig near the maintenence shop of the Ski Resort. I have permission. Then, somehow return to White Pass and my horse .( NOTE: I will need a good ferrier to put on new horseshoes at Cascade Locks and probably at Skyhomish. I could drive west since I will have the rig at both locations. I will have pre-fitted shoes with titanium studs along with me. I need phone numbers of GOOD ferriers who can put on shoes to stay.

 

From White Pass, on about August 19th or 20th I plan to ride north again to: 1) Two Lakes 2) pick up cache at Chinook Pass and ride to Big Crow Basin to camp.  3) Government Meadows - Camp Urich.  4) Possible camp at stream crossing east of Stampede Pass where I will have cached along road # 54. Does anyone know if I can access this location while pulling a 2-horse trailer from Highway 90? Is there a place to turn around? 5) On to Snoqualmie Pass and rig. From there I will take a layover day and then leave Primo highlined with hay and water and drive north to park the rig on the property of an equestrian Angel who lives in Skyhomish. Thanks to Andrea at Hiker Haven I have a ride back to Snoqualmie Pass and Primo.

 

 

SECTION FIVE: Snoqualmie Pass to Skyhomish 

 

Riding north from Snoqualmie Pass on about August 25th, my planned camps are: 1) Lemah Meadow.  2) Waptus Lake.  3) Deception Lake Horse Camp  Then ride north on PCT to Stevens Pass. NOTE: POSSIBLE ALTERNATE ROUTE: If creek coming off Mt Daniel is too dangerous to cross with a horse on about August 27th I would ride southwest from Cathredral Pass on trail # 1345 ( the old Cascade Crest route) to trail # 1376. ( Or does anyone know if trail #1365 to #1322 to #1376 is a better route for equestrians?) Then north on #1376 to Deception Pass and possibly then take trail # 1059 down Deception Creek to Highway 2 near Deception Falls. I would greatly appreciate input from equestrians on trail #1059 vs the PCT going north from Deception Pass on about August 28th or 29th. I will need someone to drive my rig (A van pulling a 2-horse trailer) and pick us up at either location on Highway 2 and drive us to Skyhomish. This, because highway 2 is said to be winding and has no shoulder in many places. Not for horses!

 

 

SECTION SIX: Skyhomish to Canadian Border and then south to Mazama, Washington

 

Leaving Primo and my saddle and packs in a safe place in Skyhomish (after having Primo reshod) I will drive north to cache at just four more locations: 1) At Dirty Face Ranger Station (or somewhere near there at Lake Wenatchee)  2) At Trinity Buck Creek trailhead on road # 6200 along the Chiwawa River.  3) At Rainy Pass.  4) At Harts Pass. Then I drive the rig to Mazama and park it, with thier permission, at the Equestrian Center. Now It will be about August 29th and I have to get back to Skyhomish and Primo. Hope someone will be going in that direction and will give me a ride on about August 30th.

 

My Skyhomish Angel has offered to drop Primo and I off at Stevens Pass. It will be about August 31th when we again ride north. Since a large part of PCT Section K has been badly damaged by floods and the hiker detour is considered "dangerous for stock" we will ride north on the PCT only to Union Gap and then ride east on trail #1590 to dirt road #6700 and follow it east to NF Arterial Road #65 and on to my cache at Lake Wenatchee. From there I'm not sure of the best way to cross over to the Chiwawa River side and road #6200. I see a trail on the map going northeast (#1500) to dirt road #6305 which should take us to the Alder Creek Horse Camp and road #6200. We would take that road (or a trail that parallels it) north to the Buck Creek trailhead at Trinity. From there trail #1513 ascends  Buck Creek to Buck Creek Pass. On the west side of the pass trail #2052 decends to the PCT. This long detour from Union Gap to the PCT is about 60 miles. Having started  from  Stevens Pass,  add 7 more miles and it totals about 67 miles, I will allow 4 days to get back to the PCT. Then another 3 miles north to our first planned camp at a small meadow and stream just south of Suiattle Pass. Do you know of a better spot near there? 

 

From there, on about September 4th, we are back on the PCT, we ride on north to Bridge Creek Campground. I understand that there is no graze there. Do you know of a better choice of a camp location before Bridge Creek? Then we will ride on to Rainy Pass. I will  dig up the cache, and camp there - probably take a layover day since I will have cached enough extra food for Primo and myself. It will be about September 7th.

 

By about September 8th we should be heading north again. Here are the planned camps: 1) an avalanche chute 13 miles north of Rainy pass that is said to have good graze. 2) Meadows Campground 3) Having resupplied at the Harts Pass cache, camp at Indiana Basin and leave a food cache for the return trip from the Canadian Border. 3) Ride to Hopkins Lake and camp. Does anyone know if there is graze near there? Would Mountain Home Camp be better?  4) Ride to Monument 78 at the border of Canada. CELEBRATE AND TAKE PICTURE HERE!  Then ride south to Castle Pass or to Hopkins Lake and camp. It will be about September 12th or 13th. 5) Ride south to Indiana Basin and the food cache. 6) Continue south to Meadows Campground. 7) Ride to Mazama and the rig. If a room is available have a hot shower, eat a restaurant dinner,  and sleep in a real bed - - -

The planned compleation of this journey will be on or about September 15th.