Wednesday August 14, 20.8mi/33.5km

Chopaka Grade Road (606.6/3041ft) to Fireplace campsite (627.4/6991ft) (WA)

It was a great campsite, I slept for 10 straight hours! Then I started up the hill at 7am. It was a nice sunny day, and the early morning air was nice and cool.

After an hour of climbing uphill on old dirt roads, I turned off on an uphill trail. The morning’s objective was to knock out the remaining 3500ft of climbing. I came across an old cabin, which was a nice distraction and rest stop.

The rest of the climb was uneventful, and I stopped to eat first lunch at a campground, which was at the top of the climb. Yay, done with uphill!

Just after this, there was a trailhead where the PNT leaves the dirt road. These carved wooden signs are so neat!

And then… trail! Hello, old friend.

Up in the alpine zone, the views are pretty spectacular.

I stopped at a bridge and ate second lunch. It was nice to have a flat, clean place to sit, with the sounds of the creek nearby.

And right after the bridge, I officially entered the Pasayten Wilderness.

The high ridgelines are my favorite.

And the alpine meadows with the wildflowers too.

Apparently the peak I had just hiked over was called Goodenough Peak. Haha!

I hiked all afternoon in wilderness bliss, stopping frequently to look at all the surrounding mountains.

I stopped at a creek and made dinner, then hiked another mile and setup camp…just in case any large bears are in the neighborhood!