I’ve just posted a new Youtube video ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clZP56HRsJc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clZP56HRsJc)) telling the story of my time cycling through Washington, this is how it went:
After 5 much need weeks off with some old friends in Victoria. I boarded the ferry across to Washington and my time in the lower 48 was off to a great start when my visa was renewed and I found out I’d get 6 months in this amazing country instead of the 3 I’d originally planned for.
My first few days were spent cycling through the Olympics, a mountain range that I’m sure is stunningly beautiful but sadly I wouldn’t know as it was raining most of my time there leaving very little to see. I spent my nights enjoying the hospitality of Warmshowers hosts as well as a viewer of my videos who kindly reached out to offer a place to stay for a few days.
Upon leaving his house I got the ferry into Seattle and made my way out of the city towards the Cascades, excited to get back into the mountains again. Unfortunately I didn’t make it as far as I expected and found myself still in a town at 9pm, with no campgrounds anywhere nearby. I opted to pitch my tent on what I thought was a public walking trail with plans to get moving again before sunrise in the morning. I quickly learned at 3am that I had in fact trespassed when a flashlight beaming onto my tent woke me. Luckily the security who was patrolling the site took pity on me, showing me a spot just 10 metres away that was public land, and even coming back with a goodie bag of food and water.
The next day I planned to make it to Washington’s tallest peak, Mount Rainier, however clearly I wasn’t as fit as I was before the 5 week break and once again my progress was slow. I made my way through the Elbe forest to avoid the busy highway and towards the top of a long climb I stopped to have a break and make a coffee, when I accidentally stumbled on one of the best wild camping spots I’ve ever found. I quickly decided to cut my day short and set up camp with incredible views over the snowy Mt. Rainier. In the morning I woke up to find myself inside a cloud, a strange and unique experience that made me a little less annoyed that everything was now wet. I made my way into the national park and up to my campground where I set up camp for the next two nights while I hiked Rainier.
After learning there was still about 2000ft of climbing to get to the trailhead I decided to stick my thumb out by the side of the road and within a couple of minutes I was in a car on my way up the mountain. The hike itself was incredible, providing some of the best views I’ve had after 4 months on the road. The highlight though was a chance encounter with a beautiful mountain goat. I spent over an hour following round the mountain, at one point sitting less than 10 metres from the majestic creature. I went back the next day to tackle some of the snowy ascent up to Camp Muir but after running out of food and water, and needing to vacate my campsite I made my back down and left the park after a wonderful couple of days.
I arrived in a small town called Packwood where I prepared to make my way up to Takhlakh Lake, which sat at the foot of Mt Adams. After having to reroute due to an unrideable road I found myself once again behind schedule, and with a 4000ft climb ahead of me it was looking unlikely I would make it to the lake before sunset. Fortunately for me pretty soon into the climb a hunter that passed me a few minutes before, double backed to offer me a ride. I graciously accepted, knowing that instead of spending the day cycling up a long climb through roads surrounded by dense forest, blocking any chance of a view, and reaching this beautiful spot once it was too dark to appreciate it, I’d instead get to spend time having an interesting conversation with a stranger and I’d also get to enjoy the incredible beauty of the lake. With 10 miles to go we turned onto an amazing gravel road that cut through one of the strangest forest I’d ever seen, with moss hanging off the skinny pine trees and colourful huckleberry leaves lighting up the side of the road. Eager to ride it I asked him to drop me off, thanked him for the ride and parted ways. The next 10 miles of cycling were bliss and I made it to the Lake with plenty of time to sit and enjoy one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever spent the night.
After days of incredible weather a lot of rain was coming so I got moving early to get myself out of the mountains and into a nearby town called Trout Lake. Here I planned to stay for 2 days to wait out the rain before I’d be petsitting for a week in Southern Washington but after a delicious Elk burger I made my way down to the next town, where I was picked up by Nadja who kindly offered for me to come early and wait out the rain at her place. I spent the week looking after her crazy Jack Russel, Milo, and prepared for the next leg of my adventure through Oregon.
If you’re interested in regular updates of my trip please drop me a follow on Instagram ([https://www.instagram.com/dancyclestheworld/](https://www.instagram.com/dancyclestheworld/)) or TikTok ([https://www.tiktok.com/@dancyclestheworld](https://www.tiktok.com/@dancyclestheworld))
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by DanCyclestheWorld