LEAVING STEHEKIN

PCT Day 23-24  Friday- Saturday August 5-6,  2022

This is the last of the PCT – revisited posts. Our transition from trail to touristing before we head home.

We booked a ferry trip from Stehekin to Chelan, which leaves at 10.30am for a one hour down lake trip. That gave us an opportunity for one more breakfast at the Bakery.

We were super eager arriving at the door 10 minutes before it opened. The lovely owner was out walking her dogs and invited us in. As we were placing our order, the cinammon scrolls were just being iced, still warm out of the oven. Hammer couldn’t resist, just one more. The icing is so light, it tastes almost like an Italian meringue. So delicious, hard to stop at just one bite.

With full bellies of most delicious food, we went back to camp, packed up before walking down to the ferry wharf. We are ready to leave, the hike is over and we are not really holidaying here. Although it would be a great place to visit on vacation and stay at one of the cabins by the lake.

The boat trip down the lake was interesting. The lake is enormous,  narrow at the top end and it widens towards Chelan. It is as deep as Lake Tahoe at over 1400 feet /almost 500 m. And it is so clear all the way. Chelan is a big town of mainly big holiday rental places/condominiums. I can certainly see why this is an attractive destination for a whole lot of water based activities.

We didn’t spend long in Chelan before we got a bus to Wenatchee with a transfer there to Leavenworth. From Leavenworth we had missed the once daily bus to Seattle so will have to wait till tomorrow.
Leavenworth is a German themed town popular on weekends and we couldn’t get accomodation. Hammer came up with a light bulb idea, why not stay in Wenatchee and get a bus to Leavenworth tomorrow? Great thinking.  We stayed at a great hotel right by the bus stop. Fantastic to have a shower and sleep  on crispy, clean white sheets. It was heavenly.

The next morning we got the bus to Leavenworth. What an interesting town. The whole town is like a theme park. I’m sure there is an episode of Arrested Development filmed here. We learnt from the visitors office that the German theme development  was a deliberate decision by people who stayed in town after mining jobs disappeared from the community. Lots ts of residents left for jobs in the city and they wanted to  keep the town alive. Many decades later and it looks like it worked. Full hotels and  streets bustling with visitors on a beautiful warm summers day. Must be lovely to visit at Christmas time.

We got on the bus to Seattle at the edge of town. An Amtrack bus replacing a  train. While waiting for the bus, sitting on the ground outside a service station, we met a lovely Irish PCT Hiker “Muddy” who hiked just under half the PCT trail and is heading home tomorrow. We shared stories of trail adventure and misadventure. She was leaving the trail to go home and be with family for the one year memorial of her fathers death from Covid.  So sad to hear, he was a healthy man and he was just a little bit older than us. We hoped that her time on trail helped with the pain of her loss. 


We arrived in Seattle just as the Seattle Mariners fans were pouring of the stadium not far from the train station. Crazy busy, I haven’t seen so many people bustling and enjoying the warm late afternoon warmth and sunshine, and obviously their team won.  Everyone looked so happy.

Well be staying around Seattle for a little while before we head south and then home. Hoping that spring arrives Down Under before we do.

Mr Rainier in the late afternoon heat haze.
Category : PCT 2022