Up and down steep with lots of obstacles, repeat with a vengeance.
A few items slowed me down. The abundance of huckleberries kept screaming "eat me!" No matter how many times I told myself to walk past the temptation, a patch of the plump treat would show up and I would be forced to stop and snack. The recurring left heel blister issue slowed me down. Finally the cumulative effect of the hike, overall fatigue, caught up with me. The result was very long days. Combining the above elements with "The Final Exam," and even with early starts every night I came into camp well after everyone else, and long after dark.
September 14-Sunday-Leaving Stevens Pass
I didn't sleep well in the motel. What an odd scenario when rest comes so much easier in a sleeping bag and in a tent than in the comfort of a bed. Other hikers have mentioned the same experience.
The first few miles out of Stevens Pass the trail had many day hikers. The nice weather, a weekend day, and being near enough to the greater Seattle area made this area popular.
Once away from the day hikers it became significantly more serene. It also helped that we've moved ahead of the bubble of thru-hikers.
It was nice to get above the thick forest to get views.
The pack was heavy with a fresh resupply of six days of food. To alleviate the weight issue I decided to cut down on my water weight. To this end I decided not to carry any water. There were so many water sources in this part of Washington this was not a problem. It would have been a good idea to have quit carrying water altogether a while ago.
Three tough climbs made this 22 mile day feel like much more. The challenging day brought me in to camp after dark. I had found a sock on the trail, it had fallen off Firecracker's pack. She was glad it was found.
Since there are no mosquitoes in Washington (others would argue that fact) and no sign of rain, I decided to cowboy camp. Not messing with a tent saves time, and energy. I hadn't cowboy camped for a long, long time and it was nice. The tent is good, but I love looking up at the stars at night.
At the end of 24 weeks, at mile 2498.
September 15-Monday-Mice
The day started slowly, with only six miles in the first six hours. Early in the day I passed the 2500 mile point on the hike. It was yet another reminder that the end of this trek is approaching.
This doe didn't want to leave the trail. She just stared at me and kept snacking.
Great views of Glacier Peak and Mount Baker appeared in the north throughout the day. The last peak at Mount Ranier as a fading reminder was to the south. It seems so long ago when Mount Ranier stunned us with its majesty for the first time from the base of Mount Adams.
When Lake Sally Ann appeared at midday I was exhausted, still not recovered from the previous day. I cooked lunch, then pulled out the ground cloth and took a nap. The length of the nap will never be known, but was not short. Rip Van Winkle comes to mind.
I talked with Leonitus later, he had taken a nap there too. There were beautiful views, a perfect temperature, and flat spots.
Reflection Pond seemed appropriately named.
At one point a hoary marmot charged around a bend in the trail toward me. When he saw me I'm not sure who was the most startled. He succeeded in getting off the trail first. He was off by the time I landed from my jump. I really enjoy the pika and marmot sounds when hiking.
Cowboy camping worked the night before, so I did it again. Again I arrived at camp well after dark. While cooking dinner I was visited by a mouse.
As I was about asleep something scampered across my chest, undoubtably my dinner guest. If I wouldn't have been so exhausted I would have set up my tent. Like yesterday this was an exhausting day, even if it was only 21 miles.
At a previous camp a mouse ate a hole in Mr. Sandals' water bladder. Nobody in our group has had a problem with them eating food. It seems mice are more common in the Washington portion of the trail than before.
What a hard part of the test.
September 16-Tuesday-Brutality
Another very early start on the trail. I need more hours to get the miles in than the others.
This picture is taken in the early morning so is hard to see, but the comparison of the size of my pack and the size of this log bears notice. The thought of attacking this with a two person crosscut saw seems unimaginable. Maybe that's why it hasn't been done. The enormity of the log clearing needs here let's me appreciate all the hard work done elsewhere on the trail.
I am not a fan of repeated logs across the trail.
During this break Princess said, "Let's just quit." We could just hike back to Stevens Pass and call Bat S*** Crazy Mama to come get us and drive us to Manning Park, British Columbia. There we could hike south eight miles to the monument and take some pictures. It was preposterous, and led to a fun interchange.
A couple on the trail had posted their picture at the monument from the end of the trail. At the time we all marveled at how quickly they had finished. Later we learned they had gone off trail, rented a car, done short hikes at some spots, and then hiked into the monument. A conclusion was maybe that couple had done the right thing. We were all so miserable, and they were now really comfortable.
The proposal lightened the air. Everyone in this group would drag themselves over the finish if needed.
After testing both bright pink and florescent orange duct tape, actually Duck Tape, it is obvious the orange tape has significantly greater sticking power. I hope to wear flip flops for a week when this hike is done to let my heel heal. Repeated blisters, under callouses, are not fun.
The fungi are plentiful and fascinating.
This had to be the hardest day of the exam. There was 8000 feet of climbing. I was so slow and worn out. Switchbacks were endless. Again, only about 21 miles, but they were brutal miles.
It appeared that the next day would be tough again, but after that the rest of the way to Canada would be sane.
At about mile 2540.
