Day 67 – Soaking in Washington

I woke for the first time at 11:30 last night. I was warm enough to remove my rain jacket. My feet were nice and toasty, but still damp. I went back to sleep.

The day ahead

My alarm wakes me at 4:30 am. It is 46 degrees, and much too cold to get up, and yet I must. I bring my food into my tarp and begin the slow process of getting dressed and arranging my pack for hiking in the rain all day. My shoes are wet and smelly. I have dry, but worn-out socks. My hiking shirt is damp, but warm under my rain jacket. I am wearing my tattered hiking shorts under my rain pants. My wind shirt is in the outside pocket of my pack in case my jacket gets too warm.

I leave camp at 6:30. It would have been hard to do any better. I look back on my bungalow above the lake. Not exactly cozy, but it did the job.

The views are going to get gradually worse as the rain intensifies and the fog covers everything. So I focus on what I can see clearly – the trail and what is near it.

There are huckleberries along the trail this morning. Some hikers spend hours a day foraging these bushes.

Ribs

I am taking a video of a waterfall, when I feel someone next to me. It’s another hiker. His name is Ribs. He is Nobo and started in Campo near Mexico. His wife is supporting him along the trail in their RV. She meets him at trail towns and road crossings with supplies and trail magic. They have both been at this since March. It has been fun, but they are ready to be done.

Here is that waterfall I was filming when Ribs popped up.

Ribs works for Oregon State University in the Programs office. He is familiar with UCF because OSU and UCF belong to the same intercollegiate interest group. Ribs and I walk most of the morning together. Our conversation breaks the monotony of a day without views. Mental stimulation is something that I miss dearly. There are so many thoughtful, kind and intelligent folks on the trail. Meeting them is incredibly fulfilling.

When we reach to top of the climb, we break for lunch at an alpine pond. The wind is brutal up here, and the drizzle makes it very cold. But it is 1pm and we need to eat. I eat as fast as possible, crouching down behind a TV-sized rock. I still need to refill my water when Ribs says he needs to get moving. He is hiking 25-mile days. We say our goodbyes. He offers to help in any way he (his wife) can to get me to Canada. We exchange numbers. I hope we meet again some day.

Small miracles

With Ribs gone, I focus on the trail again. With cold fog obscuring most of the views, I see the little things. This odd plant has been on the trail for many weeks. It looks like trash mostly, but this one is interesting

I also love how the water beads on this plant. It’s like it has been waxed!

There also seems to be two varieties of Indian Paintbrush. The first is a kind of salmon color. The second produces heavily-bunched flowers with green spikey things.

Just when I thought I had seen my last thimble berry, the trail is lined with hundreds of bushes. But nestled in among the delicious berries are the dreaded white berries. Annette said never eat the white berries. They may be poison.

Big miracles

In the last few miles of today’s hike, I walk along Waptus River which feeds Waptus Lake. Here you can see the lake as the mist parts a little

Suddenly, the sun shines through for the first time all day. And look what the sun brings with it!

I am hollering about the rainbow to no one in particular when a young couple of hikers appear and we all oo and ah together. But now it’s time to get to camp. There are two sites near the creek. One is high (which I like) but filled with widow makers and rocks. The other is clear of widow makers, but is creepy. I settle for creepy.

A couple of young men come by looking for a spot to camp. I try to discourage them from the other site, but they say they will check it out anyway. I don’t see them again. Oh well, it’s not like I haven’t camped by myself before. I had just hoped for some company.

It was a good day today, even though the views were hidden. I accomplished my miles, and I am positioned to cruise into Steven’s Pass on Tuesday when my equipment should arrive. My feet are holding up even though they are soaked all day. Gotta keep em going for three more days.

• August 7
• Starting mile: 2408
• Ending mile: 2428
• Daily PCT miles: 20
• Total PCT miles: 1056