Day 72 – No Flat Land

I slept better last night except for the obligatory frequent trips to the bathroom – nerves. The trains passing through town go right by the hotel. Some people don’t appreciate this. I love it. I sometimes get out of bed when I hear the trains so I can watch them pass. The running lights moving orderly by in the dark calm me. The last car goes by and I follow it until it disappears from view. I feel empty. I want to ride that train. I want it to take me somewhere down the tracks. I want to watch the land disappearing behind me, fading into nothingness, erased.

The Hitch

I have agreed to meet with Jeff and Janet at 5:45 so we can be at the highway hitching by 6 am. We want to be there to catch the early commuters who work at the pass. I place Jeff and Janet down the highway below the road to the Skykomish. I will cover cars leaving Skykomish toward the pass.

Jeff and Janet are good sports. I yell at them, “Work it! Hitch like you mean it!” I am a motivational genius. I am an idiot. Janet goes above and beyond: she starts offering people money for a ride. It doesn’t work, but she gets an A for effort. This nice fella from town pulls up next to me. I ask him if he has room for three. He asks if I have friends. Do I look like a man who might have no friends? Probably.

The driver’s name is Adrian. We all cram into his partially-filled CRV. We learn that he is an IT manager at the lodge at the pass. He has taken hundreds of hikers to the trail over the years. He drives us to our respective trail heads. Janet says she will keep in touch through my blog. I hope so. They are a nice couple.

A rocky start

I had talked to Patti briefly earlier this morning to ask her to collect some items to send to me at my next stop – Stehekin. It was a crappy conversation because I had cut it short to finish packing and get to the road. Do this and this and this, goodbye.

At the pass, as I call Patti again, the gravity of the moment crashes down on me. This is the last time we will speak until I return from the border in two weeks. I am so emotional today that I just break down on the phone. I am pretty disgusted at how fragile I am. For God’s sake, it’s not like I’m going off to war, right? Patti cheers me up. It’s gonna be OK. Of course it is. These flowers at the trail head cheer me up. How could they not?

The trail

The trail looks like the trail I have been walking for a long time. It is different and the same.

Side trails lead to lakes where people swim. There are three people and a dog at the lake below. The dog is barking loudly. It echoes off the surrounding mountains. It makes him bark more. It is an echo chamber. It seems that fascination with our own voice extends to other species.

Rabbits

A couple of young thru-hikers pass me. I try to keep up with them. Why? I should know by now that I cannot keep up. I can’t help myself. I am a dog that chases cars.

I actually keep up with them for a while. Then they shift into another gear and I fall behind. I catch up with them at lunch. They are Viking and Sunrise. They started on the same day as strangers and since then have hiked together every day for over 2400 miles. Cool, huh? I wonder what they will do when the hike is over.

There is a new fire in the area. It is affecting all the views today. Here is a sample of how smoky it is.

Flowers!

Well, let’s see what’s going on near the trail. These white flowers are impossibly delicate.

It was bound to happen – 1100 miles. I am closing in on the halfway point. I will roll through 1200 on my way to Canada. 1300 will happen in California. But first, let me do 1101.

The problem with Washington is that there is no flat ground. You are going either up or down. Even when the trail takes you over the top of a mountain, the ground undulates like a cat being stroked. The hikers that thought they were strong in Northern California and Oregon, tip their hat to Washington. This state is no cake walk.

I am pleased when I roll into camp. I have gone 5 miles farther than planned because of that early hitch from Adrian and because nearly killed myself chasing Sunrise. The extra give me some flexibility in my plan for the next few days. My shoes and new socks did well. My new shorts did not chafe. My feet and knees hurt, but what else is new?

Hiker trash

The camp site soon becomes a hub of activity as several hikers come and go. There is a lake here and a bunch of them go for a swim. It is fun to have other hikers around. The young ones are so nonchalant. They take off their shoes, smoke some weed, take a swim, eat some snacks and then hike 4 more miles!

Me? I drag into camp, drink a bunch of water, dry my sweaty clothes, eat and go to bed to write my blog. It’s the routine I choose, and tomorrow I will do it all over again.

• August 12
• Starting mile: 2465
• Ending mile: 2484
• Daily PCT miles: 19
• Total PCT miles: 1112
• Animals: 3 trail dogs, 2 mountain frogs