Day 75 – Old Dominion

My camp site on Mica Lake cared for me last night. The temperature was just about perfect. The breeze kept condensation at bay. And I had an unobstructed view of the stars.

I realized that the star positions have changed. Cygnus has shifted southward, because I am now hundreds of miles north of that spot in California where I first saw that constellation in the Milky Way. And I walked here. A shooting star grants me another wish. What could I possibly need?

The morning looks promising. The smoke seems less.

Today I have one big descent followed by a 2300 ft climb! After that I descend to the Suiattle River where I will camp.

Wrong Way

I forgot to mention that I met a Wrong Way in camp last night. On my first day on the trail in this section I met Viking and Sunrise. We had lunch together. As they left they said “Be on the lookout for Wrong Way and Astra. We started together and we want to finish at the border with them.” When this guy walked into camp, and I asked him if he was Wrong Way, he was speechless. I filled him in on the details. He decided to camp at the bottom of the hill half a mile away.

As I walk by Wrong Way’s camp site this morning, he is all packed up and ready to go. We hike together. He started in Campo near the Mexican border. He is hiking 25 to 30 miles a day. He is not super fast so I can keep up with him. He is from the Alexandria area of Louisiana. We chat about home and about the trail.

We both admit to hating the trail yesterday because it was in such bad shape. I relate that I am not going to let trail conditions get to me today. I am just going to walk the trail like a good little thru-hiker and enjoy what I can. As you look down this valley, we will climb to the top of the side on the right.

Now we are on the other side of the valley. We came from the slope on the right. Up above is Glacier Peak. The trail is overgrown here, too. It looks like a jungle when you walk through it

At 7:30 we part because I have to go to the bathroom. It has been fun, and we have really covered some ground. On my way up I can see the ledge with my camp at Mica Lake.

Ascent

As I ascend the ridge, the sights get better.

A few hours later, I reach the top. I am not disappointed. (See photo at top of post.) That is the best view yet of Glacier Peak. In the next photo I am walking down into the valley below the peak. You can see the trail. Snow melt is pouring off the glacier. I get a very cold drink of glacier water.

I cross a saddle and look for the first time at the mountains I will visit in the next few days.

I am now going to descend into the valley below where the powerful Suiattle River Runs. I am making great time today. I have logged over 13 miles of difficult trail by noon. I decide to shoot for a farther destination for a total of 23 miles today.

Down to the Suiattle

My knee feels good. The new tape that Heidi Ho gave me for my tendinitis is working and I feel strong. My legs don’t seem to tire any more. I am out of breath occasionally or I run out of energy, but my legs are amazing. My new shoes are working out great, too. My shorts don’t chafe, and they are modestly stylish. I feel like an honest-to-God thru hiker today!

The flowers took the day off today. Instead I have a new berry. This little guy sits on a plant that is only 6 inches high. I don’t taste it, but it looks cute. The fungus in the photo below it looks like it was designed in a candle shop.

Mysteries

Two things happen on my way to the river. First, the trail is covered with the most enormous blowdowns. There must be a hundred of them. The ones I can’t go around must be climbed over. Here are just a couple of samples.

It is hard to get a sense of just how big these trees are. However, in the second photo, if I stood in front of these two down trees, the top of my head would only come to the middle of the upper tree.

The second thing that happens turns out to be unrecordable. I took several pictures, but they look like photos of an average forest, so I did not include them here. In short, I walk through an “old forest.” In it are some of the biggest trees I have ever seen. Six people reaching around the bottom of these trees could not touch hands. And there were hundreds of these. The air is still, but fragrant like sandalwood, no not that, like balsa wood, no, it’s cedar. Yes, cedar and a musty incense.

Many trees have fallen though it is difficult to tell just how long the have lain there. Their bones soft now, they sag heavily, moss-covered and melting slowly into the earth, like corpses on a forgotten battlefield, ghastly, broken, bloated.

I try to record my feelings, but it is difficult. Yes, I feel awe, but I also feel, well, sick. It is all too much to assimilate. What ancient process am I blithely staring at like an idiot with my mouth hanging open, unable to formulate a response? I put my camera away, apologize to the forest, and beg for some kind of understanding. None comes. A secret is on display here. All living things know it. However, speaking it is not only impossible – it is forbidden. Thankfully, the bridge over the river appears and I cross it.

Camp

I am satisfied with my day. I lie here in a camp by myself. The stick breakers are moving around, so I need to put my earplugs in. Rain is forecast for tonight, so my tarp is up. Hopefully the winds will not also be bad. I did my job today. Tomorrow will have it’s own challenges, including keeping my quilt and clothes dry. Now it it time for sleep. Perhaps I will dream of the ancient forest and the secret that it holds, and God will place a bright word, like a burning coal, upon my lips.

• August 15
• Starting mile: 2521
• Ending mile: 2544
• Daily PCT miles: 23
• Total PCT miles: 1172
• Animals: marmots and eepers and jays (oh my!)