Day 77 & 78 – Stehekin

Yesterday, I agreed to leave camp with Moving Target and Hornet at 5:30 to give us plenty of time to get to the High Bridge area on the road to Stehekin. But because I have learned that hikers lie about their departure time, I am ready to go at 5:20, and so are they.

To town!

It is only 8 miles to High Bridge. We know that we will cover the ground quickly because we are dying to go to Stehekin and the first bus arrives at 9:30. The hiking is a little awkward at first because my headlamp is weak, so I must rely on the light from the hikers ahead of and behind me. I trip a lot for the first 20 minutes. After that I can see the trail, and we all speed up.

The day is cloudy; the skies dramatic.

I pretend to be interested in the views on the trail. But really, I am not. I talk with Moving Target about retirement planning. He is 58 and retiring soon. We both have bridges to cross.

We cross a creek that feeds the Stehekin River. This is the same creek we camped by last night. We have been following it all morning.

At High Bridge, we cross the Stehekin River which eventually flows into Lake Chelan, Washington’s largest natural lake and the site of Stehekin Village (also called Stehekin Landing).

The ranch

We arrive before the first bus! Success. Jazzy is there, too. But our fortunes increase. The first bus is for the Stehekin Valley Ranch – a horse ranch for tourists between High Bridge and the Landing. MT, Jazzy and I ask if there is any vacancy at the ranch. The bus driver says they have three rooms! Just enough for the three of us. We are extremely lucky. Cabins at the Ranch are very hard to get. Walk-ups for hikers are almost impossible.

I get my own little cabin. It has a bathroom and shower.

After I get settle in, do laundry and have lunch, I walk out to see the horses. Guests can ride the horses. There are classes for kids.

The ranch has several breeds but the one I find most interesting is the Norwegian Fiord. They are pack horses accustomed to cold temperatures. They are very hardy, and have calm dispositions. Also, they are very curious.

For hot-wire, the pasture employs a synthetic strap with woven-in metal strands. Cool. The ranch grows and cuts its own hay.

The Landing

At 1:30 we take the ranch bus into town. I have boxes at the post office, and I want to try to get a WiFi connection to send messages. Here is what Lake Chelan looks like from the Landing. It is called the Landing because the only way to get to Stehekin is by ferry boat or small airplane.

A phone?!

By some miracle, the Landing has a phone! Anyone can use it free of charge! Amazing. And I was thinking that I would have to use my Garmin to send text messages. I sprint over to the phone first thing, almost breathless with excitement. Will it work? Is this a joke they play on hikers? I see the phone and pick up the receiver – a dial tone! I call Patti…and it goes to voice mail. She probably thinks I am a solicitor since this is a land line. I call my son. More voice mail. Argh! Will someone please talk to me!

I call Robert, the gentleman that is picking me up from Hart’s Pass in a few days. He answers! Everything is still on schedule. I need to spend another day in Stehekin to keep from arriving at the pass too early. That means that I will have to camp in town for one night, because the ranch is booked tomorrow. I can do that.

I go to the post office and pick up two of my boxes. One is from Patti and has tape and stuff I have run out of. The other is from Sarah, a friend and former coworker. She has sent me a box of the most glorious snacks. These are going on the trail with me for sure. Thanks, Sarah!

I run over to the store and learn you can buy a WiFi card for $5. I buy one and text Patti to answer my call. I run back to the phone and we connect. I am so happy.

She tells me that Sammy has sent me a package of tape for my knee (with instructions of course). Better do what the good doctor says. The package will be at the post office tomorrow.

Dinner

I kick around town for a while then head back to the ranch on the local “red” bus. Dinner is amazing: roast beef, mashed potatoes, carrots, salads and rhubarb pie a la mode for dessert. I sit next to some people who are local farmers and business people. They are fun. They offer me some wine. Wahoo!

How did the apple farmer make a small fortune? He started with a big one.

Day 2 in Stehekin

I sleep maybe two hours. I have dreams of endless permutations leading to countless outcomes. I try to control the process, to find one satisfactory solution. I wake up sweating. Thirty minutes have passed. I close my eyes and repeat the process. I am always anxious before I get back on the trail and that feeling ambushed my night.

Bus ride

I eat a good breakfast at the Ranch and board the bus to the Landing. Our driver stops at all the interesting sights. He is actually quite funny, but I would never tell him that because he already knows it.

There is really only one destination that interests me: the Stehekin Bakery. In Stehekin, the bakery is the MOST important destination. It’s sticky buns and sweet rolls are famous. Hikers dream of this bakery hundreds of miles before they arrive.

As I try to decide what I want, a man in a Harley jacket tells me that he is buying my pastry. It is the couple I chatted with at lunch at the Ranch the day before – Calvin and Sara. They are so kind. I get the raspberry nectarine pie, to go!

Altered plans

At the Landing I meet Hornet who is having some issues. In the span of 24 hours, both zippers on his “Amazon” tent have broken. With rain in the forecast, he has no way to stay dry. He decides to take the ferry out of Stehekin so he can go home to Seattle and get another tent. By some luck, his mom is already on her way here from Idaho. She can help him get home. He will return and complete the hike with his new tent.

It is a surprising turn of events. He was going to finish the trail with MT, Jazzy and me. It is the best decision, though and he feels no regret.

Then you will never guess who I meet. Nadine and Huck! The lost lovers! Huck is getting off the trail. Nadine is going on to Rainy Pass. In a few minutes she will board the red bus and camp at High Bridge tonight. I tell her that I will be joining her up there later. Cool.

Another cool postal clerk

I retrieve my resupply box from the post office.

The clerk there checks on a missing package for me and we make some plans to reroute it to me in California. Another helpful postal worker.

I talk to Patti one last time on the phone and head out on the red bus to High Bridge where I will camp tonight.

Camp

After some searching, I find Nadine’s camp site which has a privy and a bear box. Excellent. We chat about literary things and people. I read to her some things from my blog, including the story of her and Huck. She is amused and does not ask me to change anything. She sings me a song.

Before she retires she reminds me that there is no camping for PCT hikers in the National Park through which I will hike tomorrow. This may change my plans. I may have to start hiking before Moving Target and Jazzy arrive. Maybe I will leave a note.

Stehekin has been fun. I am refreshed and ready to find the border. Let’s go.

• August 17 & 18
• Startinge mile: 2564
• Ending mile: 2572
• Daily PCT miles: 8
• Total PCT miles: 1200
• Animals: Norwegian Fiords