I can’t sleep in a bed. I can’t sleep on the trail. I am hopeless. The stars were pretty though. And for the first time in months I did not apply bug spray. Let’s hope that continues.
Planning
In my original plan to reach the border, I had anticipated 14 miles today. But because I camped at High Bridge, I can go much farther. Moving Target and Jazzy will start hiking behind me after the ranch bus drops them off at 8:30. I let Nadine know that I intend to go all the way to Rainy Pass (19 miles). I hope she tells Target and Jazzy when they pass her. It’s not that she is slow, but she only wants to go 10 miles a day until she exits at Rainy Pass. She wants to relax and hike by herself.
The morning sky is blue as it should be. Those clouds though!
The early hiking is uneventful except for a bear in the bushes that I did not want to meet. As soon as I heard it, I sped up to avoid it.
Horses
It is plain from the beginning that a lot of horses use this section of trail. At the horse camp, there are a couple buildings and a corral.
A feature of this section of trail are bear boxes. National parks routinely put bear boxes in places that bears and campers might meet. A bear that starts stealing food from people is a dead bear: it will be shot because it has lost its fear of people and may attack them. So parks provide bear-proof cabinets for people to store their food overnight. Here is one:
Bridges
This morning the trail generally follows the Stehekin River. As the trail crosses the river and its tributaries, bridges are needed. I love bridges and have shown many. This next one is interesting because it is temporary, replacing a big permanent bridge that was washed away. From a distance the temporary bridge looks pretty flimsy. Up close you can see that it really is! It reminds me of those bridges in the old Tarzan movies. You can see the remains of the old bridge on the far river bank.
Not only was this bridge bouncy, but it swayed from side to side! It was pretty fun to cross. I was glad to be on the other side.
Now you see me…
At lunch I walk down to the river for fresh water. There are a bunch of “rock” butterflies there. I call them that because when their wings are closed, they blend perfectly into the rock they are perched on. Here is a video and a photo. If the butterfly turns just right it almost completely disappears.
The day turns hot. I am still climbing this enormous incline to Rainy Pass. I try this little trick that the Wander Women do. I soak my head and hat in stream water. The water runs down my skin under my shirt and it really feels great. The cooling effect lasts for almost an hour. By then the trail has moved into a forest, and I feel much better.
Beyond Rainy Pass
The pass is nothing special. There is barely space to pull over. There is a campground in one side, but since there is no water there, I climb farther, looking for a good campsite near water. I find one. The views from camp are pretty terrific – the best I have seen all day.
It looks like I will be camping alone tonight. Target and Jazzy did not catch up to me. Perhaps we will get together tomorrow. I am most concerned about the forecast. I downloaded a new report on my Garmin. Rain starting in the morning and continuing all day (the 20th) and into the 21st. Temperatures will be between mid 50s and mid 40s. I put my tarp up in case it rains before 6am.
I have had to deal with rain before. The key is to keep the quilt and a set of sleep clothes dry. This is easy to do for a day, but as the rain persists, things you are carrying get sticky. Let’s hope the rain doesn’t last too long.
I am 58 miles from Canada. That is three days. Pretty exciting.
- August 19
- Startinge mile: t2572
- Ending mile: 2594
- Daily PCT miles: 22
- Total PCT miles: 1222
- Animals: Stone butterflies
Almost halfway, congrats on your progress!