Last night the snow did not persist enough to accumulate on anything. My tarp is only mildly damp. Moving Target and Jazzy left for the monument at 6 am. They left their tents in camp.
Cold start
I pry myself out of bed at 6:30. The rain has stopped, but it could start again at any moment. I secure the dry clothes, put on my last dry socks, shove down a little food and head out. It starts to rain. The forecast said clear skies this morning. I think the forecasts must be pulled daily from fortune cookies.
It will get worse before it gets better. I have to go to the top of the ridge. This is the same ridge from which I looked down on Hopkins Lake yesterday. It is also the same ridge from which Jazzy shouted “Ho, Ho, Ho!” yesterday amid blowing snow. (We heard him in camp 30 minutes before he arrived.)
Sure enough, it is snowing up there. About a quarter inch has accumulated on the side of the trail. It is pretty, but not enough to make me hang around.
Humans
Up here on the ridge I meet this wild looking guy. His name is Sandstorm. He says he had to camp up here because he had passed all other known campsites and did not think continuing was a good option either. He just set up his tent on the nearest flat spot. He seems relaxed now. He is heading to the monument.
I meet Trout. Wearing an orange and white Longhorn hat, he is an unabashed Texan. (Is there any other kind?) This is his second PCT thru-hike. He touched the monument yesterday and is heading to the Hart’s Pass to meet a friend who is picking him up. “Knowing him,” says Trout, “he will have some trail magic ready. The last time he met me, he had the grill going.” This stokes my imagination.
Not long after that, I meet his hiking partners, The One and 5-Leaf. They are with Trout (they call him Paul) because Trout can give them a ride into Mazama, the village at the end of the road to Hart’s Pass. They are hiking all the way to the pass. I had not planned to go all the way, but with the weather as fickle as it has been, the idea sounds appealing. I could camp at the pass, or worse case, sleep in the campground pit toilet building out of the rain.
I determine to stay with them until the weather decides for me: rain means I go all the way to Hart’s Pass. We make good time. They do not stop for rest breaks. They stop once for lunch. All other breaks are to go to the bathroom or to take a photo. The eat snacks and drink as they walk. I can do that. I am highly motivated to stay with them. They say they can make Hart’s by 6pm. That sounds great.
Movin’ on up
As we climb Rock Pass, I lose them because I am sweating and need to remove my jacket. They quickly separate from me by 3 minutes, which is a long time when you are hiking. Then I have to go to the bathroom, so I completely lose sight of them. Dang.
And then I catch up to them as they eat lunch.
The sun is shining, but it starts to rain. 5-Leaf says “A rainbow!” Sure enough, directly overhead is the rainbow. Everyone needs people around them that look for rainbows.
The weather improves occasionally, so that the views improve.
Gathering
Three miles from Hart’s Pass I run into the Dirty Debbies. I am so happy to meet them again. This also means that they are on schedule to reach the border tomorrow and reach Hart’s Pass the next day. Now we can confirm everything with Robert and finalize our plans. Hallelujah. Robert will be here tomorrow. He will camp with me one night at the pass. And we will all leave when the Debbies arrive. I am so relieved.
Two tenths of a mile before we reach the parking lot at Hart’s Pass, I stop to get water at a small stream. Suddenly, there are seven hikers at the water. One of them is Hornet! He is the one who got off the trail in Stehekin because the zippers on his tent had failed. It was very good to see him.
As we get water, someone says that a person is giving rides to town at the Pass. My friends run off. By the time I finish filtering water and running to the parking lot, everyone is gone! I don’t care. I start setting up my camp. Lucy rolls into camp. She is the one who gave me hot water yesterday.
Trout’s friend rolls into the parking lot in his truck. He lets me get warm in his cab, and he gives me a root beer and some danish! I take my shoes and socks off in his cab and dry them in front of the hot air vents. Trout arrives and looks in on me. Two other hikers show up. I get out of the cab just in time to split a steak with them and some garlic bread. Yum.
Trout mentions that he wants to hike the Florida Trail. I give him my phone number and tell him to call me when he gets close to Orlando and I will help him with a ride or a place to stay. Yes, I wouldn’t mind being a trail angel. (Patti will want to talk to me about that.)
Clearing skies
I head off to my tarp and crawl into bed. It is cold, but I am warm and the bed warms quickly too. It was a good decision to camp here. It has been a momentous three days. I am tired, but I am hopeful. Much is still undecided about this transition south, but I am optimistic. And optimism is worth a lot.
- August 23
- Startinge mile: 2647
- Ending mile: 2623
- Daily PCT miles: 24
- Total PCT miles: 1281
- Animals: