Start:  0630 - near Frog Lake campground
End: 1930 - near Sandy River
Miles (today): 19.5
Miles (cumulative): 2142.5 (1938.5 PCT, 131.5 alternate, 72.5 off)

It was glorious!  I was running - downhill - and I felt great.  Nothing hurt, I had perfect form, and I was fast.  It was as if I was flying.  I was so happy!!!

And then Nick shook me awake.  

Our goal was to make it the 10 miles to Timberline Lodge before 1100 because we heard they had a fantastic lunch buffet.  Just to play it safe, we got up early (0500) and as soon as it was light out we started hiking.  

It's a good thing we got up early - it had been spitting rain while we were packing up and after about 30 minutes of hiking it was raining steadily.

I actually enjoyed hiking in the rain.  It wasn't as good as running in the rain and it was a little colder than I would like, but all in all it was just fine.  Nick was ahead of me and he left me some notes of encouragement, which made me smile (although then i had to stop to take a picture and getting my phone out of my coat pocket was a bit tricky with cold hands).

By the time I got to Timberline Lodge I was completely soaked and my hands were frozen.  Even so, I stood there in the doorway, almost afraid to enter - it was such a nice place and i didn't want to make a mess of it with my muddy shoes, dirty pants, and wet backpack.  But then I saw some other hikers and they directed me to the fireplace and I realized that the lodge was well equipped to deal with the likes of me.  

Just as I was carefully taking off my coat and trying to keep the puddles of water confined to a small area, Nick found me.  He had already showered and picked up our resupply box m and had all the intel.  Apparently there is a 'shower ' in the parking lot for hikers, but Nick said it was basically a port-a-potty with a hose running to it that smelled of urine inside.  After he told someone at the lodge about the smell, they secretly told him how to get a legit shower in the lodge - since bathrooms are shared by guests, they said simply pretend you are a guest, go to the "guests only" section, and use a bathroom.  I felt a little weird about this but the desire to take a hot shower after hours of walking in the cold rain was strong.

The hot shower felt great despite feeling a little guilty about sneaking in.  However, we did eat lunch there so technically we could be considered guests.  Besides, they wouldn't want dirty hikers eating there.  (Right?)

 Ahh, the lunch buffet.  Usually I'm against buffets (so much wasted food) but not today.  This buffet was top-notch and expensive but oh so worth it.  The buffet lasted from 1130 until 1400 and you can bet we were there the entire time (meanwhile, the table next to us went through 3 different groups of people).  I don't even know how many times I went up for more food, all I know is the food was delicious. There were several tables of hikers and none of us left early.  

After lunch I took some time to re-organize my pack.  Before today, I had been putting my sleeping bag in the bottom compartment; however, i discovered this system doesn't work so well in the rain. Even though I had my sleeping bag in a trash compactor bag to keep it dry, I was dismayed to see water had gotten in anyway (there was the smallest of holes in the trash bag and water just seeped on in.) I found a new compactor bag, tried to get everything as dry as possible, and decided that putting anything I want to keep dry on the bottom of my pack is a bad idea (the bottom of the pack is what sits on the wet ground when you aren't wearing it).

A little before 1500 we gathered all the various items of clothing we had strategically placed by the fireplaces (one on the ground floor and the other upstairs), changed back into our now semi-dry hiking attire, and left the wonderful oasis from the rain to get in 10 more miles.

We could have stayed at Timberline - most hikers did - but it was really expensive and, well, I figured we might as well get used to hiking and camping in the rain because Washington is going to be full of days like this.  Besides, I want to know what it's like so we can order different gear if necessary and get it before the weather gets even wetter.

The last 10 miles weren't as fun as the first 10, but it was ok.  We missed out on some views of Mt. Hood, though.  Actually, we missed out on all the views (again).  I also discovered that stopping to do anything in the rain (like pee) is a pain and just makes you cold.  Also, wearing wet socks for 10 miles causes blisters.  

Most of the last 10 miles were downhill, which I managed to shuffle-run down despite my sore ankle and tender feet - being wet and cold is a great distraction from your ailments.  I tried to pretend I was running like I was in my dream, but it wasn't the same at all. 

Setting up camp in the rain is a challenge, as is trying to keep your dry stuff dry while you change out of your wet clothes... It's been quite the adventure, that's for sure.

It's raining hard on the tent at the moment - hopefully the tent stays leak free!!!

Along the trail: