Start: 0730 - Killen Creek
End: 1900 - near Cispus River tributary
Miles (today): 29
Miles (cumulative): 2307 (2085 PCT, 149 alternate, 73 off)
Amazing! Epic! Beautiful! Fun!
Today was perhaps one of my favorite days on the trail - everything about it was great. I started my day by eating breakfast next to a beautiful waterfall near our campsite. It was so cold there was frost on the ground (and on the tent) but I enjoyed the serenity.
where I ate breakfast
The hike started with me wearing most of my clothes - it was cold!! However, the sun was shining and I knew as soon as I got out of the trees it would be warm and glorious.
Dirt Squirrel caught up to me after only a few miles and we ended up hiking together all morning. It was fantastic!! Hiking with Dirt Squirrel is great - she's one of my favorite people to hike with. We passed Yucca and Sprout and ended up hiking with them for a bit, too. We even ended up having lunch together, which was so much fun. As someone who usually hikes alone, it was a delightful change of pace to hike with others. Speaking of pace, I hike a lot faster with others (which of course I love).
picking huckleberries .. Or are they blueberries? I don't know but it doesn't matter - they are delicious
Yucca learning some yoga from Sprout
After lunch, I left earlier then the rest and hiked alone for a mile or so (I don't like to take longer than 30 minutes for lunch). Then I bumped into Roswell and hiked with him - he's still super fast and just hanging with him for a few miles felt good. THEN I saw Day Hike/Tracker taking a break - he told me Jet was just ahead. Awesome! I love hiking with Jet! I followed Roswell and let him sort-of pull me along until we caught up to Jet; then I let Roswell hike ahead while I fell in behind Jet, another one of my favorite people to hike with. With Jet to keep me company (I love her, she and I have a lot in common), the afternoon flew by. At one point we caught up with Aquarius and hiked with him, too.
We stopped for a break with only 4 miles to go to the campsite (everyone was planning to camp at the same spot). Anxious to get going (I didn't want to sit too long and get cold), I hiked the last 4 miles alone, which was just fine because the scenery was so completely mind blowing. Hike the Goat Rocks area - it reminds me of the Sierras minus all the snow. It's awesome. I stopped to take so many pictures it's amazing I made it to camp at all.
Cispus Pass
When I stopped for water I ran into two guys out hiking for a few days. They told me there were a lot of college kids ahead and that camp spots might be tough to come by, so I claimed a spot at the first area I came across. Aquarius did the same.
So tonight we are camping with Aquarius and Miyagi, Dirt Squirrel, Jet Pack and Tracker, and three trail angels from Trout Lake. Squirrel started a fire for us all to enjoy, the moon is full and beautiful, and I'm so incredibly happy I can't believe it. :)
Along the trail:
goat rocks wilderness - it's beautiful!!
a mushroom
where I obtained our water for the night
a view from our campsite
the moon never looks as beautiful in pictures as it does in real life
