Start: 0630 - near Miners Creek
End: 1630 - High Bridge Ranger Station (to Stehekin)
Miles (today): 23
Miles (cumulative): 2598.5 (2348.5 PCT, 175 alternate, 75 off)
It's disappointing to hike all day with the thought of getting to stay in a lodge (Real bed! Shower! Warm room! Ability to charge my devices!) and then, once you finally get to town, you find out the lodge is full (well, it's not full but the empty rooms didn't get cleaned). I slept so poorly last night due to aching feet (a hefty dose of Aleve didn't help at all) that the thought of sleeping on a legit bed tonight was what kept me going today.
Oh well, this stuff happens. It's ok.
We started the day early, which made me happy (I haven't been fond of our late starts). Our whole goal was to be able to catch a bus to Stehekin, with the last one leaving at 1800. Unsure of how fast we'd be today, we erred on the side of caution and planned to leave camp at 0630, which is when it's just light enough to be able to hike without a headlamp. It turns out most everyone had the same plan, which was good because it's impossible to quietly break camp due to opening and closing crinkly bags and deflating air mattresses and shoving everything into your pack. The only one still sleeping by the time we got on the trail was Ridiculous and his dog, Pearl.
Hiking in the early morning hours makes me so happy - everything is quiet, still, and peaceful. (Early morning runs were my favorite, too.... But no, I still have 4ish days left of hiking, I must not fantasize about Running yet.) :)
On today's hike I played leapfrog with Fret and Bud, Nick and I actually hiked together for an hour or so (and we talked!), we officially have less than 100 miles to go (!!!!!), and we had to ford a river (which I did barefoot even though my feet could barely handle walking on the rocks - it was like torture. Also, the freezing cold water was NOT refreshing like it was in the Sierras).
less than 100 miles to go!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited!!
hopefully this is the last river I'll have to ford on this trip
I made it to the ranger station/bus stop by 1630. I knew there was no way I'd be able to make the 1500 bus (like everyone else we camped with) so I didn't even bother pushing the pace. Nick was already at the ranger station when I got there, sitting at a picnic table with a lovely couple on vacation, Bob and Bonnie. Bob and Bonnie had saved a beer for me AND they had peanuts to munch on while we waited for the bus - it was great! They even taught me how to play cribbage. They were really nice (and Bob reminded me of my dad).
the bus taking us to Stehekin
The bus ride to Stehekin was beautiful. This is a town you can't drive to, which is actually pretty cool - you can only get here by ferry, by plane, or by trail. And even though we didn't get a room, things are still ok. Just before we walked into the restaurant we saw a gorgeous sunset over the lake (I wish I had been on the waterfront to better capture the moment, though); at the restaurant we ate a warm meal and had some delicious homemade ice cream for dessert; after eating we showered at the public shower and are now doing laundry. In fact, I'm sitting in the laundry room on top of the dryer, charging our devices, and writing this entry while I wait for our clothes to dry. Nick is at the free campground, where he is setting up the tent (in the dark). Hopefully he comes back for me because I don't want to wander around the campground looking for our tent! I hope he comes back soon, I'm exhausted.
Lake Chelan
Lake Chelan
sunset over Lake Chelan
Along the trail:
High Bridge from afar
the view while crossing High Bridge
salmon spawning