Around midnight last night I went out to take care of my nightly business. The stars were all out. There was not a cloud in the sky, promising a nicer day to come. This made it all the more miserable when the rains started to fall around five am. Steady rain, not hard but constant. And it continued. Later on when we were stirring and thinking about getting up we kept waiting, hoping for a break in the rain which might allow us to get packed up more easily. When we could wait no longer we packed up and set out with the rain still falling. …
After an nice evening of good conversation with friends and good soaking in the hot tub, we slept in until almost 8:30. A dark and gloomy morning did nothing to get us moving any faster. And it confirmed the weather forecast of rain in our near future, as well as our middle and more distant future also.
As we were getting ready, Richard, a hiker we had heard about but not met was checking in. A couple of southbound section hikers named the “two Lindas” came down to the lobby and we traded notes on water, trail conditions and fellow hikers. They also had advice and maps on …
We listened through the open windows of our hotel room to the sounds of heavy rains on the metal roof, thankful to be inside, beyond their reach.
We have a leisurely day to organize our resupply and to rest and eat. Around mid day we are happy to see Trainwreck, Strut and Little John. They are arriving from a layover day in Seattle and getting back on the trail. We compare stories and get caught up as well on the other people they have seen. Since they will be a day in front of us and plan to arrive in Canada a couple days befor us, the occasion now is …
We awoke to the occasional sounds of jets on their final approach to Sea-Tac international airport. The low forests we have traversed since Stampede pass are anatural “keyhole” through the Cascades, aroute favored by loggers and airline planners. Still 16 mile from the smal ski resort of Snoqualmie Pass we know we ar not far from the “real ” civilization of the Northwest’s largest cities.
Across the trail we spot better campsites, along the extension of the skid road upon which we had set our tent. Such is the problem of hiking and searching long after dark for campsites.
The morning hike continued along wooded slopes, breaking out into hucklebery …
Intermittent rain left a dampness to everything this morning. We got up and out during a break in the rain. On the trail we were back in rain soon enough. And clouds. Walking high ridges we were walking right through the clouds. As we dropped a thousand feet in elevation to a lower pass we left the clouds and most of the misty rain behind.
In the afternoon the clouds started to break up and let some sunshine in, bringing a definite change in mood for the better. We were walking most all of the day through a series of clearcuts, depressing enough. Although the one good thing about the clearcuts …
