September 8th
The miles seemed to come slowly today. We started late and stopped a couple times to enjoy the warm morning sun, while we could. Clouds and rain were forecasted for later in the day. With clear morning skies it seemed hard to believe, although from the ridge tops we could see distant clouds moving in.
At our breakfast break we tried some dried cereal we picked up from the hiker box at White Pass. At least we had thought it was cereal. It soaked up all the water and protein powder, as well as all the flavor. It was bland and chewy and not cereal. Still not sure what it was and I’m not going to dig up its remains to find out.
In the morning we could hear nearby elk crashing through the brush. Several crossed the trail in front of us before disappearing. Hunting season is here and they are justifiably nervous.
A blond ground squirrel scurried around and posed for us. His color seemed unnatural. Aside from a small ring of white around the eye, he had blond fur all over, even the roots. Either a species that we are unfamiliar with, or a color variation that is rare.
Several times Mt Rainier poked its head above the surrounding ridges, as if it was following us. Even when it was out of sight its commanding presence could be felt. Ahead we could see the jagged peaks of the North Cascades, making us realize that we are in some kind of foothills, or transition zone.
We finally arrived at the Ulrich cabin, after much longer than expected. It seems like the guidebook mileage may be off again, but I also suppose our legs are just getting tired after 2 weeks with no days off.
Horsepacking hunters had taken up residence in the Mike Ulrich cabin. We had only planned to have lunch there, not to stay overnight so it didn’t matter. But their cots and gear was spread all over so that very little room was left should anyone else want to use it. They were not around.
An afternoon of clear cuts and cloudy skies, typical of this part of Washington at this time of year. The clouds rolled in and we walked across a land ravaged for its timber. Some areas have been cut for quite a while, having been cleared of their timber long before I was here 10 years ago. And in some cases the new growth in the last ten years is almost negligible. It’s sad to see. Huckleberries grow quite well in these clear cuts ans some are still ripe. Under these conditions some grow very large, the size of marbles. Yummmmm
Our once clear skies continued to turn increasingly cloudy. Rain began to fall, softly but insistently around 5:30pm. We kept going, stopping long enough to fill our water bags with 5 quarts each so that we could hike on ahead and camp in a 22 mile waterless stretch. The irony of having tp worry about water to drink as the rain fell was not lost on us. Onward into the misty foggy evening we walked. The rain broke long enough to set up camp and cook near Green Pass. The steep slopes we have been walking along offer very few level spots for a tent. We found a turn around at the end of and old logging road and made do with it. A few stunted trees trying to grow back in an old clear cut offered some protection from the wind.
