DAY 152: A WRONG TURN

The view from our tent at Sheep Lake. 

miles: 26 (+2 detour miles = 28 miles)

Today was:

- In and out of the clouds
- In and out of mist
- Lake filled
- Ridge filled
- Cold Hot Cold Hot Cold Hot Cold Hot
- A Wrong Turn
- Long

Last night we slept at the wildly scenic Sheep Lake, along the shore. A break in the weather awarded us time to set up our tent without getting soaked, but as soon as the tent was up and we started the dinner process, wind and heavy rains returned.

I had an emotional break down last night after I took off my frozen, sopping wet shoes and socks and got in my sleeping bag. I am no fan of cold/wet weather backpacking and feel extremely vulnerable at the mercy of the weather.

Ben cooked a meal under the tent wings, eventually having to move the operation INSIDE the tent due to an increase in sideways wind and rain.

In the morning we woke to some spots of blue sky - OH THE RELIEF. We packed up and got a very late start, leaving camp after Smiles and Dr. Slosh. The going was tough because we kept having to stop and take off clothes/put on clothes due to rapid and constant temperature changes. Thermoregulation is near impossible out here: constant wardrobe changes. The sun comes out, then it hides, the clouds clear, then you are engulfed in heavy fog/mist, wind comes rushing over a ridge, pounding you at 50mph, then it is still as you descend down into a valley. You can never win.

leaving camp.

Clouds.

Clouds - a constant in this section.

One of many wardrobe changes.

The first sign of Mt. Rainier, peeking out during a rare clear moment.

Dr. Slosh and Rocky.

Unicroc and Rocky taking a snack break.

Relieved that the weather seemed to be more pleasant today, we slowly marched forward through ever shifting clouds and fog. There were so many unmarked junctions and confusing intersections in this section. Washington seems to have a dearth of trail markers/blazes, especially PCT related ones...

This leads me to tell you: We had our first unintentional "scenic detour" (as some thru-hikers call it) this morning. We descended down down down down down to a creek, and it was only after I noticed a sign behind me saying, "PCT 1 mile" pointing the way we came, that I realized we had made a wrong turn.

We had to climb back up that thing? I notified Ben, who wasn't happy about the predicament, and we immediately got to backtracking. Two bonus miles today.

Made it to the Urich Cabin, an awesome shelter ON TRAIL that is big enough to house 20 hikers, if need be! We thought we'd see Smiles and Dr. Slosh there (we hadn't seen them all day - they were cruising!) but we got word from other hikers that they had just left, determined to go another 4.7 miles tonight.

It was 6:00pm.

Ben and I went back and forth on whether or not to push on... we would certainly be night hiking if we were to attempt the last 4.7 tonight in order to camp with them. Although I am not a fan of night hiking, I was in favor of leaving immediately (even though the lure of a warm wood stove, fire, and night with fellow hikers under the safety and warmth of a shelter was tempting). Ben wanted to stay the night there, happy to call it a day (seeing as we'd had quite a frustrating day) but eventually he was convinced and agreed to night hike with me.

The Urich Cabin and all the hikers drying things out. 

THAT is the moon on our night hike through a small burn area. It was actually a really beautiful and fun night hike...

Made it to the camp site at 8:30pm and were pleased to find Smiles and Dr. Slosh set up there! We found them! They were cooking dinner at the teensy campsite and we managed to squeeze our tent next to their tent. Barely room for two tents, it'd be cozy, but we made it work.

DAY 151: CLOUDS, FREEZING, RAIN, WORST

miles: 24

Today was miserable.

Absolutely miserable.



This morning we were thrilled when we woke up to find it wasn't raining. We rushed to pack up our things and get moving, eager to take advantage of a dry spell, wanting to get as much hiking in as possible before the rain started. We knew it was supposed to rain today.

Actually, we knew it was supposed to rain A LOT today.

So we donned our packs, buckled up, and as soon as we set foot on the trail we felt the drops, sprinkling at first, then pouring.

Today is the day (the first day) we hiked in 100% rain the entire day. To add to the misery of hiking through rain, it was very, very cold outside AND we were trapped in a cloud so we were not able to see a single thing. This was upsetting, because we could tell it was normally a beautiful section of trail: we were officially in Mt. Rainier National Park! Bummer.
We did not see Mt. Rainier once. We couldn't see anything!

So we trudged. Trudged along in the ponchos Ben and I brought with us from Cascade Locks, which served their purpose well. We love our ponchos! Our raincoats are no longer waterproof, so they are actually life saving, to be honest. I will never be poncho-less again.

Pros of a poncho:
- They are 100% waterproof
- They have really awesome gnome hoods that are deep and actually cover your head
- They go OVER your backpack too, which is AWESOME
- They cover the area where the backpack meets your back, which is vulnerable to water when you simply wear a raincoat/pack cover combo
- They keep your backpack STRAPS dry
- They keep your HIP BELT dry
- They keep your backpack dry, so you can bring it in your tent at night
- They are long enough to keep your butt/pelvis/upper legs dry
- WHY NOT WEAR ONE? THEY ARE AMAZING.

I should also give props to my rain pants: they have served me well and continue to keep me completely dry. I love them. I don't love the sound they make when I walk 26 miles in them (I feel like I'm about to go insane when I wear them for too long) but I love them. They break the wind, they keep me warm, and they keep me dry.

Anyways, we were miserable all day. I didn't take very many photos (my real camera was stashed away in a double dry bag) and we were starving. The thing about being cold in the rain is - YOU CAN'T STOP TO EAT otherwise you will get hypothermia. So you must resort to eating while walking... which is impossible and limits the sorts of food you can eat. I tried to make sure and have my snack hip belt pocket stocked with plenty of candy bars, protein bars, gummies, and candy as possible but at some point, this food does nothing for you. I was burning calories so fast and simply unable to replenish them AND I was sick of the foods in my snack pack. At some point I decided I'd rather starve than eat the food I had prepared for myself.

At some point during a particularly heavy section of rain, I couldn't take the hunger anymore, so Ben and I decided to stop and take shelter under a small stand of trees. We got out some snacks and attempted eating them as quickly as possible. All Ben wanted was to make some warm food, Top Ramen perhaps... but this idea was abandoned as soon as we stopped. We immediately became freezing. Fingers stiff and unusable. This is when it gets scary. I jumped up and down to keep warm, while Ben took to hiking up and down a hill nearby WHILE eating to keep his body temperature up (which defeats the purpose of eating because basically he's expending even MORE energy when he shouldn't be... if walking 24-28 miles today isn't ENOUGH energy lost already...) and I tried not to lose it.

I didn't want to be there. At this point I questioned my ability to stay on the trail. If Washington was going to be like this the rest of the time, I wasn't sure I could handle it.

I so desperately wanted to go home.

Eventually Dr. Slosh and Smiles caught up to us and took a necessary "snack break" with us, but we all were quickly developing hypothermia and actually contemplated stopping and setting up our tents at this point. We deliberated and weighed the pros and cons of staying vs. hiking further and decided it was best to keep hiking. We knew we had to.

And we managed to do a 24 mile day, making our way to Chinook Pass by 6:00pm where there is a highway, parking lot, picnic tables and restrooms. We didn't even feel like taking advantage of these luxuries, so we pushed on towards our goal: Sheep Lake, 2 miles from Chinook Pass. I knew that if I stopped, I would freeze to death so we pushed on.

We literally did 24 miles without stopping, without taking our packs off, without sitting down. Well... we had a few minutes of snacking while doing various cardio-exercises, but that doesn't count as a break.

The views of today.

Right before hitting Chinook Pass the immediate area opened up...

Near Chinook Pass.

Near Chinook Pass.

Chinook Pass/Hwy 410: The East entrance to Mount Rainier National Park

DAY 150: RAIN

miles: 9 or 11, not sure

Spent the morning at White Pass in our hotel room, procrastinating, taking advantage of the lax check-out time... Dr. Slosh and Rocky watched some movies, we all made pancakes... I stayed in bed for far too long.  

Eventually we vacated the room and made our way to the store/gas station where other hikers were mingling and resupplying. We seem to have multiplied, seeing as several other hikers had arrived this morning. It seemed that all of us were postponing the inevitable - making moves to go back out into the freezing, rainy, wilderness to continue on... It was so tempting to just stay at the Kracker Barrel, where it was warm and dry. The only food, unfortunately, was fried food and microwavables. I ate 2 bags of Cool Ranch Doritos and a box of Cheese-it's while we were there, which was by far one of the grossest decisions I've ever made. 

By late afternoon, we finally managed to head out. I had to dig deep. Making moves to head out was unspeakably hard. The weather had not improved. It seemed to be freezing outside on top of the heavy rain... Not. Fun.

No fun.

The trail was (of course) winding uphill, as it usually does when we leave a town or highway.

As long as we kept moving, we stayed warm, which made tonights hike bearable. We made it to some lakes (don't remember the names) and set up camp before it got dark.  

Hiker trash gathered in the only warm, dry spot at White Pass, eating, resupplying and delaying the inevitable: going back out in the rain.

Hiker backpacks lined up outside the Kracker Barrel.

Smiles makes pancakes in our funky bunk room. This bunk bed was 3 high!

All of my things fit in these bags you see here.

DAY 149: WHITE PASS

miles: 24

MADE IT TO WHITE PASS JUST IN TIME TO AVOID A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR AND HAIL, CLOUDS, FREEZING WEATHER AND RAIN. 

So we woke up at 5:00am against our will. Bodies in complete protest. Freezing morning. Popped my head out of the tent and noticed the ominous (but interesting and beautiful) clouds. Yes, a storm was near.

Storms make me nervous and I could feel the adrenaline pushing me to hike faster and faster in order to beat the weather. I imagined being on the Knife's Edge during a lightning episode and was filled with terror. Ben isn't phased by inclement weather in the way that I am, and tried to reign me in, keep me from panicking and freaking out. This is a common occurrence: Ben keeping my mental state in check. He helps ease my nerves. 

Breaking down camp in the morning.

This wall!

This cairn! 

A thunderstorm's a brewin'

Mt. Adams behind us, Mt. Rainier in front of us, storm clouds dancing in the sky, changing color and shape every half an hour...

Mt. Adams in the distance, shrouded by pink clouds.

We're going up up up up up up, becoming more and more exposed as the morning went on. The clouds started to clear up directly overhead, which calmed me down, and seemed to be brewing more to the south and west... I suddenly became confident that the weather would hold out while we were on the exposed section of trail.

We'll be fine - is all I could think.

And we were!

Mt. Rainier.

Mt. Rainier

Here is the trail where it crosses as snowfield.

The steep climb up to the pass where we would officially step onto the "Knife's Edge"... Old Snowy to the far right.

Mt. Adams in the distance.

Old Snowy

Mt. Rainier seems to be catching the beginnings of a storm.

Ben on the Knife's Edge.

Ben on the Knife's Edge.

The trail winds up and over the ridge, called, "the Knife's Edge" some of the scariest and most beautiful section of trail.

Took a snack break at this rushing glacial melt creek...

Rocky's hip belt rash.

Already closer to Mt. Rainier!

Can you spot the mountain goat on the left?

Dr. Slosh and Smiles caught up with us (we passed them this morning because we woke up ridiculously early...) and we finished the 24 mile hiking day with them...

I was in the lead at some point, cruising along at top speed, all of us taking turns being in front, when I was stopped dead in my tracks. A Nannie goat and her kids were blocking the trail. I... didn't know what to do, to say the least. I waited for the others to catch up, not wanting to approach the goats alone.

Dr. Slosh approaches the goats and attempts to scare them off. Smiles right behind him.

Eventually the goats ran off, luckily, and we proceeded, excited to get to White Pass for a break. Smiles and Dr. Slosh skipped going into Trout Lake, so they'd been out on the trail for 7 full days without a shower or laundry, so they were especially excited to get to town for some much needed relaxation...

Still brewing clouds.

Dr. Slosh and Rocky taking photos. 

The last 4 miles were SO. LONG. The last few miles of any day are always the longest miles! I'm not sure what this is all about, but it seems as though they are deceivingly long and arduous, even if they are flat, in cool weather, and easy! I struggled with foot pain, mental fatigue and limped my way down the mountains toward White Pass. Smiles and Dr. Slosh took the lead and were nowhere to be found, they were CRUISING!

Is there a name or term for the phenomenon where miles at the end of a day/section turn into never-ending miles? Is it just us?

When we reached the parking lot, relief washed over me and I was once able to handle my pain again. Ben and I limped along the highway toward the Kracker Barrel Store where we would pick up our resupply packages, check into the "hotel" and get cozy. Smiles and Dr. Slosh would be waiting there, having already secured the room!

Just as we walked into our room at the White Pass Lodge, the storm opened up and unleashed horrific looking hail. We felt for the hikers still out there in the storm. Some of them would still be up on the Knife's Edge. I had never felt so lucky to be indoors... ever.

Along the highway - a bra hanging off of a tree....