Today I rolled out of the tent early, determined not to repeat my late start yesterday. At least get out by 7. Strapped up I said a few words to some local backpackers when I saw a guy approaching with his pack on. Since I’m ready to get on the trail, I need to assess whether to let him pass or take off ahead of him.
Did my usual thru-hiker assessment of this young man. Tall, in good shape, color coordinated expensive outdoor clothing. His pack is an expensive ultra-light brand, grossly over packed. He smells like a bouquet of flowers. Conclusion: A daisy…. Me first.
I cut him off on the the trail intersection, say something like “good morning” and never see him again. I sometimes talk to other thru-hikers about these encounters. Most of us do the same thing in one way or another. Usually only takes a glance to identify a thru-hiker. If you are still not sure then take a sniff.
A few miles North of Lake Sally I ran into a big trail maintenance crew. About a dozen kids around 20 years old or less. They were all hanging out next to the trail clowning around and playing grab-ass. The funny thing is about 20 minute later I met this gal about my age working on a ledge next to a stream. She is muscling around a 300 pound rock using a 5 foot metal bar as a lever. I stop for a few minutes and chat. I suggest maybe getting a few kids to do this. “Naw”, she says, “I prefer to work alone.”
Patches told me last night he was headed to Fire Creek, about 25 miles away. Sounds good to me. It is time to ramp up my pace.
Smoke is back and it is going to be another hot/humid day. Legs are hiking, miles flowing, bugs are bugging, the earbuds are rocking. Punk music. That is the theme for today. I’m passing a bunch of weekenders in groups going southbound. This must be a popular section for the fancy Seattle people.
Stopped at 10 and decided to choke down my least favorite Mountain House meal of all time…the dreaded Breakfast Skillet.
On the surface it seems like a hearty backcountry breakfast. Hash browns, sausage, eggs, onions, etc. After rehydrating, the hearty breakfast dream turns into a mash of soupy potato and onion strings with 1/2 inch cubes of partially rehydrated egg product floating on top. Said another way, imagine having the family over for a big traditional breakfast. Afterwards, all the plates are scraped into a bowl, add a little dish water, then drop some crunchy scrambled egg cubes on top. After each bite, I had to pause to suppress a gag reflex.
The morning was mostly light climbing around 5k altitude. Lot of meadows and ridge walking here, so the views were pretty good, although truncated by a smoky haze.
Next was a 1k decent into a river valley with 3 sizeable creek crossings. These are being fed by the glaciers above and have a strong current. First was a nice bridge, then a busted, but serviceable bridge, and finally…uh…no bridge.
Log crossing. No bark, slick, wet from all the water spray. My kryptonite. I wish someone was there to video my terror. First I tried to take a couple steps out to test my balance, then instead of focusing on the log, I look at the churning water and start to lose my balance. I take a couple steps back to my starting point with my heart racing. Next I try sitting on the log and sliding, but my feet are dangling too low and will get pulled by the water. I stand back on up on the rocks and think about it. Somewhere between, “There must be a better way” and “Get it over with”, I find myself rapidly walking across this log to the other side. I live to fight another day.
The rest of the day is spent climbing over gigantic fallen trees, crashing through overgrown and washed out trail, stumbling over roots and rocks I cannot see, and several more tricky creek crossings.
Didn’t take many pics in the afternoon, since all you’d see is some plant hitting me in the face. Made it across Fire Creek around 8:00 with dry feet. Major was here with his buddy Raccoon. Raccoon likes to be tidy, washing all his hiking clothes at every stop. He is busy doing his routine. We chatted for a bit about how shitty the trail was today and our log crossing terror stories. The guys tell me that Patches stopped a few miles back, so he’s not showing today.
I find out that another tent on the hill contains Dog Bite. I head up there and have a short chat with him. He’s pretty happy to see me. Tells me he is staying a couple days at Stehekin for his 65th birthday. I figure we will be lapping each other tomorrow.
Got my 25 miler in today.