The host warned me that another guy was going to take over tomorrow morning. He said that guy would have all sorts of tasks for me to do….so I better get an early start. I’m up and packed before the others and skip breakfast. 7am and time to get to work. Work on hiking, that is.
Clouds are coming in and the wind is getting gusty. There’s supposed to be a storm coming. I suppose it is time for me to sample this Washington drizzle that I’ve been hearing about all these years. Fortunately there is no rain today.
Coming out of these towns is typically rough on the first day and this one is no different. I’ve almost a 3k climb while getting passed by a bunch of trail runners doing their thing. Getting above the tree line the scenery becomes beautiful.
I took a bunch of pics and short videos. I’ll let them tell the story. Ran into lots of backpackers out here doing week long hikes. Seems every bunch has a dog or two. This must be a popular spot.
The sky begins to let loose some dirzzle. Not bad, but more is coming. I pulled down a forecast from my sat tracker and it looks grim. According to the guthook comments, there is a big river crossing coming up and the bridge is out. I want to cover that before the rain swells the river.
I get there around 7, make the crossing on a log and find a decent spot next to the river to setup camp. I’m glad I’m not going over that log in the rain. It had no bark and was slick….rain would make it much worse. Wish I’d taken a pic of that crossing. Anyway, as I’m setting up my tent the rain starts falling.
I jump, make some dinner and relax. 21 mile day and about 6k of ascent. That’s a big day, especially given how rocky and sketchy some of the trail was.
Which reminds me. Back at Kracker Barrel, this Southbounder had told us how nervous they were on some bits of this. Stormy likes to collect these anectdotes for later laughs and reflection. I suppose I do as well.
So this guy is saying “if you take the wrong step, you could slide/fall” kind of thing. Followed by an example of a slip or wrong step. Looking at it from the eyes of person who has only done a few hundred miles so far I can see their point of view. From Stormtrooper, me, and others who have done this kind of mileage…it just the way it is.
Wondering about that. I’ve had plenty of falls, slips, failed poll plans, bad steps, and the rest. They are generally recoverable. Also I start to build in a natural redundency. In the back of my mind I am already planning for something to fail and have layers and layers of fall back options. It is like learning to ride a motorcycle. The kids my age learned was how to crash well. Meaning, how to know the crash is coming and mitigate the damage. I wonder if other hikers feel the same way.
While there are a few isolated instances of fear for me. The only place I consistently feel exposed is a sketchy river crossing over a long log, hopping rocks, or fording above the thighs. There are no fallback options. Either it works out or I get pounded. It is there that I truly have to manage my fear.
So, in conclusion, I’ll let Stormtrooper speak to that Southbounder’s fear: “Man, I think that guy was full of shit.”