Day 17 (119)

Miles: 21.8

Mileage: 2,464

Today was cooler, overall, than the last week or so. We had a breeze most of the day and spent three hours at the Granite Peaks ski lodge at Stevens Pass, so that helped.

We got to Stevens Pass around 2 p.m. after 19 miles of up and down and up and down. Nothing long, but constant elevation change. We were whistled at by marmots warning their clans against the smelly hikers. And we watched as the signs of humans (day hikers, electric lines, dirt roads) got more and more frequent as we neared Route 2.

Our box was waiting for us at the lodge, we reorganized for the next (and longest) stretch in Washington, and had a large meal at the restaurant.

My feet have been better since the zero, but not totally conditioned to the strains of hiking. The two 25-mile days meant sore feet after the first 15 miles or so each day. Better than before, but it could still use some improvement.

The break today was great for my feet. Even with a pack heavy with 4 days of food, my feet felt fine for the last 2.4 miles back into the woods.

The bugs have been breeding prolifically with the abundance of water in the valleys and the considerable, unseasonable heat.

It’s hard to say what the weather will be like as we go north. The towns are too small to register on some weather sites. It will either continue to be insanely hot and dry or it will cool off. That’s what I got from comparing three websites. But I probably could have deduced that myself.