Day 16 (118) Miles: 24.9 Mileage: 2442.2 They say hikers carry their fears. If you fear storms, you carry heavy rain gear and extra clothes. If you fear running out of water (like Richard) you carry an endless supply of water purification and never have less than a liter of clean water on you at […]
Day 15 (117) Miles: 26.4 Mileage: 2417.3 We woke up at our normal hiking time rather than our we’re-in-a-hotel-let’s-sleep-in time. We knew there were many miles and considerable climbs ahead of us. The first ten miles went well. I felt strong and moved well up the valley. Then came the wall. Despite eating and drinking […]
Day 14 (116) Miles: 0 Mileage: 2,390.6 Today we slept in, ate pancakes and pizza and popcorn and ice cream, soaked in the hot tub and laid about for hours. It was a lovely break for our feet and a wonderful opportunity to shower again, for no particular reason at all. Tomorrow we continue north!
Day 13 (115) Miles: 16.4 Mileage: 2,390.6 Despite the drawing town and showers, I was reluctant to get out of my bed this morning. It was chilly again and I was so sleepy. The lure eventually took over and we left camp around 7 a.m. It quickly warmed up and the sweating took over. It […]
Day 12 (114) Miles: 25.1 Mileage: 2,374.3 It was another hot day. Even by 8 a.m., the sweating was underway. We we through water quickly but only came upon sources intermittently. The top of Mt. Rainier was visible multiple times. After every long, steep climb we were able to see it peek over a ridge. […]
Day 11 (113) Miles: 26.1 Mileage: 2,349.1 The campsite was packed last night with families and crying children. I slept through most of it, though Richard heard some of the wails. We were up and out before most people roused from their tents. The morning was spent high on ridges as we walked north out […]
Day 10 (112) Miles: 24.8 Mileage: 2,323.1 It was another cold night despite the weather forecast that things were supposed to really heat up. We both heard the alarm go off at 6 a.m. and promptly ignored it. We eventually got up and packed and moving by 8 a.m. I ate a pop tart as […]
Day 9 (111) Miles: 16.1, plus half-mile each way to resupply Mileage: 2,298.3 Despite the cool morning we got moving, motivated by the prospect of town and eating. It was a ten-mile hike, with one climb, to White Pass where we picked up the box of food I’d mailed and enjoyed the Internet. The hike […]
Day 8 (110) Miles: 20 Mileage: 2,282.2 Today was, by far, the most beautiful day we have had in Washington. It was also the most rugged and physically challenging. Those tend to go together. We spent the morning climbing up through open tundra meadows overflowing with wild flowers. We had multiple views of Mt. Adams […]
Day 7 (109) Miles: 20.1 Mileage: 2,262.2 It rained all night. We were nice and dry in our tent, but our socks and shoes stayed wet. Oh, well. That’s why we each have at least one extra pair of socks. I decided to sleep with my wet dress and underwear. It made for a couple […]