Tuesday, August 25
Start: Crow lake way intersection
End: a brook 1.2 miles beyond Bumping River
Miles: 26.7 miles
Gain/loss: 6335’/7986′
Listened to: book- Furies of Calderon; Academ’s Fury
After getting to sleep around 8-8:30pm, I was up before my alarm at 5:10am. I was packed up and on trail by 6:10am. I did a quick morning climb and at the top of the climb, I had cell service. I was able to refresh my Guthook and call my partner for a quick chat as I started heading towards Chinook Pass and the hordes of day hikers around Mt Rainer.
As quickly as I could, I hiked past Sheep Lake, getting water on the way, where there were at least half a dozen tents and at least half a dozen people around the lake when I went by at 9:30am. As I got closer to the parking area, I passed more and more people.
I didn’t linger near the parking area and decided to forego the allure of composting toilets and kept barreling through. I seemed to pass most people by the time I made it up and over to Dewey Lake. The lake was beautiful, a throwback to the Sierra. I contemplated stopping for a swim but I’d just taped my toes and adjusted my ankle brace and I didn’t feel like stopping to swim and then dry out again.
As I hiked, I met a few NOBOs heading for the border – Long Stride and Mooch. At the top of a long slow ascent, I found a nice log to sit on in the shade and had a snack while chatting with my partner for 10 minutes. I had cell service but no data, but it was good enough for phone calls and texting.
With fairly smooth trail and relatively frequent water, I made it to my proposed campsite by 4pm but pushed forward another ~3 miles, arriving by 5pm at a lovely water source and some flat campsites. It seems that I’m alone tonight and I’m not upset about that. It’s nice to get some quiet time in camp to myself.
Transcending Mountains 