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.
