Wednesday, August 26
Start: a brook 1.2 miles beyond Bumping River
End: White Pass
Miles: 12.4 miles
Gain/loss: 1617’/1811′
Listened to: book- Academ’s Fury
After some reading, I got to sleep around 8:30pm, as the sun finally went down. I slept well until maybe 4am when it got distinctly cold and damp, with condensation on both the inside and outside of the tent, and I was a bit chilled. My sleeping bag footbox got damp from touching the tent wall and my feet got cold.
I was awake at 5:15am, and moved a little bit slower, getting out by 6:25am. My fingers and toes were totally numb when I started and I saw a lot of frosted plants. Within the first half an hour, I ran into Josh; we chatted for a few minutes and then I pushed on ahead. I made great time and arrived at the road around 10am, and to the Kracker Barrel by 10:15am.
The NOBO hikers were pretty rude to me when I arrived at the Kracker Barrel, which put me off quite a bit, though it seemed like a nice store with nice people. I went in, bought a soda and picked up my package, and then called the Packwood Inn. Their shuttle arrived maybe 45 minutes later, and took me the 25 minutes into town.
It took half an hour before my room was ready, but I got settled, started laundry, dried out my tent and sleeping bag, and showered, and then went to the local coffee shop. It reminded me of Shelburne Falls, and I got a decaf coffee drink and some fresh baked cookies and enjoyed them on the patio. I then headed to the local IGA and did a little grocery shopping for tonight and tomorrow morning. It was really nice to buy fresh veggies for dinner!
I’ll be here until maybe 10-11am tomorrow and then I’ll be back on trail, to see how far I can get!
Transcending Mountains 