Monday, August 31
Start: campsite near Huckleberry Mtn
End: campsite near Three Corner Rock
Miles: 31.3 miles
Gain/loss: 9045’/9341′
Listened to: book- Words of Radiance
I was up at 5:25am and on trail by 6:15am. For the first 1.5 miles, I listened to music without headphones so I could be aware of my surroundings and keep an eye out for last night’s cougar. Thankfully, there was no cougar in sight so I continued on.
Pretty early on, I ran into Ying-Yang and Firefly, who are both NOBOs flipping to do WA first and then will go back for OR afterwards. We chatted trail towns for a while and then went our separate ways.
Additionally, when I stopped for the water for 10 miles, I met Bearhug, Wild Child, and Bird who are all NOBOs who skipped over Nor Cal/OR to enjoy their time up north and finish WA in time. We amicably chatted for 20 minutes while I snacked and filtered water.
After I left them and hiked on, I ran into Marion, a TN transplant out for a day hike who had passed us earlier. We chatted for probably 15 minutes before I headed upward.
Today had a lot of climbing, but I felt strong. I arrived at my proposed destination, a nice creek, around 4:15pm. This water source is followed by a dry 10 miles. But the campsites were small and slanted, and the creek was already in shadow, which was a shame because there was a lovely swimming hole. I made dinner, ate extra snacks, filtered water, and considered my options. If the campsites had been really nice, I would have stayed, but there weren’t any great sites, and it was early yet.
So I decided to press on another 4-1/2 miles to a campsite more than 2500′ gain up, with views of Mt Rainer, Mt St Helens, and Mt Adams, with a tiny peek at Mt Hood through the trees. There’s a bit of a breeze and the site was a little narrow but it’s a good enough site. Tomorrow, it’s maybe 15 miles to town and the Bridge Of the Gods – the border crossing between WA and OR!
Transcending Mountains 