August 4, 2024
19.9 miles, 4170′ gain/4160′ loss
I was up at 5:45am and out by 6:05am with a spring in my step since I’d be arriving in town today, with a zero day tomorrow. I climbed two mountain passes (Chalk Creek Pass, Hunt Lake/Bald Mtn) and the 2nd one was super steep – 35%+, and another 8+ mile water carry over tough terrain. Thankfully I’ve learned not to trust ridge walks and filled up at the last water source. I saw many marmots and pikas.
I had beautiful views and a lot of hot ridge walking within a ski area to get to Monarch Pass, arriving by ~2:30pm. I passed by a woman who ended up hanging out with me for a little bit at the Pass. Monarch Pass had a cafe and gift shop with a lot of hiking items and strong wi-fi, so I got a snack, sat down, and took my time making a town plan. I also bought a replacement dry bag for my sleeping bag, since I’d been sweating through my backpack and soaking my old dry bag that was no longer waterproof. I made a motel reservation for 2 nights at the cheapest motel in town (still well rated), since neither of the hostels had private rooms available and I didn’t want to share. I managed to get a hitch to town by chatting up a past PCT hiker in the bathroom!
The motel wi-fi quality was pretty bad, but I made it work. The motel had bikes to borrow so I made a run to Walmart for town food and did my laundry at the laundromat next door.
I had a great zero day, relaxing in my room and then getting coffee with Elliot, a CT thruhiker I knew from his AT hike last year. In the evening, I decided to get Cambodian food at a nearby restaurant. While there, I asked for a piece of cardboard. The owner came over and wanted to know why I needed cardboard. When I explained I was a hiker looking to get back to trail the next day, she offered to take me back to trail as early as I’d like. It was really nice to know how I was getting back to trail the next day, and I slept better knowing I had a ride.
Transcending Mountains 