Month: October 2017

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Day 138: The Pictures Speak For Themselves

Date: August 25, 2017
Miles: 2491.1 – 2518.3

The panoramas were strong today. We had blue skies from the time we woke up at Lake Sally Ann to the moment we camped at Mica Lake in the Glacier Peak Wilderness, and that made for long views of the Cascade range all day. We definitely worked for those views as well, with 7000 feet of climbing and 7000 feet of descent.  It was a gorgeous, awe-inspiring, rewarding day in one of my favorite sections so far.

Picture overload in 3…2…1… Continue reading “Day 138: The Pictures Speak For Themselves”

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Day 137: A Bag Of Magic

Date: August 24, 2017
Miles: 2465.2 – 2491.1

“You don’t have to have the life that other people think you should. Now go get a job, ya bum.” ~ Thunderfluff

Washington disappointed me a bit with the cold, rainy, foggy morning. I woke up to the sound of light rain tapping on the roof of my tent and remembered that I had left my pack and my shoes in an exposed spot.  I mentally prepared myself to be soggy. Continue reading “Day 137: A Bag Of Magic”

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Day 134: Partying With The Sun

Date: August 21, 2017
Miles: 2425.4 – 2447.4

“Every now and again take a good look at something not made with hands – a mountain, a star, the turn of a stream.  There will come to you a wisdom and patience and solace and, above all, the assurance that you are not alone in the world.” ~ Sidney Lovett

Today was met by all of us with some excitement because we knew we were about to experience the solar eclipse in all its glory from the backcountry.  We hiked to a large meadow with a lake, got our snacks out and watched the moon make its way across the sun. Don’t worry mom, I didn’t look directly at it. Continue reading “Day 134: Partying With The Sun”

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Day 133: The Forest Is An Old Soul

Date: August 20, 2017
Miles: 2397.8 – 2425.4

“As I walk, As I walk, The universe is walking with me.” – Navajo rain dance ceremony

There’s a wild, ancient spirit in the Washington backcountry.  I could feel it radiating from the giant spires rising high out of the valleys from which we climbed, the waterfalls tracing long, cascading paths down their faces, and the alpine lakes dotting the basins. For the first time since I started this journey, I felt absolutely capable of being in the wilderness and completely content to be in this body in this moment and to have my home on my back.  That energy came from the powerful surroundings in which I found myself today.  Continue reading “Day 133: The Forest Is An Old Soul”

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Day 130: Climb That Hill…And The Next One…And The Next One…

Date: August 17, 2017
Miles: 2339.1 – 2368.3

It was cold, dark and damp this morning – all things that ordinarily would make me hit the snooze button on the alarm clock at least eight times before getting up, but out here I don’t have a snooze button and I usually have to go to the bathroom pretty badly by 5:30 am so I get up. Thanks, bladder. Continue reading “Day 130: Climb That Hill…And The Next One…And The Next One…”

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Day 127 & 128: Burgers On Our Minds

Date: August 14 & 15, 2017
Miles: 2282.2 – 2312.1

Since we only had about ten miles to go from camp to White Pass, we didn’t get up super early this morning.  We packed up sometime after seven, and had a Mt. Rainier-filled hike in to town.  I don’t think Tim was quite prepared for the accelerated pace that we push when we’re headed into a town.  We were practically crawled up onto his pack as we were hiking in behind him, and he kept apologizing for his pace, which was fast by regular hiker standards.  I probably should have relaxed a bit, but I was thinking about bacon cheeseburgers and my legs took off.  There’s no slowing down a hungry thru-hiker. Continue reading “Day 127 & 128: Burgers On Our Minds”