Elizabeth Erickson

We all slept in this AM. It was nice to wake up in a warm, cozy bed. Though as always, I felt dehydrated. I cooked my two sausage, egg, and cheese croissants, then had a cup of some warm coffee that Tami had made. We packed up and headed out. Per usual, Tami and Diatom ahead of Endless and I. Before heading out, I made sure to tidy the room, found Diatom’s spoon, checked out, and hit the trail.

It was a cold misty morning. Apparently there was rain last night. I really enjoyed the moisture filled air. It was a good temperature. I felt like I had never been in such still solitude before. Imagining that my skin could breathe in the cloud enveloping me like an amphibian’s. Which was subtle timing as I spent most of the first several miles trying to shoe tiny baby frogs off the trail. They were everywhere and difficult to spot until almost too late. Poor little things! How were they supposed to understand that giants use the nice flat ground as a highway? Like the nature version of Frogger…

Anyways, it started raining pretty quickly and basically never stopped. A cold drizzling at first, heavier rain intermixed brief lulls. The trail a flooded river. Everything soaked. Welcome to the Pacific North West, my initiation complete.

I was slow moving. Endless and I finally reached Dewey Lake and found Tami and Diatom and a third tent already set up. Looking for a non flooded patch big enough for a tent, I quickly had my tent up and was tucked away in my sleeping bag the rest of the night.

Cold and wet morning. Felt good though. I moved fast. Came up on a paved parking area where there is this beautiful stone bridge built over the road for hikers. A fleeting glimpse of the sun in the far distance. It was so promising! My mood instantly uplifted. Plus the trails through Mt. Rainier National Park are very wide and relatively well maintained. This morning was great!

I caught Tami and Diatom just before Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. We all caught momentary cell service and stopped to check in on our technological lives. I grabbed some water at a spring and we continued on to a lunch spot where we let our stuff dry out in the cold wind and brief glimmers of sunlight.

We realized that Snoqualmie Pass is closer than we thought, so early ambitions to hike big miles were abandoned for thoughts of Urich Cabin. A ski mobile cabin that is maintained by a local club. Two north moving section hikers walked by at a timely moment to let us know the cabin was in good condition and with ample fuel for the wood burning stove. The decision was made and we were headed to the cabin.

I arrived at the cabin with Diatom just after 5 PM, grabbed water at the creek, and went to investigate. There were two unfavorable outhouses, the main cabin, multiple posted rule and informational signs, a stack of fresh cut logs, the wood burning stove (which was still burning embers; the negligence of the individuals who stopped in previously), an upper floor loft, and various tools. We were the only ones there. It was fantastic! I put the fire back into action and began laying out all my possessions to dry in the heat. The four of us made a half circle around the stove and reveled in the dryness and warmth.

We were eventually joined by Playa and Patriot. Endless and I met Playa at Shelter Cove. Three on the loft and three on the main floor. A cozy night in the cabin. We were all in particularly good humor being warm and dry. A really nice day and a delightful time tonight.

We all slept great last night! I woke at 5:30 AM feeling really good, and spent a solid thirty minutes massaging my legs and feet. Surprisingly I was the first of our group to leave. Playa and Endless right behind me. The morning went fast, and before I knew it, we were all taking a break at the first spring. That five mile break broke up the morning nicely so that we went almost 17 miles before lunch. Lunch even felt like almost too early of a stop.

After lunch we only had 13 miles to go. What an easy day! Despite a sizable gain and loss for the day, the climbs were all relatively short and so not overly challenging. I took a break on a hill with cell service just before camp and then still made it before 6 PM. Our group now Endless, Diatom, Tami, Playa, and myself. We are camped at an abandoned road by a spring. All cowboy camped with Tami in her open tent. It will be a super dewey night. Ugh! But the stars are shining.

On a different note, I have begun a series of mental games for myself while hiking. Yesterday afternoon I made sure I knew all 50 states and their capitals and could say the states in alphabetical order. Today I continued that work by putting the capitals in alphabetical order, and learning a poem by Mary Oliver that Tami have me. I then started working on my travel quotes that I already had mostly memorized. I should have started this from the beginning. Think how many poems and quotes and lists I could have memorized the past few months! At least I’ve started now ha.

So sleepy. Night!

A cold and very wet morning. But it did help me have an early start. I love sleeping in unless I am slowly getting soaked in cold morning dew. My second morning to have an early start on trail. Too bad I felt like a slug all day. The trail wasn’t the greatest and it was hard to stay motivated. So glad we only had 16 miles to Snoqualmie Pass.

I caught Playa just before town and we headed to The Summit Pancake House together. We decided our time was best spent at breakfast while waiting for the rest of the crew. I ate the Summit Special: bacon, sausage, 3 eggs, hash browns, French toast, and then blueberry pancakes. And I shared fries with Playa. It was glorious! I didn’t need two meals but it’s best planning food while full, otherwise my pack starts weighing too much.

Playa is spending time in Seattle, but the rest of us are staying at the Summit Inn. They have a hot tub! I wasn’t able to stay in the heat very long but it was super luxurious! My skin hasn’t felt so thoroughly soaked and cleaned.

We also went to the Dru Bru brewery and tap house. Really good! Our server was Drew, the owner. Sweet! We ordered Aardvarks Express to be delivered for supper. Amazing!!!! Unique, fresh dishes from a semi food truck/semi permanent venue in front of the Chevron. Snoqualmie Pass recently gained a face lift, going from a convenience store and pancake house to condos, restaurants, brewery, grocery, and more. Hope they get snow this year with the looming El Niño season…

Best part of the day! Randy joined Instagram and I get my camera back!! My photos from the entire first three months and 2150 miles will be mine again! A happy reunion I am unable to stop thinking about! Happy day, happy day!

Otherwise, the day was uneventful and perfect. We found out the trail north of Stehekin has been reopened and we are excited! I also began tentative plans for my road trip to Santa Barbara with my sister. Life is wonderful. I will close with a favorite quote of mine.

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” (Mark Jenkins)