Sept 14th
Lemah Creek(2424.1)-Below Deception Pass(2452.5)
Today’s Mileage: 28.4mi
Both Yankee and I were pretty tired this morning. We didn’t do many miles yesterday, but the trail was not easy and it took a lot out of us. Plus, this was the first morning that was pretty cold and it’s always difficult getting out of a warm sleeping bag to hike in the early, dark, cold morning. It warmed up once daylight came and the terrain was much easier than yesterday’s rocky trail. Much of the day was wooded like this.
It was a day of long, nice, and gradual switchbacks. This was our day…Up 2300′, down 2600′, up 2500ft, down 1900′, ford a creek, and then up 400′ to a camp spot.
I was happy to find this camp spot, because there is a low lying cloud just above us and camping in that would have been less enjoyable. The wind is blowing, but this spot is well protected. It’s cold enough to see our breath and I’m loving my warm sleeping bag. It seems that Fall is quickly coming…just hoping it holds off on the rain for a little more than a week. Fingers crossed!
That’s pretty much it for today. When we reached the top of the switchbacks, there were nice views.
Also, this morning, we saw another thru hiker named Colin. That is the only other continuous thru hiker I’ve seen in Washington other than Yankee. I last saw Colin in the Sierras and he just separated from his hiking group to push to Canada solo. He was on a mission and continued on, so we might see him in town tomorrow.
Speaking of town, tomorrow evening, we will get to the Dinsmores Hiker Haven. They are trail angels who have been hosting hikers for years like the Saufleys. Stopping at their place is considered part of the trail, so I’m looking forward to meeting possibly our last trail angels before Canada!
