30% Chance Of Rain

8/27/13

PCT mile 2580 (Stehekin)-2592-12 miles

Elev 1587-3240

There is a weather report of 30% chance of rain for the next 3 days but we can't stay here for days waiting for clear weather, we decided 30% will have to be good enough.

Up at 6:45 we were breakfasting at 7:15 and paying the tab at 7:45, Peggy raced to the computer to be sure Robin had gotten our email telling him when to meet us at the Canada/US border.  He'd answered us and would be there!   Peggy raced back, grabbed her pack and we boarded the bus at 8 am sharp. A quick rifling through her pack, she couldn't find her wallet, so the bus driver let her race to the hotel room and double check that she hadn't left it behind. Back on the bus franticly searching,  it was found. Whew!   Having a set schedule is nerve- wracking but we made it! 

The driver stops at the bakery on the way out to High Bridge every morning and since we were the only 2 not staying at the bakery we got to go to the head of the line!  A fresh slice of quiche for my lunch today, a 4pack of fresh bagels and a chocolate chip cookie for me.  A hoagie sandwich for Peggy's lunch,  a bag of sourdough rolls and a chocolate chip cookie for her as well.  Our packs are uncomfortably heavy so we've chosen a shorter first couple of days out especially in light of the fact that we climb almost up to 7,000 ft elevation from Stehekin which is at 1587 ft.  12 miles puts us inside North Cascades Nat'l Park so we have to camp in designated spots and use precautions for habituated bears. (Hmmm, now why did I bring quiche with bacon and cheese in it?)

Once we located the trail north we started climbing out of the valley, feet protesting, and made our way upward past a Coon Lake.

In about 2 miles we met and stopped to talk to a young 30s hiker named Cricket, that was her real name! A real sweet girl, she was so encouraged that we were doing all the state in one hike, she couldn't get over it! 

We chatted for a long while and when I found out she wasn't going into Stehekin because of cash issues I gave her 1/2 my quiche so she could at least taste the great bakery specials. We all sat in the trail and enjoyed ourselves. 

Something in the woods was crashing around just out of sight so I got up to shoo it away.  I'm sure it was a deer but it was unnerving anyway.

After we left Cricket we met a large family group hiking out with a ranger in the rear watching over the young mom who had gone for the camp trip but had forgotten her medications for heart problems and diabetes. She was struggling and had dropped her pack a mile back but a medic was meeting the ranger at the trailhead to help her. Her husband was carrying their infant daughter maybe 6 mo. old. 

Lots of people are on the trail this close to the town, horses and riders, hikers and casual campers.

At the first designated campsite, Bridge Creek, we had our lunch from Stehekin and felt the first raindrops. Hiking once more we came to some really pretty rivers. Casual hikers have fallen away and now it's just us out here.

There's a bridge to the right where the trail goes.

This river has a bridge over it that Peggy took, I hopped over on rocks and we stopped for filtering water.

Here's Peggy on the swinging bridge.

We met a group of 3 young people collecting seeds for Forest Service reforestation projects. They had collected snow berries (not edible) and Saskatoon berries (edible). They skipped across the rocks like only the young can do, sigh.

We had 4 more miles to our camp that ended up being some forest with brushy hillsides around and down to the camp. It was 1/8th mile down a steep track to the copse of trees and river.  The ranger had warned us of possible bear activity in these designated areas so we were to use the wire to hang our food and scented items. 

My tent is set up here and you may be able to see the food hung on the bear wire beyond my tent. 

As soon as we got the tents up it started raining. There was a small spot under a tree by my tent that didn't get rain so we staged our food for dinner there  then went to bed after hanging our food bags. 

We've decided if we wake tomorrow and it's raining we'll wait to see if it stops and then get up. 

Also of concern is a washout toward the end of this next section that has an alternate trail posted.  We can take the alternate or we can talk to other hikers we meet,  pump them for info then make our own decision.

It's raining now.