Sept 25: WE MADE IT!

A toast!  From Left to Right: Gut Feeling, Little Dipper and Jack-y-Bean. 

After 5 months and 5 days of beauty beyond true comprehension, over 2650 miles, 30+ lbs lost and countless friends made, we accomplished another dream. We owe so much to our families and friends, and we're glad you came along with us.  Please remember to enjoy yourselves, and experience the world for all it's worth!

Sept 22: 5 mi S of Stehekin - Buckhorn Creek Campground,10 mi

Dear George & Family,
     Back in March, you George, gave me some sound advice: Don't miss Stehekin.
     I didn't really gather the full weight of your kind counsel, until I reached Washington State.  The town is the last resupply stop on the PCT.  It's quite a remarkable place--road-inaccessible,  on the edge of Lake Chelan, and home to less than 100 people who voted against the installation of towers that might provide cell and television reception.   It's truly removed, and pristine in many ways.  And for what they do there, they do it well.
     We woke up early and ran to High Bridge.  The bus was set pick up folks at 9 o'clock and take them 10 miles, about an hour ride, to the town of Stehekin.  We were completely thrilled!  Stehekin held the promise of fresh baked goods to fill our bags and bellies, a surprise resupply box from Mama Bean, and all of the other wonderful cleanly and gorging pleasures that go along with a hiker's town visit.
     Goal: Devour more than 10,000 calories without throwing up, shower, launder, call home, eat some more, and take some for later.  And we were going to fit it ALL in today.  In on the 9 AM bus, out on the 6 PM bus, and 10 miles of hiking too.  We ought to audition for the show "Amazing Race."
     We made it to the bus stop with time to spare and met up with at least a dozen other hikers (including Panama, Giltch, Minus, Keegel, Busted, Quest, Rapunzel, & Sprinkles), all ready to catch the same ride.  I hope this bus is big.  And it was!
     We hopped on and road into town, stopping first at the bakery. The Stehekin Pastry Company is a dream come true.  Their goods are absolutely DELECTABLE, and after two head-sized cinnamon buns, meat and cheese stuffed croissants the size of your forearm, quiche, coffee, and cookies, and we were well on our way.  If that wasn't enough, we then stopped at organic garden with a produce stand, home to the creamiest goat cheese you've ever tasted.  Jack-y, Gut and I were in a big food coma fog.
     But Jack-y-Bean and I were worried.  It would take a stop at the post office for us to be truly satisfied.  And what we found there, or perhaps, didn't find there, would determine how our hike was going to end. And for the first time in months we craved something other than food, or a neighboring tables leftovers, (yep, that'll do).
      A few days ago, Jacky and I made a desperate phone call to Mama Bean.  We had done the worst thing a thru-hiker can do to their hike--we strapped ourselves for time.  Then, we miscalculated our mileage, and purchased some non-refundable plane tickets.  If Mama Bean heard us over the shoddy reception, and overnighted something to this small mountain town where the mail comes in by boat once a day, we might make it.
     We arrived to the P.O. and picked up three packages.  Our resupply box, Mama Bean's surprise box, and a beautiful envelope--I swear it was glowing--with our passports.  SWEET WONDERFUL MAMA BEAN!  We were so happy I almost cried.  Now, we could hike into Canada and finish the trail all the way to Manning Park, and we wouldn't have to back track 30 miles, missing our plane flight, and the wedding we'd been pushing to get to this whole hike.  Team Perfect Timing strikes again.
     Mama Bean's Surprise was great too: complete with three glasses of pinot, cheese-it banana-grams, and a whole bag of tobolorone.   It even had a block of cheese (which we forgot to pack ourselves).
     We played and ate banana grams, made it to the bakery again with a hitch from the owner herself, and back to the trail on the last bus.

We feel well prepared for our finish, and every day has been a success.  Thank you for your advice, and here's my advice to other hikers:  Make it before the snow, but enjoy it as you go.
Love,
Dipper

Sept 15: Snoqualamie - Dutch Miller Horse Camp

Snow Lake

Woke up under the ski lift in Snoqualamie and headed into town to eat at the diner attached to the hotel. We had come to terms with the fact that we were not going to get showers in this town, but Jake was determined to at least wash our clothes. After ordering our food Jake eyed the hotel lobby. (See yesterday's blog about how we were turned away from doing laundry.) Knowing that confidence alone can make the impossible possible, Jake grabbed a bag of our laundry strode past front the desk while his pockets jingled with quarters. No one stopped him.

After some basic detective work (like reading signs) he found the laundry room and started a load of wash. He came back to his seat just in time for the waitress to serve our food. It was delicious, the taste of victory that is, and the omelet wasn't half bad either.

We needed to get back on trail ASAP in order to keep on our tight schedule, but we had to wait for our laundry to finish. So as we waited we called home, checked email, and made small updates to the blog. Once our laundry was finished we quickly made our way to the gas station to round out our food supply for the week.

As we were walking out of the station a gentleman pulled up to the door and asked if we could help him fill his tank because he had a disability the prohibited him from doing it himself. We obliged and followed his car over to the pump. He noticed our backpacks and began asking us questions about our adventure. He had lots of questions, and you could tell his interest in us was sincere. We must have chatted with him for 20-30 minutes before he continued on his way. It's true that every minute we spent with him put us further behind schedule, but his genuine character put us at ease and we were more than happy to just hang out and talk with him. Thanks to this kind stranger we hiked out of Snoqualamie in a cheerful mood. (The best experiences you have hiking the trail sometimes come when you're not hiking the trail at all.)

Last night we had decided that today we would take an alternative route that was supposed to be more scenic, a little shorter, and would go pass some hot springs! We were stoked because this meant we could make some good miles, still see great sights, and get clean in some hot springs!

Since today was a Saturday the trail was packed with day hikers heading up to Snow Lake. At the lake we met a ranger who told us the trail ahead was beautiful, but "a little rough." Well, that was an understatement.

The trail was made up entirely of large jagged rocks that appeared to be strategically designed to hurt anyone who tried to walk on them. The corridor was littered with downed trees, and it seemed that the only ones that had not fallen over were the ones with branches at face level. Needless to say, the going was slow. When we finally made it back to real tread Jake's shins were hurting and Karrie was nursing her eye that had been attacked by too many branches. We took comfort in knowing that we would soaking in some beautiful hot springs soon and continued hiking.

We saw a pair of hikers heading toward us and excitedly asked if we were on the right trail for the hot springs. They told us that we were on the right trail, but the hot springs were full for the weekend and they wouldn't let us in... We thanked them for the information and kept hiking anyway. Motivation, or no motivation, we hike. It's just what we do now.

Thirty minutes later we were at the Goldmyer Hot Springs. The hostess was very friendly and told us all about the hot springs. Since we couldn't swim in them and were overdue for a wash, we asked if there was anywhere else to swim nearby. She pointed us a short distance down the trail to a river that people often enjoy swimming in during the summer months. (Middle Fork of the Snoqualamie River) When we got there Jake stripped down and jumped in, while Karrie washed a little more tactfully. The water was freezing, but we didn't care. It was a beautiful spot and we needed to get freshened up.

We dried off just before the sun set, and quickly cooked a hot meal to keep us warm. Since we were still behind schedule we decided to hike on into the night. In the desert night hiking is nice because open sky provides light and the stars make up for the scenery you're missing, but in Washington the tall trees make night hiking difficult. So we only went a little further and called it a night at the Dutch Miller Horse Camp.

Sept 12: *** - Mile 2345.5 "Martinson Gap", 26.3 mi

It's getting colder here. I sleep with my down jacket and a hat every night. The days are shorter, and the sun stays lower, letting the steep hillsides trap the frigid air.

A chorus of elk bugles has been following us this morning, echoing off the hills. Have you ever heard the sound? It's mix between the sound a car makes screeching to a stop, and a lousy, but confident, greenhorn bugle player. Beautiful if you know what it is, ominous if you don't.

Around 10 am, we finally saw the sun as it crested over the nearest nolle. But before we could enjoy its warmth, we were jolted by the sudden pounding of hooves. Maybe a hundred feet below, ran a large herd of doe elk, making way for something.

Then a knock of bone on bone. Two large bull elks met in the opening below our feet. They pushed each other across 50 feet of space back and forth, back and forth, grunting, and wheezing. I remember forgetting to breathe.

Later in the day, I called Fred. As unpredictable as I try to live my life, he knew exactly where we were. "I bet you're pretty close to Mount Rainer National Park by now." Somethings, like the intuition of a dad, never stop. We called to catch up, and of course since this trail was drawing to a close, to plan our next trip.

For lunch, we ate at the road. There were amenities, like picnic tables, trash cans, bathroom stalls, and people watching. Two miles later we met Marty, Janet and their fluffy labradoodle dog by an alpine lake. They gave us fruit, meat, cheese, chips, and artichoke dip. Fine people, with good taste in snacks.

That night, we climbed up to a pass with a great view, where we could see Crystal Ski Resort, and camped in Martinson Gap on the other side.

Sept 9: *** - Walupt Creek, 26.5 mi

Mt. Adams

As a storm rolled in last night we strategically chose a campsite behind Mt. Adams. Ross and Marty taught us about Rain Shadows last week and we figured the mountain may block some of the bad weather coming our way. Well, it totally worked! There were small piles of hail around the edges of our tents, but the tents themselves were completely dry!

Jake climbed out of the tent to go to the bathroom in the morning and just as he was unzipping his pants a hunter walked by in front of him. They are everywhere and no matter what the weather today we would be wearing orange.

Saw a large camp of hunters set up at the ironically named "Killen Creek." We were hiking around Jack Flash, Clutch, and Panama Red today and they alerted us to the delicious huckleberries lining the trail. It was difficult to balance making miles and free fresh fruit so we tried to teach ourselves how to pick and hike at the same time. It was an addicting challenge and we slowly improved over the course of the day.

Jack Flash, Guts, the two of us, and another lady all camped in a small camp site near Walupt Creek. Everyone else had to push on further because there wasn't any more room. We were camped so close together that we were literally sharing tent stakes with Gut Feeling.

After dinner we quickly called it a night. A storm was rolling in and the temperature was dropping rapidly.

August 22: Honeymoon Creek - Crater Rim Village, 24 mi

Red Stick, you're hired!
    Thank you for our wonderful box of goodies!  Unsurprisingly, you really know what a hiker craves.  Peanut butter, gatorade, cliff bars...  Neither Jack-y-Bean or I had ever seen a jar of nutella that BIG before (and it was devoured within 3 days)!  What you sent us was perfect.
     We began our day at Honeymoon Creek.   It was 19 miles into Mazama Village from here, with one bad water source, so we loaded up for the trip.   Recently, the temperature has dropped, which has definitely helped for some of these poor water sections of Oregon, but may also be a sign of an early winter.
     The day was quick!  We made it into the Mazama Store before 2 o'clock, and feasted!   Your box got a lot of attention, and I'm happy to say that we were so well stocked that your package also fed a few others.
     We finished up our day with 5 more miles to the Crater Rim Village where we could peer across the lake's surface.  Have you been here?  The sight was breathtaking.  Not only it is gorgeous, but it drops off so suddenly, if you didn't know it was there you might miss it from less than half a mile back.  It's no wonder one of it's discoverer's Hillman, almost went over the edge when he first happened upon the beauty.
    We crept up on the rim, and snapped some shots as the sun was going down.  Then we ran to the gift shop for a last minute bathroom stop before they closed, and grilled the concession stand staff on the history of the Lake.  Some interesting facts:  There is a helicopter at the bottom of the lake because the pilot couldn't tell in the reflection if he was flying up or down.  And the lake has enough fresh water in it to give every person in the world one gallon per day for 10 years.  Wow.  The things you learn over pop and chips.
     Tonight we're going to camp by the lake so we can see the sunrise tomorrow.  Someone just asked me yesterday too what my favorite part of the trail was.  I said the Sierras.  If they asked me today I'd say this lake.  Love it.
     Thank you and Tatyana again for thinking about us out here.  I hope that the two of you and your newborn babe are in excellent health and are happy.
     Lots o Love,
     Dipper