Ayayay, last night was probably one of the worst nights sleep on trail yet. Because there were hardly any free spots left when I arrived, I had to pitch my tent on a slant. In order to create somewhat of a plane sleeping situation, I had to readjust my mattress by stuffing all my spare clothes underneath it. Trying to keep my sleeping bag from touching the walls of my soaking wet tent, I laid down, keeping my body in some unnatural position for too long. And that’s when a very painful strain shot into the base of my neck and shoulder blade. It got so sensitive, that every time I rolled over, or even slightly moved during the night, I would wake up from the pain.
So I hardly slept.
I set my alarm for 0520, to hike out early with the others, but I was awake anyhow. Packing up gear in the dark, with everything soaking wet and it being icy cold in the thick early morning fog is probably one of the things that make me most miserable out here on trail.
It was not a great start of the day.
I wore all my warm clothing and it took me a solid hour to get to a comfortable temperature again.
The upside was that today I would hike into Snoqualmie Pass, a small ski-resort with a bunch of hotels, a couple restaurants and the Washington Alpine Club Guye Cabin, where we would spend the night. But first there were 20 miles left through the mist. It only drizzled lightly, but I was so ready to get comfortable. I needed a pick-me-up real bad. Not managing to catch up with the others, I hiked alone throughout the day, and was fortunate to get words of encouragement from day/section hikers on trail.
These days are hard out here. The rain and cold are just a very mean feat to deal with. I tried to keep my spirits high, but mostly I was just powering through, wanting to get to the lodge. It took some 7 hours to finally get to the ski-slopes, where I could see Snoqualmie Pass waiting in the distance. I called up Double-D, and he, Arms and Gourmet were already getting comfortable at the brewery. I had a bunch of chores to do, which I wanted to get out of the way, so I went to the lodge first thing to drop off my pack.
The Alpine cabin is great, and I will take some pictures tomorrow to show what it looks like. For 20 bucks they let hikers spend the night there, and it has everything you could want out of a hostel-type situation. After hanging my tent to dry in their ‘alpine-gear-drying-area’ in the basement, I gathered my laundry and headed to the Pass. I learned where I could get everything done, and then decided to treat myself to a hot meal first. Ravishing famine caused me to order two large dishes, one mac & cheese (with really a ton of cheese) and the hamburger with fries. After a couple of bites I thought I’d made a mistake and that my eyes had been too big for my stomach. Then my body reminded me that I’ve been in permanent caloric depletion for almost 5 months now, and the feeling of being ‘full’ subsided really quickly.
So I ate everything.
Very beastly.
It took me a lot longer than I wanted to get laundry and groceries done. I was back at the cabin around 2000. Finally I got that long awaited hot shower, hoping it would put an end to my bummed-out mood. However I discovered that both my feet were pretty beat up after hiking in wet shoes and socks the past few days.
The top parts of all my toes had gotten some sort of rub-burn and did not look good. Sigh. A good night sleeps and not hiking in the rain should hopefully get them in better shape for the following days. In terms of the weather that seems possible, because, praise the trail-gods, we’ve got a good weather-window coming up. It looks like it’s going to be dry for at least a few days in a row. It is 70 miles to Stevens Pass, where I have my next resupply-box sent to, so I should make that well within that window. That is also the main reason that I will hike out again tomorrow. At this stage, with the weather getting worse as its getting later in the season, it seems silly to let that precious sunshine go to waste.
Tomorrow’s a brand new day ladies and gentlemen!
There is the one ceiling the lies
A fine veil over your eyes
Even the ocean, holding the tide
Your hopes while you’re slaving for time
This is the one who knows no regret
Who knows who you are
You’ve never met
But one day he’ll find you
Where ever you are
Owner of land he never walked on
All shadows, even the sun
All Shadows – Anna Ternheim
Beterschap voor je voeten! God luck during your next stretch Jor.