August 2nd, 2020
Mile 357.8 to Mile 377.4
I wanted to get on trail in the morning so I could try to do 20 miles, so we woke up around 7am. Emma (the best trail angel ever) cooked Shakshuka while the rest of us started packing up.
Shakshuka is a veggie dish cooked with eggs on top. Emma added cheese, parsley, and avocado. We also had leftover sourdough to dip into it. It was SO YUMMY!! Maya also made me a pour over coffee which was much appreciated.
We left pretty quickly after eating and cleaning up. We got back to the trailhead at 9:15ish. It was sad to say goodbye (I hate these trail goodbyes) but I’ll be seeing all three of them in a week. Emma and Maya are driving down to Portland to pick me up, and John has kindly agreed to let us all crash with him. They have plans to climb (which might actually kill me) and hopefully we’ll be able to see our friend Chloe. I’ll need to hustle if I want to arrive Saturday.
I got going and because I was so well nourished I was moving pretty quick. All the dairy made my poops a little off today though. I was able to crank out 15 miles or so pretty quickly. It was a climb at the beginning to a beautiful ridgeline but then there was a long portion just winding through the forest.
I eventually had another climb into a beautiful alpine meadow. There were waterfalls cascading around and wildflowers everywhere. I climbed some more and got even better views. I climbed more and could see Rainier again getting further behind me. I climbed more and ended up on a crazy ridgeline. I was not mentally prepared for this ridgeline that would last the next few miles.
It was winding and narrow cut into the rock. It was waaaaay up high with steep slopes on either side and a long way down. The rock was pretty loose at some parts and difficult to walk on. It was also super windy all the way up there. I could see the trail up ahead cut into the mountain and I kept thinking it was almost over but it would just keep going. It even had a few snowfields to navigate. It was a mentally tough section of trail.
Once I got through it, I was looking at Guthooks and realized I had just gone over the Kinfe’s Edge, which is an infamously scary part of the trail. I can’t believe I didn’t realize I’d be doing that today. I’m glad it’s over though. From a point just after the ridgewalk, I was able to see Mount Rainier, Mount St Helen’s, and Mount Adam’s all at once. That was really special.
The views coming down were amazing. Mount Adam’s is super prominent in the skyline now. There are so many wildflowers and lush meadows. I found a camp spot in a sparse patch of trees overlooking the meadow and Adam’s. Its so so beautiful. I got to watch the sun set as I cooked dinner. It’s a little windy up here so I’ll be testing out the tent in windy conditions for the first time. Hopefully there won’t be any issues. As I’ve been here writing I heard a group of maybe three boys pass and I think they’re camping down a little in the meadow. I dont know how people hike after the sun goes down.
The moon is pretty bright tonight and I am excited for some sleep.
