To PCT mile 2464.1 (stats here).
I woke up to the sound of rain. It was not that hard but I was worried for a while that the stream next to me would overflow. As the rain did not get harded, I decided not to do anything about it and continued sleeping. I got up 6:30am and got hiking 7:15am. As before, I did not manage to pack the tent without getting it more wet.
It was 15 miles to Stevens Pass. The feet were painful right from the bat. Clearly they are not getting better by walking. Yes, this is a great insight. I really do neet to get zeroes in Stevens Pass or Skykomish. Or in Leavenworth. It is a bit irritating to slow down so dramatically this near to the end of the hike, but it would be sad to finish it in pain. Better to get better and cross the finishing line without grinding my teeth with every step.
Hiking today consisted of going steeply up three times and coming going down three times. The second ascend was the steepest in a long time. Doing it in a less than perfect condition had me swearing aloud.
I started the day with my rain gear on, but as the weather improved, I was able to ditch them. I kept leap frogging with Simon and Angelica who had a similar pace. They were heading to Leavensworth for a zero and were not in a hurry. I kept my first break on top of a large rock as it was wet all around and I did not feel sitting on ground. Usually I do not care about this. The second break I had with Simon and Angelica on a meadow. It was a good place to dry out wet camping gear.
When nearing Stevens Pass, I joined a human hiking train that consisted of Simon, Angelica and of two weekend hikers. I managed to get a ride from them to Skykomish where I had my resupply package. Guthooks told that it was not that easy to get a hitch to the town. The interstate is busy and has a fast flowing traffic. Once in town, I collected my package from the Cascade Inn and Cafe. I encountered with Star Wars who was about to book a room. He asked me to share, but giving it a bit thought, I decided to return to Stevens Pass and seek out the Mountaineers Lodge. Second year in a row, the Lodge acted as a hiker hostel. It was cheaper than Cascade, close to the trailhead, had a great reputation and was far away from railroad tracks.
It was not that easy to get a hitch back. After 40 minutes or so, a lady stopped. She was returning back home with her son from a soccer practice. Her husband had done the PCT way back so she was happy to help out. We talked mostly about soccer and its risen popularity in United States.
It was easy enough to find the Mountaineers Lodge which turned out to be a great place. The only thing missing was wifi. For 30 bucks, you got a dinner, breakfast, chance to do bucket laundry, shower, and good hanging out facilities. Tim, the caretaker, is a fun and interesting guy who makes great food.
I was not the only hiker in the hostel. Mango was there when I arrived around 4pm. Later, Caribou, Smiley Face and Butterfly Kisses joined the party. I decided that is time to spend at least few zeroes here.
I tried to check if I could order new shoes here but it seemed to be difficult. Amazon did not accept the address for Stevens Pass Lodge, and I would not have wanted to make another visit to Skykomish. In addition, the delivery times were quite long. I decided to think about the new shoes some more. Most likely changing them would not help anymore as the damage was done already.
The dinner at the hostel was great. It was nice to chat with other familiar hikers and just enjoy a meal in a company. Seeing from Facebook that other hikers that I've met during the trail are already finishing their hike in Canada made me feel a bit sad. Especially as my troubles are mostly because of my own stupidity with the shoes. Well, lets try to act in reasonable manner the last remaining days.
I woke up to the sound of rain. It was not that hard but I was worried for a while that the stream next to me would overflow. As the rain did not get harded, I decided not to do anything about it and continued sleeping. I got up 6:30am and got hiking 7:15am. As before, I did not manage to pack the tent without getting it more wet.
 |
| Seems that it is foggy and wet almost every day now. |
It was 15 miles to Stevens Pass. The feet were painful right from the bat. Clearly they are not getting better by walking. Yes, this is a great insight. I really do neet to get zeroes in Stevens Pass or Skykomish. Or in Leavenworth. It is a bit irritating to slow down so dramatically this near to the end of the hike, but it would be sad to finish it in pain. Better to get better and cross the finishing line without grinding my teeth with every step.
Hiking today consisted of going steeply up three times and coming going down three times. The second ascend was the steepest in a long time. Doing it in a less than perfect condition had me swearing aloud.
 |
| Ah, toilet with a view. I have to admit that I prefer sitting to squatting. |
I started the day with my rain gear on, but as the weather improved, I was able to ditch them. I kept leap frogging with Simon and Angelica who had a similar pace. They were heading to Leavensworth for a zero and were not in a hurry. I kept my first break on top of a large rock as it was wet all around and I did not feel sitting on ground. Usually I do not care about this. The second break I had with Simon and Angelica on a meadow. It was a good place to dry out wet camping gear.
When nearing Stevens Pass, I joined a human hiking train that consisted of Simon, Angelica and of two weekend hikers. I managed to get a ride from them to Skykomish where I had my resupply package. Guthooks told that it was not that easy to get a hitch to the town. The interstate is busy and has a fast flowing traffic. Once in town, I collected my package from the Cascade Inn and Cafe. I encountered with Star Wars who was about to book a room. He asked me to share, but giving it a bit thought, I decided to return to Stevens Pass and seek out the Mountaineers Lodge. Second year in a row, the Lodge acted as a hiker hostel. It was cheaper than Cascade, close to the trailhead, had a great reputation and was far away from railroad tracks.
It was not that easy to get a hitch back. After 40 minutes or so, a lady stopped. She was returning back home with her son from a soccer practice. Her husband had done the PCT way back so she was happy to help out. We talked mostly about soccer and its risen popularity in United States.
 |
| The lovely metropolis of Skykomish. |
It was easy enough to find the Mountaineers Lodge which turned out to be a great place. The only thing missing was wifi. For 30 bucks, you got a dinner, breakfast, chance to do bucket laundry, shower, and good hanging out facilities. Tim, the caretaker, is a fun and interesting guy who makes great food.
I was not the only hiker in the hostel. Mango was there when I arrived around 4pm. Later, Caribou, Smiley Face and Butterfly Kisses joined the party. I decided that is time to spend at least few zeroes here.
I tried to check if I could order new shoes here but it seemed to be difficult. Amazon did not accept the address for Stevens Pass Lodge, and I would not have wanted to make another visit to Skykomish. In addition, the delivery times were quite long. I decided to think about the new shoes some more. Most likely changing them would not help anymore as the damage was done already.
The dinner at the hostel was great. It was nice to chat with other familiar hikers and just enjoy a meal in a company. Seeing from Facebook that other hikers that I've met during the trail are already finishing their hike in Canada made me feel a bit sad. Especially as my troubles are mostly because of my own stupidity with the shoes. Well, lets try to act in reasonable manner the last remaining days.
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