This is Washington
Rainy Pass, Cloudy Pass, Foggy Pass, Windy Pass, Brush Creek. These names say it all. In Washington you earn your views and sunny days are minor miracles. There are moments of bliss, sitting in the sunshine gazing out over deep wooded valleys and glacier capped peaks, and then there’s battling uphill through head high brush in the rain and putting on cold wet socks first thing in the morning.
I am still hiking with Nicole from Sydney (no trail name has stuck yet) and a few other hikers we’ve met along the way. We’re a merry crew. Spirits still high even in the dampest moments. I think we all laugh more easily and more freely out there. When you’re cold and wet and tired and probably hungry too, there isn’t a lot of room for pretense.
Washington is full of life. We’ve seen many marmots, deer in velvet, a million chipmunks, and a marten! The alpine areas are full of flowers. This little white one is my favorite—it turns into a fuzzy Dr. Seuss ball!
Extra points if you can identify these for me!
I’m staying at Hiker Haven today, a trail angel with a bunkhouse just outside the tiny town of Skykomish. Drying out gear, indulging in milkshakes from the Sky Deli, and resting up my feet for the next stretch. Onward tomorrow, rain or shine!
With Nicole, rocking our 90s/early 2000s loaner clothes.