Day 135- 2,300 Miles And Falling Behind

Sept 14, 2016

Whites Pass(2292.4) to Two Lakes Campsite(2312.1) 19.7 miles

Total up/down: +2,864/-2,191 feet 

I have gotten really behind on writing my blog. I don't think I have ever been so far behind. In an attempt to get caught up the next few posts will be relatively short. It is difficult to remember the intricacies of one day, much less what I did five days ago, but I will do my best. 

Treebeard promised to get me back to the trail as early as possible. We left the house at seven o'clock, but it was quite the drive to get back to the trailhead. I didn't start hiking until ten o'clock. I was hoping to get in twenty five miles today, but I knew that I'd have to settle for less than that. I had barely gone five miles when I came across a beautiful lake. Unfortunately, the days of stopping to go swimming are past. It is just too chilly for me to even consider it. Just because I can't go for a dip doesn't mean that I can't enjoy the lakes. I took a nice little break and ate breakfast. 

Sand Lake

I didn't have to go much farther before I hit the 2,300 mile mark. Once again a mile marker was already made, but since I wasn't in a hurry today I took the time to Yodafy it. 

Before

After

I was in the process of fixing the mile marker when two hunters came past. They had seen the sign earlier in the morning, but couldn't figure out the significance of it. I explained what it was all about and they wholeheartedly congratulated me. They thought that I was a little crazy to hike such a huge distance just for fun. 

I spent the rest of the afternoon hiking in and out of the forest. I enjoy the variety of Washington. On a daily basis I see a wide variety of different terrain. The forests have a very Washington feel to them. They are exactly what I pictured them to look like in my head. The surprise of Washington is how many parts remind me of the Sierra. At one point I came out into a wide meadow exactly like one I hiked through in Touloumne Meadows. 

Sierra type meadow 

I'm also seeing so many lakes everyday. Oregon and Washington seem to have lake after lake after lake. I thought Maine had a lot of lakes on the AT, but it isn't even close to the amount that I hike past everyday. 

Yet another lake

I was getting pretty close to quitting time when I passed something a little disconcerting. Up until this point I haven't been concerned at all by the hunters I've been seeing. I have seen at least 10-15 everyday since bow season opened up. I don't have anything with bright colors to make myself more visible, but since it is just bow and arrow hunting I haven't been very nervous. With bow and arrows the hunters have to get close to their prey before shooting. A hiker is obviously not an elk. I'm still really not too concerned, but seeing an arrow plunged into the trail made me rethink my previous thoughts. 

What the heck

I made it into camp at a very decent time.  With the days getting shorter my new stopping time is around 6:30. I like to be set up and have dinner cooked before the sun sets. I think the huge mile days are over. The terrain is getting more difficult and I don't have enough daylight to hit big numbers. I'm looking forward to slowing down. 

"There are more things to alarm us than to harm us, and we suffer more often in apprehension than reality.”

- Seneca