Wednesday, September 8, 2010 Miles Today: 5.2 Actual Total: 2,401.7

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

It absolutely poured deluges and buckets of rain last night. The tarp held up under it just fine, but the rain fell so hard that some of it actually splashed up around the edges, so a few of our things got splashed on. No matter— we were headed for Snoqualmie Pass. We reached Summit Lodge at 9:00am, and megabummer!!   The restaurant we’ve been looking forward to was closed for remodeling.  But it didn’t take us long to spot  a wonderful espresso place next door where we stuffed ourselves quite nicely.  It was wonderful to be out of the rain, clouds and cold for awhile, and we weren’t the only PCT hikers there–it was fun to “talk trail” with everybody.  The general consensus was cheerful and determined in spite of the weather.  We also heard the sad story of a PCT hiker couple who came in yesterday and QUIT.  After hiking all the way up from Mexico, they’d been very discouraged by all the rain, and then the night before they got to Snoqualmie Pass, they woke up in the middle of the night to discover that they were in the middle of a large puddle and all their stuff was soaking wet.  That was the last straw, and they decided to give up the hike.  When they arrived at Snoqualmie, the other hikers begged them not to quit, but they were absolutely determined and would listen to no hopeful ideas.  So they have headed home.  Bummer.  Bill and I (and the others) plan to head for Canada tomorrow.

A little stroll over to the Summit Inn and we  got a room to stay in.  But I was really concerned about how seriously wet and dirty we and our packs & gear are.  I hated the thought of messing up a nice motel room.  So I asked the front desk for some big black plastic garbage bags we could put down on the floor in the room so when we set down our stuff we would not mess up the carpet.  We also took off our muddy, wet shoes and socks before going to our room, and carried them carefully (no dripping!)  We also called Water Boy and Early Girl to let them know we have arrived (they have our resupply box)

We were enjoying our warm room, clean dry clothes, and dry gear when WB and EG arrived with our box.  They wanted to actually meet us and find out how we managed to hike at our age (they are about the same age we are).  So we showed them all our gear (they were amazed at how lightweight we travel–they carry more stuff and have heavier packs).  They had just finished hiking the last part of the PCT, and Early Girl warned me “That last bit from the border monument to Manning Park isn’t a trail–it’s an obstacle course!”  They also had a lot of rain to deal with and said as a result they had a couple of hairy river crossings, but that overall they had a great time!

Well,  tomorrow we head for Canada. We hope to cross the border on September 20, if all goes well. The weather— well, that’s another story. Unseasonable rain and cold are due to continue. I figure this is a chance to practice, “enjoying the moment no matter what” and also a chance to hear God’s answer to the question, “Lord, what do You want me to learn from this?”

Last, but not least, I’d like to wish a Happy New Year to all our Jewish friends, both Messianic and “non”. May this be a blessed year to you all. The next post you’ll have from us will be after we make it to Canada!

Walk with Aragorn to Minas Tirith: Road begins swinging toward the River Anduin.

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