August 27th, 2022 by Jon
A little after we went to bed last night, it began to rain. The rain came in small bursts, along with strong gusts of wind that actually bent our tent a little. We did our best to doze through it, although we didn’t have much luck. Eventually, around midnight, it finally stopped. When the alarm went off, we were tired, but got up anyway because we were motivated to get to the highway. We planned to meet my parents around noon at the trailhead, and then they would help us resupply and hang out in town. They were also bringing our dog Griff, and we seriously could not wait to see him. I think it’s because we have talked on the phone or FaceTimed with my family that it doesn’t feel as crazy as a reunion, although we still really want to see them too. We said bye to Biscuit as she left camp; we knew we would see her on the road in a little bit. Wilco and Missile were still in their tents as we left.
The trail switchbacked up and over a ridge, and then immediately down the other side. For the first time since the Sierra, I actually had to start my hiking with my puffy jacket on. It was pretty cold, but the wind cut through everything like a knife. After we got over the ridge, we entered the tree line for the first time in a super long time, and we finally had something to block the wind. We hiked through the forest for a while, enjoying the silence of an early morning after the rain. It was pleasant in a way that’s hard to describe; it was nice to just listen to how quiet it was.
We passed a few nice-looking tent sites near a small lake before continuing on, crossing a few creeks before finally beginning a climb. We got about a third of the way up before hitting 2 hours since we started, which is where we usually take a break. We found a nice flat spot with an open view of the mountains through the trees and sat there munching on our bars. We tried drinking water, but it was difficult with how cold the water was. We climbed the rest of the hill, passing a small burn section, trying not to get too startled when the trees rubbed against each other in the wind, making a horrible creaking noise.
We passed the cutoff for a small spring, but didn’t stop since we had all the water we needed. We kept hiking and, after a few switchbacks through healthy forest, began climbing a more exposed ridge. There were excellent views to the east, but trees right on the edge of the cliff blocked our views to the west. Soon we passed those trees and over the top of the ridge, then along the west side of the ridge on a small ledge. Turns out we weren’t missing much as clouds covered everything. You could kind of tell where Mt. Rainier should have been, but clouds covered everything.
We crossed back over to the other side of the ledge and walked along that for a while, admiring a beautiful lake down below in a basin. Soon afterward, we began our descent, walking around the whole bowl, standing on a small ledge the whole way, looking down into the valley far below. At this point, we only had 6 miles to go to the road, and with it being downhill pretty much the whole way, we really began to pick up the pacewere. The next few miles were a blur of trees. We took a break at a trail junction with 3.5 to go, and Wilco and Missile caught us there.
When we started hiking again, I went ahead of everyone, excited to reach the trailhead. The next miles were more forest blur, though certainly a pretty steady descent. Being so close to the road, I also passed a number of dayhikers on their way up for a weekend hike. Soon I arrived at the trailhead, and just as I looked and didn’t see my parents’ car, I heard one pulling up, and it was them. We waved and hugged, and after an initial cold greeting from my dog (I honestly think he didn’t recognize me at first), a very happy dog reunion. Soon, Singsong, Wilco, and Missile arrived and met my family, and my parents offered cookies, fruit, and drinks. We enjoyed chatting for a while before Biscuit came over from the campground where she had been hanging out.
We all walked back to the campground, where we found an open site and claimed it. As we set up our stuff, my parents handed out more food and drinks, and Wilco called around for a hotel room for the three of them tonight. They camped in Trout Lake, so they really wanted a hotel room here. My dad managed to swap out my trekking pole tips, which was very impressive given how hard they are to get off sometimes. He also helped zip tie some of the holes in Biscuit’s mesh on the back of her pack. We joked we should call her “porcupine” now, given how the ends of the ties stick out. My mom chatted with us, and honestly, it was just so great to talk with them in person. They drove 2.5 hours to get here, and it means a lot that they came out. Griff enjoyed sniffing everything in sight and hanging out with us.
We hung out for a while longer before we headed into town. The rest of the crew walked down to the Kracker Barrel store to pick up their packages there before they planned to get a hitch into town. Spoiler alert: they ended up getting a ride in a semi-truck, which sounded totally awesome. When we got to town, we headed straight to the local burger joint and found a great table outside where we looked through some mail from home and talked with my parents. Soon the food came, and I wolfed it down ravenously. I had just started to feel kinda cranky before we got it, so I’m glad it came when it did. Feeling refreshed, we headed to the grocery store to get food for this section and the next two. My parents plan to bring it out to us since it’s pretty close to Seattle, so we don’t have to deal with shipping.
It took a while, and it was stressful to plan out so much food, but we got the chore done and took everything over to the local brewery to organize it. My parents got us all some beers, and then the four of us set to packing everything the way we needed it. We got it all sorted into bags for easy delivery, and we actually finished quite fast, given how many days of food we were organizing. We were joined by the rest of the gang afterward and spent another hour just hanging out. It felt great to just relax in town, and it finally began to warm up for the first time that day. Missile, my dad, and I all got ice cream from an ice cream truck parked at the brewery, and then we headed out.
My dad drove the gang and me to their hotel so I could use the shower before he went back to pick up my mom and Singsong, who were still drinking their beer, and they couldn’t fit in the car anyway. After I got out of the shower, unfortunately, they kinda got yelled at for letting me shower. I think they must have had bad experiences with hikers in the past. It’s the first time it felt like a really unfriendly encounter with a town person on the trail so far, and that was a bummer. My parents came and picked me up with Singsong, and unfortunately, she didn’t get the chance to take her shower this time. Thankfully, though, we had three showers during our hotel stay in Trout Lake, so we still feel pretty clean. We already have a hotel room booked for our next stay in Snoqualmie, so all is well.
We got back to the campsite with my parents and finished organizing the resupply. My dad used the trimmers he brought to shave some of my beard and help it look a bit more under control, and then it came time for them to head back. They helped us out big time with this stop and will continue to help us with the next few stops as well. We are so lucky to have a supportive family that lives so close! After they left, we had dinner and enjoyed the delicious cider my dad gave us, as well as the cookies that my mom had made to perfection. We finished our meal in our tent because it got pretty cold, and then fell asleep without setting an alarm, so we could enjoy “town” tomorrow morning.
