Skylomish,Washington 9/13

Leaving Snoqualmie Pass. 

It's 9/13 and we have 10 days of walking left. Less than 200 miles to go and some of the toughest hiking to date. Can you imagine? Our legs have been whittled down, our hearts are saying uncle, our minds are a bit numb, our feet still hurt and on a hard climbing day our bodies are aching by quitting time. Are we in shape yet? Why are we still in pain? These are topics of conversation as we toil and grunt up those mountains.

     

What about hikers?

Dangerous?

Princy in the lead with FC following. 

Fall colors starting to show. 

 Washington, we have heard, is the best. Especially what is coming next. The mountains we are climbing are not in the 10,000 range but we are surrounded by mountains that are. Rainier was over 14,000. We see the alpine environment everywhere we look. Those massive faces stare down at us and the boulder fields below them swallow us up. It's autumn here. The leaves are changing and it's cold anytime the sun is not around. Washington is humid and we feel that when the sun is shining on the brush, moss and ferns we walk through. It feels steamy. Out of the sun, it's chilly. If you like mushrooms, this is the place to visit. They are everywhere, poking their rounded heads up through the dirt. Every color you could imagine: orange, brown, purple, yellow, red, with varied combinations of colors. Not one person
in our group knows a thing about these fungi. We could be doing some fine dining but instead we admire them from a distance. There are other kinds of soft, gooey, extemely bright fungi attaching themselves to rotting trees and stumps. They add color and texture to the forests. FC wants to know who they are feeding. What is their purpose?

 

Cathedral Peak. 

Waptus Lake

      We are enjoying Washington, and we want to be done walking NOW! It's all we can do to keep ourselves going. Today we were picked up by Bat Shit Crazy Moma (Tortuga's wife) at Steven's Pass and driven to Skykomish. There is not much here except the Cascadia Motel, and a beautiful old public school. There is a bar but most other buildings on the tiny Main Street are falling apart and empty. There is a railway station here and trains are letting everyone know they are passing. The horns can be startling. The motel we are staying at is old and was burned down by a fire but rebuilt. It is heated by hot water radiators. The owner, Henry, is accommodating and friendly. We have no complaints. 

       We have been having fun creating a broadway musical about the PCT. Subjects include GIARDIA, blisters, each state we have hiked through, Half Mile's info etc. it keeps us occupied and laughing. We are looking for backing. 

Stevens Pass. 

Cascadia Inn in Skykomish.