Stehekin 9/18

 Princy boarding the bus. 

Where to begin? Let's start with some gloating. Remember that 8,000 ft. climbing day? I forgot to tell you about FC's mission. Princess, Mr. Sandals, TC and FC, Tortuga and Half Mile were headed to a campsite 21 miles away. Princess was worried about getting there in time to secure the site. Captain was going to the same place. He was a young buck(self proclaimed)and he was fast. We saw him at Mica Lake that day.He arrived and we were leaving. FC said the lake was waiting for him to jump in. She figured he would take his time eating and jumping in the freezing cold water. Then she made her mind up to walk as fast as she could to beat him  to the site. She kicked into machine mode and ascended 3,000'ft. in just over two hours, counting the switchbacks in Chinese. Even Princess was behind her. FC did not take a break. She expected to start sprinting if she saw Captain. Princess asked her to stop and wait but FC was on a mission. Princess was ready to camp at 20 miles but not FC. She kept going. TC caught up in the last mile and together they reached the site. Princess arrived 10 minutes later and Mr. Sandals came next. After they had set their tents up Captain came by and said, "Whoa, the retirement community beat me to it." FC smiled wickedly and performed some kind of football high five maneuver. She beat the 27 year old. He of course was unaware of the race, in fact he probably got stoned at the lake and took a nap. This is of no consequence to Firecracker . She wanted the site he was heading for and she got it. There was another site 100 yards down the hill. TC told him about it while FC quietly continued her celebrations.

       Today is 9/18 and we are in Stehekin. What a day we had. Originally we were going to catch the 6.00pm bus to Stehekin but after walking 2 hours and going 5 miles Princess decides she would  try for the 4.00 pm bus. It was raining and we were walking fast to keep warm. We had started at 6:15am because we were worried we couldn't do 19.5 miles by 6:00 and now Princess is proposing 19.5 by 4:00pm. FC calls her nuts. Princess  ignores her and keeps walking. Well, we were doing good time and by 10::30 had done almost 10 miles. We all took a break and for some reason Princess re-checked the bus schedule. Oops. The bus arrived at 3:00 pm not four. She said was still going to try for it. Mr. Sandals was speechless. FC and TC felt the hairs rise on the back of their necks. Here was their most favorite thing - a challenge. A race lead by their fearless leader and general. By golly, if Princess was going to attempt 19.5 miles by 3:00 they too would do it. FC turned to Princess and said she should go on one of those TV reality shows like "Naked and Afraid". Princess said she would kill her partner and eat him over the three weeks. She would be the only contestant to gain weight. This woman may be even more of a freak than FC. She is a born competitor. Competing is first and second nature. She played rugby for ten years with men and women. She knows about pain and the taste of blood. Princess took off and was not seen again until 2:40pm. This is when FC saw her standing on the bridge overlooking the Stehekin River and gorge. She looked spent. She had not believed she would make it. She slumped over the railing. FC told her that the others were close. Even Tortuga had rejoined the group for this final assault on the bus stop. Everyone made it. 19.5 miles by  2.45. We have Princess and her grand unstoppable visions to thank. They are ludicrous and almost impossible to accomplish but her can-do attitude is inspirational, especially to the Bubbies who always step up to any challenge. She may be even more indomitable than they are. Princess is no ordinary woman. She can be quite feminine and demure. Her hiking shirt is pink eventhough she claims to hate pink. She has a lovely pale green scarf that can double as a hood. She is in touch with her feminine side but make no mistake, get in her way and you'll have a broken collar bone.

Hats off to Mr. Sandals who is not competitive and a slow walker- a man who takes a lot of photos and keeps his own pace; a man who cannot be pushed around. He does not easily cave into peer pressure but wordlessly, he made that three o'clock bus. I am not sure why. Princess has had many suitors that she inevitably crushed by the sheer force of her personality. She cannot crush Mr. Sandals. He is her match. He often has the last word. 

       We do thank our fearless leader and appreciate her pace setting skills. Without her where would we be ? 

 

   Stehekin Ranch, in the Northern Cascades,is awesome. Stehekin itself can only be reached by boat, plane or hiking. There is another lodge at the boat landing, a bakery, a school and the Ranch. We are in the tent cabins and therefore have no electricity. The food here is the best we have had. Fruits and vegetables are grow locally. What a beautiful place to rest before our final 4.5 days of hiking. Later today we will move to the Lodge and check out the lake and bakery. The lake is called Chellan. Come here to Shangrilah. There is one 13 mile road and a big red bus that goes back and forth. No traffic hum just the sound of water and wind moving through the trees.

Mr. Sandals. Makes the bus. 

FC tired out. 

Menu at the Stehekin Valley Ranch. 

Drying out the tent on front of our rustic tent cabin. 

FC horseback riding at the Ranch. 

Dining room breakfast at Stehekin Valley Ranch. 

The Bakery. A must bus stop for all visitors.

Dirty hungry PCT hikers line up for sugar. 

Our team chowing down outside the Bakery. 

Ferry leaving for 3+ hrs down Lake Chelan. TCs friend Mary who she met on the bus is on board.

The Lodge. Where we stay tonight. 

FC enjoying her zero day in the city ark by the lake.

        Our day at the other end of Stehekin was relaxing. This was called the Landing & is the town center for a population of 80 residents. We picked up our last 2 boxes and re-packed our packs for the last time. We are sharing a lovely waterfront room with Princess and Mr. Sandals. All I can hear is the wind through the trees and clear waters of Lake Chelan. TC and FC decided to go for one more meal at the Ranch eventhough it entails a half- hour bus ride to get there. You know the Bubbies are all about food. They will go anywhere and pay anything for tasty food. The menu at lodge did not entice them and they have heard some stories about the food here. They will ride the big red bus and take in the sights again. 

Beached boat planter. 

      We have been waiting for the end of this massive hike for the last month and more urgently for the last 2 weeks. It will be over in a few days. Our bodies have changed shape; our faces are more weathered and lined; FC's feet are edematous and don't look like her feet anymore; TC has numbness and parathesia in her feet and her back is rubbed raw; FC is sure her liver blood deficiency is worse because her tendons feel dry and ready to snap. There are more ailments but no need to bore you. Have we changed any other way? That remains to be seen. What does walking 2,660 miles do to your mind and spirit? We will let you know. 

     We will reach Manning Park Provincial Park in BC on Sept. 24th. Please celebrate with us on that day. All of you who have read our blog and supported us with your thoughts and encouragement we want to celebrate with you. So on that day, drink a toast to you and us, go out to your favorite restaurant and eat well, be happy with us. We want to feel that energy. We will be making a toast to you. Thank you. Honestly, it would have been even harder to do without you. 

FC, Mr. Sandals, & Princey waiting for the bus.