Miles today: 28.1
Trail miles sum: 1895
Trail location: 2577.3
Elevation: 2107
Spinning on the turntable:

It was another wet day of hiking. I try to repeat a mantra to myself of the things I’m grateful for as I hike. I am grateful that the rain isn’t pouring down. I am grateful that the temperature is moderate. I am grateful that I am able to continue this hike….but I’m still a bit wet today.

It was a long hike down to the Stehekin ranger station today, perhaps a nine mile stretch.

I’m still looking for mountain goats. Not yet. Well, I did see one, but it was a long way off in the distance. I’m looking for a close up Disney experience.

I’m pretty bummed about the weather. I know there are amazing views in this section but I’m not seeing most of them.


The bight colors of the tree growth is splendid!

I needed to cross a river, sans bridge, this afternoon. I scouted up and down the river and selected the least dangerous section to cross. The irony here was that I could have just walked across the river if I’d been willing to have soaked feet. I wanted to keep my semi-dry feet so I crawled across the river on a log that had fallen across the river.

I arrived at the Ranger station that wasn’t actually a ranger station around 5PM. A special camping permit is required near Stehekin. The notice said that the ranger station was a private residence and to leave them alone. So, if I wanted a free permit I needed to catch a bus and ride 11 miles on dirt roads into the town to obtain the permit…and then catch the same bus back. Cost was $10 per ride so the “free” camping permit would cost twenty bucks and several hours of my time. Nope. I hiked on. I’m not a conspiracy nut, but it seemed like a nice way for the town of Stehekin to bump up their own business a bit.

I made it into an established campsite around 7:30 and set up camp. (I had pushed onto this site since it had bear boxes.)
I ate my dinner in the dark and called it a day. I don’t feel too bad considering how long I hiked today.
I have a friend who lived in Stehekin for a season. I think winter. She worked for the forest service in the summer and then made money living in the middle of nowhere for a bit. They took a boat up or down? Lake Chelan to get to the house and had to make all their own food, baked bread, etc. She liked it. It was real Laura Ingalls like. It’s cool to see pics from a place I’ve heard so much about, yet never seen.
Good miles, be happy. Keep moving forward. Oh. Mtn goats – go to Mt Rushmore – they are all over. Kind of crazy because no one tells you they are there. Total Disney moments, you like trip over them. No idea why.
I’m still holding out hope to see “local” Mountain goats! I saw a FB post a few days ago of a goat walking down the PCT. Sigh.
Even the pictures of fog look amazing!
Well….it can be very awesome! Walking up to a sheer wall of fog is crazy fun.