Mile 2450.3 -> Mile 2479.1

Just a few short–albeit tiring–climbs and I was going downhill into Stevens Pass. Despite it being about 15 miles, it went smoothly. This was surprising since my feet were sore from the past two days and I was weaving through the tens of day hikers out enjoying their long weekend.

As soon as I got into the parking lot I saw a sign for trail magic. Hallelujah. I met Gourmet, PCT class of 2017, in her sweet 2002 Mercedes Sprinter van. We talked vanlife, hiking, and tech since she works in the DevOps industry. I’ll be sure to hit her up when this is all said and done because she seems to have a great setup. After a Rainier beer and some donut bites, u headed to the Stevens Pass lodge to pick up my resupply package and veg for a bit.

There’s something really special about a fresh, new pair of socks. I currently have 5 pairs of socks: 1 clean(ish) pair for sleeping in, 3 torn pairs that’ll I’ll just carry home (where I can warranty them), and 1 fresh pair from my package that I hope will get me to Canada.

After charging my stuff I went back to the parky lot to say hi and bye to Gourmet and then tackle the 14 miles to Grizzly Peak. It rained for half an hour as I was hiking but it was a mild drizzle and it kept me cool. I surprisingly made it to Grizzly Peak before 8 PM (the current dusk time) and decided to be risky again. I’m currently cowboy camped under a grove if trees with rainy looking clouds around the horizon (but not above me!). I figure I’ll take a break and dry stuff out tomorrow as needed, and with only 6 days left of this adventure, I can take some risks and create a few crazy memories.

On that note, this is the first time I’ve camped on a mountain peak. Granted, Grizzly Peak is only 5600& something feet tall, it’s still a peak, and it’s still a first. It’s dead empty up here (my favorite way to camp) and, save for the clouds, the views are spectacular. Here’s hoping the sunrise is gorgeous tomorrow.

Oh, and one final thing: for the first time in several nights I’m staring above and I see one bright star shining in between the tree branches. I think it’s gonna be a good night.

Main Photo: Skykomish Peak (I think) in the distance during one of the last climbs before Stevens Pass. August 31.