Start point
Tentsite past Mike Urich Cabin, mile 2349.7
End point
Tentsite at 2378.2
Miles hiked
28.5
Wilderness area
Snoqualmie National Forest
Wenatchee National Forest
People I met
Peenz
Artemia
The day on trail
Holy smokes I slept so well. It was a little damp all night, but my tent somehow managed to avoid most of it.
I did a quick gear check, as I do every day. My shoe is getting a little hole in the side. Boo.
I took off nice and early. A few people passed me from the cabin and associated sites before I got out, but I passed plenty of tents as I left.
It was a little misty and teasing drizzle, so I didn’t have my big camera out. It’s happened a few times already. No worries.
My stomach felt fine, so I think I avoided the supposed norovirus outbreak. Hiking felt good, though the hole in my shoe was on my mind.
It was another wonderful day on trail. The terrain here is just fantastic. Soft yet firm, not too dry, not damp, just perfect. I mean, of course there are areas where it’s just rocks, but mostly it’s this thick layer of organic matter over the mineral base layer. Technically the trail should be maintained down to the mineral layer, but I love how the thick organic layer feels under my feet. It’s a little springy and a little soft. The smell of the organic layer fills the air as you walk on it, mixing the soft, not quite musky and not quite dusty scent with the scent of the pine trees. It’s really just such a sensation to walk in.
I came to a sign for Government Meadow.
There was a sign there for a party of explorers who helped settle the area. Of course, these people helped contribute the ousting of the Native people here. It’s such a murky, difficult subject that needs a lot more than what I can put in my journal.
We’ve done a lot to hurt this planet and our race of humans. It really comes into focus after reading that sign, thinking about displaced Native people, and seeing yet another burn zone.
There was an old burn zone sign.
It was really cool to see it growing back, with smaller trees and foliage coming back.
A ways up, back into a healthy enough forest, there was a double marked up blaze.
Someone just had to finish the rhyme someone else started!
The trail wound its way up mountainsides, to give some views.
It’s fun to see dirt roads on the ridges of mountains.
I really just love this day so far. The on and off drizzle feels so nice.
Something has been bugging my neck for the past few days. I haven’t been able to figure it out, but it hurts like crazy and it’s absolutely maddening.
Oh look, some grey hairs. Appropriate for my 40th birthday trip.
Shortly after this I ran into a hiker I’ve been following on Instagram, Peenz. Our mutual friend Sarah introduced us on Instagram, since we’re all from AZ.
It was really cool to meet her. We hiked together for a while — a long while. We talked about our jobs, our passions, what we enjoyed out here, our partners, our struggles. So much. It was fantastic.
We stopped for lunch by a little creek. We went down to the creek to fill our water and I saw some wooly chanterelles, better known as bed shitters. They have a similar primitive-gill structure as edible chanterelles, but they’ll give you the Hershey squirts about 8 hours after you eat them, while you’re in bed.
I set up my filter and started cooking my lunch. She started squeezing her water out of her filter.
We talked about food. I recommended adding a generous scoop of peanut butter to her ramen and convinced her to try it. She did. I warned her the cleanup is a little more of a pain in the butt. She agreed, when it was time to clean her pot. For me, it’s worth it; for her, jury was still out (probably not worth it).
Some other guys came into the area, and her friend Artemia. Artemia couldn’t stop, so she grabbed water and headed out.
We took off shortly after.
After a few hours, we got to where Peenz and Artemia were going to camp. It was starting to drizzle. There was an older hiker who had set up camp. He was super friendly.
Artemia had a similar tent to mine, the Nemo Hornet. However she didn’t pack it like I do — she would just stuff it into her pack. It had some holes in it and the shock cord for the tent pole was snapped, so she had to finagle the pole in to hold the tent up.
I just replaced my shock cord and knew how to do it, so I offered to help her replace it because it’s an easy fix. She agreed and I started on it.
It started raining. So I hurried. It only took about 10 minutes to sort it out and get it ready for her.
The rain subsided, just teasing it to be a sprinkle, by the time I finished putting Artemia’s pole together. I decided since I already had a bunch of my stuff out, to just make dinner there and hang out a little more. If I packed up only to unpack and then repack, I’d lose another 20-40 minutes. So I ate then brushed my teeth.
I headed out after dinner to views like this.
Just lovely forest.
I continued on alone, into the sunset. And after the sun set.
It was so beautiful of a night.
I got to the tentsite and set up. Luckily the ground wasn’t sopping wet from the rain. The site was a little sloped, but it was fine enough for setting up. I crashed really hard. Really, really hard. It was such a long day.