September 24, 2017
Mile 2461.7 to 2471.0
Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hike: Day 142
Talked to Dad and Mom today for a while. Vivian's birthday is coming up on the 13th of October. Dad is going to get her 13 Sacagawea golden dollars. Great idea! They told me about Trump saying things about athletes disrespecting the flag, and all the football players kneeling during the national anthem (some waited in tunnels, some stayed in the locker room, too). It reminded me of the scene in Hunger Games when Katniss volunteers as tribute and all the people at the reaping raise 3 fingers in the air. What is going to happen?
We sorted food and hung out at the lodge today for a while. Boo showed up! He finished the road walk with Jen; we'll probably see him on trail or in Stehekin. I hope we do.
The forecast is supposed to rain tomorrow, then be 6 days of perfect weather, then rain Monday and Tuesday. Any rain now can mean snow on trail, so we feel the fire under our asses to GO!! It's a hard balance because we don't want this adventure to end.
I'm going to treat it like the beginning of something rather than the end. The opportunity to read the next great book instead of the end of this great book. The next chapter. What could happen!
Hiking out from Stevens Pass, I headed to trail before the boys to get a head start. First, I met an older couple. They asked me lots of questions about the PCT, and the woman told me my blue eyes will get my anywhere in life. She also left the conversation telling me I'm a beautiful woman and that I'm making them proud. In between, they asked me two questions. First, what I missed most. I replied with "well-cooked food". I realized after we parted ways that I should have said "my family" because that is truly what I miss most. Mom and Dad and Broter.
Then they asked the biggest thing I learned. I paused, and told them that no matter how afraid you are, if you focus on the steps right in front of you, you can get through it. The woman got tears in her eyes and said keep on going because I'm doing something huge and difficult. It was a very 'you go girl' moment. Later, they crossed paths with Alex (I had talked about him) and they told him that "I'm one heck of a lady".
After the first couple, I saw three ladies from UK/Australia/I-don't-know-where-but-they had-queens-english. They were living in Seattle. They told me I'm a badass/hardcore lady for doing this. One woman told me that the PCT is something she's always wanted to do once she had time, and now that she has time she doesn't have the knees for it.
That was a whole heap of encouragement in one tidy half hour.
Soon after that Sam, Vice, and Boathouse plowed past me. Alex was with them but slowed down once he was ahead of me since we would be camping soon.
We're camping in an off-Guthooks site, hoping it will ward off mice. Tomorrow we have a peak and tons of elevation change but if we start early we should be able to get 25+ miles done.