September 25, 2017
Mile 2471.0 to 2497.3
Pacific Crest Trail Thru-Hike: Day 143

Washington state is brutal. Endless up and down, 2k+ up, 2k+ down, over and over again. Cold and wet. Rodents everywhere that are hell bent on chewing holes in tents and packs and gear to get to food. Alex says if trail were a video game, this state is Boss Level.

Today has been no exception. No breaks means your shoulders, feet, knees and shins scream with every step to just stop and sit the fuck down. But you can't. Because you can't stop walking when it's cold and rainy.

Then the clouds part and slowly make their way off stage, and you've defeated the boss and get the 'you won the game' scenery. Breathtaking and full of hope, beams of sunlight streaming into a far valley, the curtain of clouds parting for the mighty peaks of the Cascades, thrust upwards to the sky in all their glory.

But in the meantime it sucks. Here's hoping the sun shines on us tomorrow. Today was 26.5 miles and 7,400 feet of elevation change.