August 16, 2016 - I knew if I wanted to get to Stevens Pass before the store closed I had to wake up early. I set my alarm for 4:45am but I snoozed until 5am and got going by 5:30am.
I was suppose to have a dangerous ford first thing but I guess with it being so early in the morning not much mountain snow had melted. I was able to keep my feet dry as there were logs to walk across.
I then had a nice uphill that lasted awhile. Towards the end of the climb I came to Deception Lake which was covered in mosquitos, never seen so many all in one spot so I got out of there quick. The rest of the climb was along a ridge with a new view off to the west.
At the top I came to Piper Pass which had some nice views of where I would be heading, which I believe I saw Glacier Peak.
I was making good time but kept running into section hikers who wanted to chat but I enjoy the short talks but I wanted to keep moving as well. It was looking like I would be getting to Stevens Pass by 3:30pm, just before closing.
Heading down Piper Pass I headed towards another beautiful lake before another steep climb. At the top another great view.
I head down to a few small lakes where I ate lunch then it was 2 more up hills before getting to the top of the ski resort to take me to Stevens Pass. On one of the climbs a lady gave me several bags of jerky, one never turns down food.
The last climb before Stevens Pass was pretty rocky but once at the top I had an amazing view.
Now all that was left was the 2 mile hiked down the ski slopes to Stevens Pass and the ski lodge to pick up my resupply package and eat an early dinner.
I got to the lodge right around 3:30pm, I had just made it. I did find out that they didn’t close until 4:30pm. So I spent an hour inside enjoying the AC and indoor plumbing.
I had planned on leaving at 5pm but soon it was 6pm before I knew it. I just had 6 miles to go so didn’t feel bad about leaving so late as I was going to have to make dinner tonight.
The first 4 miles were pretty easy as I crossed a bridge over the highway then had a nice flat hike in the woods for awhile. The last 2 miles were a little steep but I had seen worst earlier in the day.
I got to camp and found a great spot. I ended eating some of the jerky to help lighten the load.
Soon before dark another guy showed up. I thought I was hiking fast, this guy started over a week after me and just did 42 miles today. He is looking to finish around the same day as me.
