August 21, 2016 - Since I got to bed so late I didn’t have a problem getting up late as I only had 28 miles.
The hike started off in the woods but soon went into the open and got some amazing views all the way up to Cutthroat Pass. Then at the pass I got a 360 degree view. The views just kept coming as I went to Granite Pass and Methow Pass. I saw a lot of people hiking south today, maybe close to 40 or 50, I guess the section between Rainy Pass and Hart Pass is popular.
On the way down from Methow Pass I passed the 2600 mile mark which meant 50 miles to go.
It was a long hike down through the forest when I got to Brush Creek where I took almost a 2 hour lunch break. Normally I don’t like taking that long of a break but I had a big climb coming up and wanted it to cool down some. Plus I ate a lot for lunch and needed to rest it off.
I filled up on water since it would be my last water source for the day, no more water until tomorrow.
I head up to Glacier Pass which was a 1500ft climb over less than 3 miles but after that I still had another 1500ft to go of climbing after that. It wasn’t as hot as I thought as more and more clouds were rolling to block the sun and its heat. Also the wind was starting to pick up so it brought over a nice breeze however I had a feel with the breezing picking up meant I might have weather to deal with.
Once at the top I got more great views but looking to the west the clouds were looking very dark and I still had 7 miles to go so no time to rest so I moved on. The area was very exposed and not a place you wanted to be in a storm.
I ran into a few hikers heading down and they said there was a small chance of rain but really nothing to worry about. Still I wanted to get off the expose ridge as soon as possible.
The hike down to Harts Pass made me feel like I was back in Southern California with how the mountains looked.
I got to Harts Pass in record time, no rain. I set up my tent and started to make dinner when a ranger came by and says I couldn’t camp in the area, there are no designated spot left and can’t allow me to camp where I was. Really it’s because of past thru-hikers causing problems by setting fires in random places. She said there would be some flat spots about a quarter of a mile up trail. I completely understood and packed up and was on my way, she was nice and let me finish my dinner. Still got to camp before dark.
I’ll probably sleep in tomorrow since I’m only going 26 miles and it will be my last full day of hiking on trail.
