Day 157

Stehekin (mile 2569) to mile 2592, 23 miles

• Miles to monument: 57
• Miles to Manning Park, Canada: 66

Cost: Camped, free

Up 6513 feet, down 1969 feet

I was up just before 7 to quickly pack my bag and head to breakfast. Breakfast was just as amazing as last night’s dinner – fruit salad, yoghurt, granola, eggs any way you like, bacon, sausages, hash browns, porridge and delicious cakes. I ate way too much and then went back for a second bowl of fruit salad and yoghurt. 

The ranch bus was taking us and the Sierra hiking group to the trailhead at 9am, not enough time to digest my massive breakfast but great that I would be able to get in a good day’s hike. 

The ranch and Stehekin itself is a very special place and I’m so glad I got to experience it. 

Back at the trailhead I saw KC and the Tits very briefly as they were boarding the public bus to go into Stehekin. They weren’t sure if they were going to stay the night or get back on the trail but it looks like I probably won’t see them on this stretch… But you never know and I don’t really know what kind of weather I’m walking into. There’s no phone service in Stehekin, just a public phone at the general store. The Ranch had wifi and gave us the password on the previso we would just check email and not try to upload pictures or anything – I tried to check the weather but the page wouldn’t load. What we heard was the forecast was for rain today and tomorrow and possible snow showers, clearing up Friday / Saturday. Hopefully I’ll be arriving in Canada on Saturday and hopefully the snow/rain doesn’t happen 🙂

I started hiking with Toto, Rainbow and Teflon. Toto was soon ahead, Teflon behind (I know if I don’t see her again then I’ll see her at Manning Park / Vancouver / somewhere in America) and Rainbow and I hiked together for about 5 hours as the trail climbed up and up. It was an easy and gradual trail and my only concern today was where to camp in case of bad weather and not wanting to get snowed on.  

   
    
    

        
 I met 2 German women at the Rainy Pass trailhead. They were over here driving around on holiday and stopped when they saw the sign on the highway saying Pacific Crest Trail – they had just seen the movie Wild… And were very excited to meet a hiker! They asked me heaps of questions then took a few photos and then I said goodbye and continued on my way, it was a little surreal!

   

    
 
I had decided that I wanted to try and get as far as possible today. In case of bad weather tomorrow I had my eye on the Harts Pass campground that has a toilet and was thinking I could hole up in the toilet if the weather was that bad… I wanted to do enough miles today so that tomorrow wouldn’t be more than a 30 mile day.  

I came to one campsite that I thought would be good and found Rainbow was there and just setting up. It wasn’t big enough for two so we chatted for a couple of minutes and then I continued on up the hill. There was heaps of space at the next site and no-one there so I set up and got into my tent to cook dinner, it was just way too cold to eat outside. I’ve got all my clothes on again… I think it’s going to be a very cold night tonight.