Distance hiked today: 15.3 miles / 24.6 km.
Woke up to a nice sunrise, and I could see the pink, orange and blue in the sky through my tent. I hiked the 15 miles to the highway at White Pass by 1pm ish, with nice views of Goat Rocks, Shoe Lake, and Mount Rainier in the distance.
I'd sent my insulin forward to a trail angel (Alissa) in Packwood, down the road here from White Pass. She had kindly responded to my call for help in the PCT trail angels Facebook group. She met us at the trail head with trail magic (woo!), and she'd invited Giggles and I to stay a night in their home. I was so looking forward to more time to rest, in a real bed.
She also invited another hiker named Gnocchi to stay, and we all loaded up and headed to town. First stop was lunch at a local diner (which Alissa treated us to 🤗), then to her house for an amazing shower, laundry, and a kitchen snack party after we'd gone to the grocery store. My hiker hunger seems to be back, and I was making up for my calorie deficit big time. I ate a lot. My best creation: a keto microwave mug cake, with keto ice cream, strawberries, peanut butter, and sugar free cake icing. 👌 It ain't clean, but right now I'm focused on calories and morale-boosting snacks.
It was really special to spend time with Alissa and her husband Mike in their home. Alissa hopes to (plans to 😉) hike the PCT one day, and we're the first hikers she's trail-angeled for. We shared trail stories late into the evening. From complete strangers, to being invited to make ourselves at home in her kitchen, that's the magic of the trail and the community surrounding it. It reminds you that the world is full of amazing people and kindness. You just need to be doing things you love to meet others that love it too.
Total trail mileage: 2295.8 miles / 3693.9 km