Distance hiked today: 26.9 miles / 43.3 km.
After I hung my food the mouse didn't bug me overnight. Rene had mice chew through his tent and run across his face when he was on the PCT, something I made sure to avoid!
Today was up and down hills, super hot in the sun. We had lunch at the top of Grizzly Peak - some meat and cheese with mayo (this mayo is changing the game), and I had an MRE-style foil pouch of paneer in curry sauce that was heavy so I ate that first. We had views of Glacier Peak throughout the day, and could see a small forest fire burning across the valley. Even in Washington, we're not free from the risk of forest fires.
We camped by Lake Sally Ann which was really nice. For dinner I had 2 tuna packets and some meat/cheese/mayo rounds. Not a lot of food I'm realizing…
I passed 4000km sometime today. 🔥
As I hiked along the side of mountains looking out at the valley, endless wilderness, mountain peaks and rocky ridges, and had no wind at all (seriously, how is it so calm on the top of these mountain ranges), I get a deep feeling of appreciation for how incredible it is to be out here, and how beautiful the wilderness is. These mountains, and all the life they hold, sit here and exist in their own quiet universe no matter what chaos is going on in the world. They manage to be full of life, from the massive trees, thunderstorms, and raging rivers, down to the smallest insect and trickling stream, and yet so quiet, peaceful, and majestic at the same time. It makes you feel insignificant in the best way possible, next to the millions of years of life that exists here, and puts into perspective what's important. It's like hitting the reset button - something I like to do every few years at least, with something like this. I can only hope to hold on to the feeling when I'm off trail - that's the real challenge.
Total trail mileage: 2494.5 miles / 4013.7 km