August 18 - 24 Snoqualmie to Skykomish

I apologize
for the inconsistent blog styles! It depends on computer availability (are we stuck using our phone?) WiFi connections and how interesting the trail was, etc. , etc., etc.

The trail has been challenging for us this week but we feel good and we were able to make our daily goals and overcame some scary things. I'm finding things I'm afraid of aren't usually as bad as I fear. So far anyway! We left Snoqualmie on the 18th and got to Skykomish yesterday (the 23rd).

We've met a lot of new people this week-some may be lasting friendships. King Fisher, Dave, Sam & Nicole, Jared & Sam, Robert, Goldfinger, and Autoban to name a few.

The trail is definitely changing, becoming more mountainous and rugged. The ups and downs are longer and steeper. Sometimes we can gain or lose 4,000 feet in elevation in a couple miles. We had one 3/4 mile stretch where we climbed 2000 feet. It doesn't sound like much until you are doing it! The trail overall is decent but is more and more often brushy and rocky. The rocks are heck on the feet and ankles. The brush makes it difficult to watch our step. The biting flies have been very annoying, landing on you every time you pause for even a minute. Yuck! Our new friends Jared & Sam gave us some repellent that seems to help. Becly's oil worked for mosquitoes but not the flies.

We had the "cat walk" that I was nervous about expecting it to be like the ridge walk in Goat Rocks. But this was easy and nothing to fear. Then there was the dangerous river crossing which was nerve wracking but doable. I would not have thought so in a higher water/snow year though. Our friend Dave just be-bopped over on the little skinny logs while we opted to get our feet wet and wade. Of course there was my fear of the difficult climbs. Yep, they were hard and slow but we did them! It's all preparation for what lies ahead. We had a little rain early on and overnight our last night so we didn't have to hike in too much rain.

We still haven't seen any big animals but we continue to watch for the elusive deer, elk, goat, bear, cougar and soon, moose. We do continue to see marmots, picas and chipmunks. Did you know chips are carnivorous? We saw one carrry and then eat a mouse! We also saw a pica with a very huge mouthful of greens.

As we came to the trailhead we met a new hiker just coming on and as we smiled and wished him happy hiking I told TBG hurry to the parking lot--his ride here could be our ride out! Sure enough she was just turning around as we arrived and I quickly stuck out my thumb, "are you serious?" She laughed and popped her trunk. We are very grateful to you Kris A for your generosity and ride to Skykomish. Late afternoon the day before, we had met Bob who told us about a hotel (Cascade Inn) in Skykomish that sounded like just what we needed so we decided to check it out. We opted to stay there instead of the trail angel Dinsmores. Jerry D was having breakfast at the cafe where we did so we had the pleasure of meeting him. What a wonderful and friendly guy (a bit of a flirt too!) He was very helpful and had some tips for our next resupply concerns in Stehenkin.

It's exciting to realize that we are well over half done with Washington now and anticipate completing it in two more weeks. All reports are that the toughest part of the trail is between here and the Canadian border. It looks like the elevation gains/losses will be more severe and longer. I'm concerned about being able to make our daily mileage with the increased difficulty. Less than 200 miles to go. We can do this right?...We plan on being in Stehenkin next week. From there we will start our final leg...wow...almost there...then home!

Did we share that we found out we are going to be grandparents again? Our daughter & son in law are expecting their fourth! Yippee! We love being grandparents even more than hiking!

Washington has been a different hike. We brought a couple's devotional and and have spent more time and effort on each other. We are enjoying the deepening closeness we had originally hoped for. We are not stressing so much about high miles and working harder (even if slower) at taking better care of ourselves and enjoying the hike. What a difference it makes.

Please enjoy some of our photos and comment. We love hearing from you. I apologize for not responding to your comments...Glenn & Carol, Becky, Hiking Fools (thanks for the yummy care pkg! ) Penny, Shawn and others. Your comments greatly encourage us. Thank you to our friends at TBCC and my co-workers for the care packages also. We have enjoyed your caring snacks!

Skykomish on Dwellable

Until next time...
We love hiking!
KOKO & The Bald Guy