August 25
Miles: 9.1
Mile Markers: 2387.5 – Snoqualmie Pass
Miles to Canada: 259.5
This morning I felt like I was dragging getting up, probably because there were only 9 miles into Snoqualmie. I was the last one to be packed up and on the trail. There’s been a heatwave the last few days and it’s just been so hot, and it’s supposedly going to be over tomorrow and then there will be some rain for a few days.
The next section is a lot of climbing. There’s about 7,000 ft of elevation gain in the first 15 miles out of Snoqualmie. I don’t want to have to do that all in one day. That’s crazy. Especially in the heat. I’m not really sure what everyone else’s plan is. It seems like they want to finish on September 4th or 5th which is like four full days before my plan that I had put together, which is already pushing and doing no zero days. I’m not sure, but this might be the day where I have to start lagging behind the group.
I’d love to finish the trail with them. They’re so fun and I’ve loved being part of the group, but I have to listen to my body as well. I’m halfway through my menstrual cycle which means that I’m going to start getting really tired soon, and things will start hurting more, I’ll be more prone to injury, and I won’t be able to keep up. I just know it.
But that’s a problem for tomorrow.
Today we’re going to get into town not too late – probably around noon, or earlier and then do laundry, and shower and things like that. I got my own room at the hotel. I’m just such a light sleeper. I really need the rest, and I really need the time alone, so I’m looking forward to that.
I had a little bit of phone service and my brother texted and said that he got my Garmin working. What the hell. It wouldn’t charge at all from my battery bank or even turn on. I have put so much trust into that device, only for it to feel extremely untrustworthy these last few weeks.
We got to Snoqualmie in the morning, but couldn’t check into the hotel until 2pm. I had a box sent to me at Snoqualmie, so I didn’t need to resupply, but everyone else wanted to go to North Bend. Warpaint’s mom (Mama Paint) drove up from Olympia, and so everybody went to North Bend but I stayed behind at the hotel. I was just feeling pretty tired.
I went to the market and saw Rocky, as well as a guy I had lunch with on San Jacinto once and hadn’t seen since. Another woman he was hiking with seemed quite nervous about Travis Dekker, (the man who had murdered his children and caused part of the PCT to shut earlier this year) and told us that he had been spotted at Snow Lake a few days prior. We were there around that time. Fonda does kind of look like him, with the hair and beard, and we joked that maybe he was mistaken for the murderer. But once Fonda opens his mouth, you can’t help but laugh, and he’s the last person you’d ever think was a murderer. But still, we kept telling him that maybe he should shave his beard and not hike alone.
Before the group left to North Bend, another hiker told us that a woman named Gritty had gotten off trail and was doing trail magic in front of the grocery store. I met her a really long time to go on San Jacinto and she had a tattoo that said Grit City on her legs. I had asked if she was from Tacoma, and she said yes. She lives like a quarter mile from where I live. We went over to say hi and we took a picture of all the Tacoma people which was nice. She was giving away stuff from her resupply boxes as well as some cookies that she had made. So that she got off trail due to an injury but she seemed to be in good spirits.
Warpaint’s mom met us at Snoqualmie and brought a cake for Rocky’s birthday. She also made us custom tramily handkerchiefs with chili dogs on them which is an inside joke, and they were printed with everyone’s names. So thoughtful.
We did laundry and showered. I got another pair of shorts in my resupply box – size extra small. I started the trail wearing size medium of the same exact shorts and then got a size small about a month into the trail. When I first got the size small, they looked like booty shorts, but now they’re so baggy. The extra small looks a little tighter, but not by much.
I haven’t lost as much weight on the trail as most people have, maybe 10-15 lbs. I’ve built a ton of muscle mass and lost some fat but overall my legs just look massive now.
I’m looking forward to going back to doing Aerials and Pilates. I also really liked cycling. I’ll probably do day hikes, but I don’t have really any desire to do another thru hike anytime soon. People joke that you’re either a triple crowner or a one and done kind of person, and I think I’m definitely a one and done kind of person.
I always hoped to finish the whole trail, but I don’t feel like I’ve failed at all. I don’t feel insecure anymore about skipping sections. I don’t feel bad at all. I’ve done something amazing and incredible and something that most people will never even attempt in their lifetime. I’ve hiked more miles in 5 months, than most people will ever hike in their whole life. I feel like I can leave the trail knowing that I tried absolutely everything I could to try to hike this trail despite all of the obstacles that I went through – physically, mentally and emotionally.
I don’t need to prove myself to anybody. I’ve proved myself to me and that’s all that matters.
I hung out in my hotel room for a while, and Roses came to take a shower, and then we all met up in Warpaint’s room. His mom had baked a cake for Rocky’s birthday so he had some beers and cake and then went to dinner at the grocery store to get pizza. There was a guy in there who was a trail angel, who we started talking to. He told us that we were absolutely insane and it was so admirable what we are doing. He also told us that our group seemed so happy and fun and most of the hikers that he saw at this point were just kind of trudging along, eyes down, ready to be done, but we seemed to be having a good time, and in good spirits.
I’m really happy to be back with my tramily. I really do love them, and it really is a very special group of people.
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