Miles Hiked: 4
Start Location: Mile 2457
End Location: Mile 2461
End Location GPS: 47.74622, -121.08850
It was a beautiful morning on our way to Stevens Pass to pick up our resupply packages. There was a definite fall nip in the air which has been building over the past few weeks, but it wasn’t too cold, especially on a short but steep climb to get over the ridge and descend into the Pass which got the blood moving.
When we arrived the lodge was closed and wouldn’t open for an hour, so we made our way to the trail head and found Coppertone camped out with donuts and fruit. We’ve ran into Coppertone about 7 times now. He drives a small RV and usually hands out root beer floats to the hikers. It’s a nice sight to see him at the trail and this was our final time we would see him.
The weather outlook for the next ten days seems to be taking a nose dive. Lots of rain and very cold temperatures, down to the low 20s, and potential for snow showers in higher elevations. We hitched into Leavenworth and are debating whether or not to call it a trip for this year and come back next summer when the weather is more favorable, where we would actually get to enjoy the remaining 190 stunning miles instead of just getting through it. It’s a tough decision but we are enjoying our motel room and getting to eat some really tasty town food. Tommorrow we will look at the forecast again and make a final call. This may have been our last day hiking for the 2016 season. We will see.
