PCT day 141 – More rain
I was expecting to be awake half the night on mouse watch but I fell asleep remarkably quickly. I woke up in a panic. I had fully expected to be dreaming about rodents all night but instead I dreamt about being attacked by bears?! Had my tent been chewed? Had my bag been chewed? No. Thankfully everything was fine.
It was still raining when I woke up but today I would get into town so it didn't matter if everything was wet. But I still packed up carefully and made sure I kept as much dry as possible. I have also perfected the art of taking down my tent with the fly still up so I can try to keep the main body as dry as possible. I was on the trail by 8am. This time in long trousers with my waterproofs over them. My shoes are a lost cause, my feet are just gong to be wet and cold. My waterproof mittens are not as waterproof as I would like them to be but even slightly damp gloves are better than soaking wet ones.
Again it rained pretty much all day. Not a lot of views and not that many photos because wet hands and wet iPhones do not mix very well!
I slipped about 100 times on wet rocks and muddy trail. A lot of the trail was a river, but my feet were in puddles in my shoes anyway so it didn't matter. I survived the day on sugary snacks alone again.
After 18 miles of non stop walking I finally reached Stevens pass and the highway to hitch to Skykomish. I stood on the side of the road in the pouring rain looking as sorry for myself as I could which wasn't that hard considering I did feel really sorry for myself. A few lorries zoomed by covering me in spray, not that it made any difference to how wet I was. I thought either someone was with going to feel sorry for me or no one was going to pick me up because of how wet I was. Well after about 5 minutes a car passed and pulled over and reversed back to come and get me. The man picked me up because he used to do a lot of hitchhiking himself. I had a cat in a box on my lap as we drove into town which I dripped on. Sorry cat. It was one of the more sketchy rides I've had but I made it to Skykomish still alive so overall it was a success.
My original plan was to hitch further to the trail angels the Dinsmores, but I was soaked and cold and I made a last minute change of plan and got a room in the Cascadia Inn. I just wanted to get warm and have some time to myself to think about the next stage. I had an amazing shower and got warm and dry. I ate real food in the restaurant and bought snacks from the gas station to eat in bed. There was a lounge for us to hang out in if we wanted with some furniture that I want for my own house! Granny chic.
I'm so warm. I want to stay here forever and never go outside again. Until tomorrow.