Day 131
Start: Sand Lake
Finish: Bear Gap
Daily Mileage: 31.2
PCT Mile: 2331.6
Clouds rolled through camp last night making for a damp night and morning. At least the wind seems to have shifted and pushed the smoke from the fire to the easy away from us. It was perfectly clear today.
The trail started through the typical forest interspersed with mosquito factories (small ponds) we have been walking through the past few days. Nothing too special, but it was an easy stroll as long as you kept your speed up to keep ahead of the mosquitoes.
At the top of the climb, we crossed into Rainier National Park. The trail only stays near the edge of the park and doesn’t go near the volcano at all, but we still got some good views of the mountain from a side I don’t think I’ve seen before. Always great to see all the glaciers, snow, and ice on the mountain.
We wove around scenic high ridges for hours before dropping down to Dewey Lake which was packed with weekenders. It seemed to be quite the popular spot, but way too many people for us. There were even a ton of day hikers to compliment the backpackers. Not much for us here, so we moved on up and over the next ridge and down to Chinook Pass. Millions of people along the way, and no real reason to stop.
When we got to the pass there was a huge parking lot and signs for trail magic. Two 2016 hikers were setup with everything. Mac and cheese, hot dogs, snacks, soda, fruit, and most importantly beer and mimosas. Though we were still planning on more miles for the day, we did get sucked into the vortex and stayed for an hour or two.
Building up our fortitude and saying goodbye, we resumed our hike among the multitude of hikers out for a Saturday stroll and soon came to Sheep Lake which was also swarmed with weekend backpackers. We grabbed water from the inlet of the lake and continued uphill to escape the crowds.
Cresting a ridge, yet another layer of beautiful mountains opened up for us and the trail kept us high to enjoy it. We did a couple miles and started looking for a campsite. Comments on camping in this area were sparse, but you can usually find something. We got to something of a campsite below the trail with two slanted spots scratched out. It would have to do. I’m pointed downhill, so we will see if I slide out the bottom of my tent in the night. At least there are good views of the mountains.
