I can honestly say that I think I hiked more switchbacks today than any other of the roughly 150 days on the trail. They were relentless. The 2.5-mile steep climb I mentioned in yesterday's entry? All switchbacks. And when I got to the top, after a brief respite, it was switchbacks all the way down to Vista Creek. Then I had another batch of them later on. But it is okay because the weather was absolutely perfect! I literally did not see one cloud all day long. And in the North Cascades, that is a rarity.
Today's hike was anything but "normal". I woke up to iced-over pools of water and frost everywhere. It was frigid! I started out by 8, and knowing that I had some rough, poorly maintained terrain in front of me, I was only hoping to hike 20 miles. I nearly didn't even get that! I started out with a steep drop down to Milk Creek (via switchback of course), then straight back up the other side, then back down to Vista Creek and the Suiattle River before I finished the day with a relatively easy 4.4-mile climb.
The mileage problems really began on the super-steep ascent. It just took longer than expected and by the time I finally got to a decent break point at the top, it was already 11:45 am. Then the descent to Vista Creek, Gamma Creek, and Suiattle River was completely choked with blowdowns (I referenced this in earlier entries). I couldn't believe how many downed trees there were! I took some photos just because I wanted to make sure I could prove later on that I wasn't exagerrating. Most of the time there was a relatively easy route around the trees, but oftentimes there weren't. One place in particular had so mich debris, I had a hard time finding the trail on the other side. I'm just really glad that I put in big miles the past two days so that a day like today didn't kill my chances of getting to Stehekin by tomorrow. My last big challenge of the day was the crossing of the Suiattle. The hype was all that: hype. There really wasn't much of a challenge to it. As long as you were paying attention, you'd be fine. I will say, however, that I'm glad I wasn't halfway across the river when the two fighter jets on a training run came roaring through the canyon! It was loud and awesome...I never get tired of seeing them!
Anyway, now I'm left with 21.6 mostly downhill miles to get to Stehekin River Road tomorrow. The last shuttle bus into town leaves at 6:15 so I don't have a whole lot of time to take my time on the trail. Once there, I'll be doing my final resupply...hard to imagine.
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