August 6th
I woke up this morning to the blowing of a hearty wind. Looking outside my tent, it reminded me of the mist you would see on the beach in the morning hours, only it was the fine sand being picked up by the wind. If you have ever camped at Sun Lakes in Eastern Washington, you know what this is like.
Loaded with water, I left camp at 6:15am and was greeted by an early morning rush of thrus and the sun coming up on Three Fingered Jack. Although climbs are not my favorite first off in the morning, it was a nice change from the burn areas I had been accustomed to lately. The striations of rock were a delight to see as the sun awoke the valley I was climbing out of.
On the other side, there were a few small washouts on the trail and I had my first views of the Three Sisters. Down into Santiam Pass, the trail is once again sand, and I was glad that I was headed in that direction.
I stopped at the rest area at the pass at 11:15 for lunch and chatted with thrus, Boomerang and Lizard as they were dropped off to continue their journey north. They hail from Ellensburg and Vancouver originally and were excited to be making it toward Washington State. Boomerang said he worked for the forest service in Skykomish, making it extra special.
With little water left, I continued on to Big Lake, taking the trail (not the road) into the camp around 3:15 pm. Checking in at the office, I was given a towel and soap, along with the low down on where to shower and what time dinner was. After putting my things in the laundry, I asked about where folks camped and was told about a short trail and three beach coves next to camp. Everyone was very friendly and it was a welcoming experience, even if it took me asking a few folks to find the cove.
I set my tent up on the black sands of Big Lake and then proceeded back to camp, where they have opened a shelter as a “hiker hut”. There were several other hikers there, sitting on couches, going through their resupply boxes, as well as an overflowing hiker box. Mr. President, Artic Fox, who were headed out tonight and Ghost Angel and Susanne (a thru southbounder) were staying until the morning. Some of us made our way to the lodge for dinner, which was something called, “Yum Bowls”. Basically a rice and beans taco bowl and it was perfect (anything with fresh cilantro, right?). The camp is Seventh Day Adventist, and thus vegetarian, which suits me because it meant fresh vegetables. The camp doesn’t charge but does have a donation box. I never felt like they were that worried about it.
After hanging in the hiker hut until near dark, I headed down to my tent for the night, saying good bye to Susanne and Ghost Angel who would probably be gone before me. I only had 12 more miles to go and three days to get there, so I plan to sleep in and take a zero here. Another great day, no pain meds.
For the continuation of this journey, visit Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 13 and Another Zero
To start at the beginning, head over to Snuffy’s 2014 Pacific Crest Trail Journal-Oregon Day 1
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