Today was another fantastic day. We had a super cold night on the ridge, but everyone survived. Lots of cuddling to stay warm....Sunday spooned me, I spooned Action Pack, and Amigo was on her other side in his bivy. Mellow and Smiles had their own pile going and Flappy managed to set up his tent.
We woke up to a beautiful sunrise. Flappy got out of camp first but I was right behind him. All of my remaining food (three oatmeal packets and instant mashed potatoes) required water and I was pretty much out. I got some water from a creek less than a mile from camp and passed Flappy eating breakfast a few minutes later. I pushed on another 2.5 miles or so and then stopped to cook by a lake where everyone caught up to me.
The hiking was great. We had one 1500 foot climb but otherwise mostly flat or down. Lots of good views though we eventually made our way back into the trees. On top of it all, there was trail magic provided by a woman named Lost and Found at the White Pass trail head. She had fresh fruit, crackers, drinks, chili, and fried bread. It was such a treat after over six days in the mountains.
Post trail magic, Mellow and Smiles hit the highway to hitch into Packwood, about 21 miles west of the pass. Flappy, Sunday, Amigo, Action Pack and I walked the half mile down the highway to the Cracker Barrel Store where we all needed to pick up packages (just maps for me) and then hitched from there. We also found Shameless at the store, and he joined us for the Packwood adventure. I got a hitch from a woman on her way back to Olympia after helping her daughter in Yakima with her brand new grandson after about 30 minutes of waiting.
In Packwood, we rendezvoused at the eagerly anticipated Cruiser Pizza which totally lived up to the expectations. Some kind folks also brought us a couple pitchers of beer. After stuffing ourselves with pizza, we split into two teams, both with the goal of making it about 5 miles up the highway to the Timberline development where Smiles' friends' parents have a place with a guest house. It was unclear whether they'd be home and Amigo, Sunday, Flappy, and I had very vague directions but we were on a mission and were under the impression the door would be left unlocked for us. The four of us made a quick pit stop at the grocery for snacks and beer and then managed to yogi a ride form some people at the store. The driver was this awesome guy named Carries the Bull who had been chosen by some elders to lead a sun dance ritual and sweat lodge. They were doing some sort of kick off ceremony at a campsite in the area. Very interesting people. I love hitching!
Once we got dropped off at the turn off, we made our way toward the swimming pool. We were looking for a small A-frame next to a bigger house. It was supposed to be located somewhere to the right of the pool. Since we didn't have cell service, we weren't able to call Smiles who had been there before. To make matters worse, every other house was an A-frame. Rather than patiently waiting by the pool, we elected to start snooping around, knocking on doors, and trying handles. Fortunately, we remained under the radar and eventually stumbled upon Action Pack who had gone on a mission to find us. We had fun.
In a matter of minutes, we were at a lovely house. Smiles' friends' parents had just arrived home and were wonderful. The guest A-frame is beautiful.....lots of wood, a really nice bathroom, a bed downstairs, and two cots in a loft where Amigo and I are sleeping. We're lucky to be here.
Off to bed. Back to town for chores tomorrow. Less than 350 miles to the border!
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