This morning we woke up feeling a little groggy but excited to reach Snoqualmie. Tofu didn’t make it to our site but we assumed that she was only a few miles behind.
After packing up we set out to cover the 23 miles to the pass over rolling hills lined with huckleberries. The views of the cascades were pleasant and it warmed up quickly though our muscles did not. Sherpa has been experiencing some really intense pain behind her knee and in her shin. The rocky trail with steep decents didn’t make things any easier on her and she struggled all day to find a solution.
The only real thing of note that happened all morning was the constant gunfire in the background. I haven’t seen so many enthusiastic hunters since I lived in Pennsylvania. About halfway to our destination it was starting to get really hot and we arrived at Mirror Lake. We paused to give Sherpa’s leg a little rest and get water. I couldn’t resist jumping in for a quick swim and it was well worth it.
After I put my clothes back on we hit the trail again and passed many beautiful overlooks of the lake on the way.
We hiked the last 10 miles slowly to try and minimize the pain for Sherpa and arrived at Snoqualmie around 3:30 p.m. and headed straight to the BBQ restaurant. Before long Tofu paid us a visit on her way to the Ardvark food truck.
After we filled up on Pepsi and food we went to the Dru Bru brewery for a flight. There Tofu met up with us and eventually Nimbles and Yeti joined as well. The end is feeling so close. We are only 250ish miles from Manning Park. It’s a little scary to think we could easily finish in 10 days.
We chatted and drank for a while then headed to the Washington Alpine Club to sleep. The WAC is this amazing, huge cabin that sleeps 70 and alows hikers to stay for only $10, which includes shower, power, bunk, and use of kitchen.
We were so amazed by this little gem and were excited to hang out tomorrow and check out the many books in the living room area. The cabin is unlike anything i have seen out east. Members can come and bring up to 7 guests and use the facilities any time they are open. Many skiiers, mountaineers and hikers have passed through this lodge.
After chatting and exploring the cabin we went off to our separate, huge bunks and drifted to sleep like little hiker babies.