The Columbia River creates the border between Oregon and Washington. To cross it, we hiked across the Bridge of the Gods. There is no pedestrian path or sidewalk. The bridge is narrow. The river is quite visible beneath your feet, swirling, as you look through the metal grating that serves as the bridge's "surface."
At this point in the hike, 507.2 miles seems like nothing.
We are here on August 11th. We are hoping to finish by September 2nd.
My friend Chelsea came to hike with us near Mt. Adams. It was is this section that we began encountering ripe huckleberries, which slowed our pace considerably.
Chelsea hiked with us for a day and a part, and then we spent a day hanging out by a lake. We played cribbage and swam in the lake. It was the first down time that Tim and I had spent on trail, and it was extremely enjoyable.
This butterfly enjoyed my company. It kept landing on me, and even followed me when I would get up and move. It reminded me of my mom.
Mt. Adams at sunset. While we were camping here, there happened to be a bit of a heat wave, and the entire afternoon and evening, there were continually rock and snow slides setting off cascades of rumbles down the valley.
Mt. Goats! The kids were kicking up their heels and romping across the hillside!
The Goat Rocks Wilderness. My favorite area on trail.
Mt. Ranier, as seen from the south.
Trail Angels! They fed us fresh produce!
Mile 2,???
The Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
Mt. Ranier from the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
Feasting with the Cousins.
Some kind day hikers had given us all some food, and we decided to share with eachother.
The following day, we feasted on blueberries and huckleberries.
Hitching to Hiker Heaven from Stevens Pass took longer than we had anticipated. We tried various antics to convince motorists that we were a fun and harmless bunch, despite the condition of our clothes :)
It tool over an hour to make it to Hiker Heaven.
We spent the night, bathed, and laundered our clothes at Hiker Heaven, hosted by Andrea and Jerry Dinsmore, two wonderful trail angels. The next day we were eager to get back on trail, knowing that the next section was a particularly beautiful portion of the trail.
In 2009, my favorite campsite had been Fire Creek Pass. It was my favorite this year as well.
The next morning, marmots bathed in the golden, rising, sunlight.
And we were hiking with our friends again! We caught back up!
Glacier Peak
Toast is wearing my old gaiters and Tim's old shoes!
We crossed the Suiattle River on a log.
Reaching North Cascades National Park means that we are less than a week away from finishing the trail.
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