Day 138

11 Miles

Today was a long one, but things went smoothly. Woke up at 5 to shower, pack up, and get to the bus stop across the parking lot by 6. First bus was right on time, we made our transfer to the second bus, and then got on the Lady of the Lake ferry at 8:30. The ride across Lake Chelan was calm; I even napped for a few minutes. We arrived in Stehekin around 11:15. There were a bunch of hikers we knew: Magnet, Narrator, Navigator, Clancy, Godfather, Sunshine, Flavortown, and others who I can’t remember their names. It was fun meeting up with Magnet again. Most hikers seemed to be shooting for 6 days to tag the border and get back to Harts Pass, so we might actually finish with a bubble of hikers we’re familiar with because we have the same plan. We picked up our resupply boxes that we had mailed from Seattle from the post office. After packing it all up and then mailing home some leftovers, we just hung out waiting for the 2pm bus to the trailhead. Stehekin is a beautiful little lakeshore town. Everything comes in by boat or floatplane (or on foot). The cars that are there were barged in. Knowing that, the bus shuttle to and from the trailhead is even more impressive. It stops at the town’s bakery along the way. Hikers rave about the food, and for good reason. A true gem in this remote spot. The bus was full of hikers and we all got dropped off around 2:30. By 3, everyone had eaten their baked goods and started up the trail. We were the last to head out, but not before being told by one of the park rangers that we couldn’t camp at the spot we had planned because it requires a separate permit. Our only options were campsites at 5 miles or 11 miles. Since it was already 3, we figured on the closer one. It started to lightly rain as soon as we began walking and didn’t stop until we reached camp. Figures. When we arrived at the Bridge Creek Camp we changed plans to push on to Six Mile Camp instead since it was only 5pm, we were already wet, and the forecast for the rest of the week calls for more rain and snow. So extra miles now may be easier than later. And right now we just want to finish as soon as we can. It was a quick extra 6 miles. We got to camp and snagged the first spot that our tent could fit. There’s at least a dozen other tents here, but since it was nearly dark and most hikers were in their tents already due to rain, I’m not sure who all is here aside from Clancy and Godfather.