Day 19

14 miles
The day began with views of the Cispus River valley and then we started climbing up towards Old Snowy. It was a clear, bluebird day so we could see Adams, St. Helens, and Rainier while we worked our way up. Being a Saturday there are a ton of weekenders on the trail. A few thru-hikers too. We took the hiker route up to the saddle where there’s a junction that leads up to the summit of Old Snowy. Last time we came through here, we skipped the summit. This time, I went for it after seeing Yardsale and Chickadee head up. Leaving my pack at the saddle, I was light on my feet, which was good because the scramble up was a little sketchy. Going up was easier than coming back down, but we made it roundtrip in about a half hour. Regrouped, a quick snack, and then down the Knife’s Edge. This section was exhilirating the first time, and was even moreso this time. We had full sunlight, clear skies, and a slight breeze. We also had lots of down-climbing on loose rock, which is taxing and slow. Happy to be done with that, we all took a lunch break in a small stand of trees on the first flat section. We agreed we weren’t going to make it another 13 miles to the highway, so we agreed to stop about 8 miles before, splitting up the last climb between tonight and tomorrow. The afternoon was cruisey, and I listened to music for the first time on this trip. My legs are sore if we’re not moving at this point, but I feel stronger than when we started. We might get pizza tomorrow!