It rained right through to morning and I had zero drive to get up before morning light. But once it was light, I peeled myself from the sleeping mat to deal with the world wet from rain outside and condensation inside. I immediately had to poop.
And no sooner had I finished doing that than the day hikers started showing up. Good timing me.
At this moment, I found myself wishing I had slept in the hotel. I would have arrived at this exact spot at this exact time, having used a proper toilet, and I wouldn’t have been faced with the prospect of having to pack up a wet tent and everything else at least somewhat damp.
On the bright side, that was to be the last of the recent spate of rain for some time. The hiking ahead looked beautiful.
After I packed up, I walked down to check out Lodge Lake, like every day hiker that came be seemed to be doing. They said it was nice when they came back moments later, so clearly it wasn’t a long side trip. It was tricky, though, since the trail was full of water and mud. My new boots made quick work of it. The lake was… okay.
The rest of the day’s hike was not very interesting. I got a late start, obviously, so I hiked fast. I watched the world dry out, the rocks and trees literally steaming in the sun.
Lunch by myself on a rock next to Mirror Lake. I’m not sure it deserved the name. Droves of day hikers continued to pass on the trail above me.
Yet as soon as I got past Mirror Lake (and finding the continuation of the trail beyond it was not an easy task), the day hikers dried up as quickly as the trail had.
And for good reason. There wasn’t really much of interest beyond that point. Some have said that the 40 miles south of Snoqualmie Pass are the most boring section of trail in Washington. It honestly could have been worse, and I did see worse in California, but I didn’t take very many pictures during the latter half of this day.
Stopped where the trail met the end of an infrequently used road just as the light was dim enough to require a headlamp. Rolled out my still wet tent and climbed into a still damp sleeping bag, worn out in a dispirited sort of way.
Total distance: 15 miles
