Day Two: Trap Lake to Creek Near Deception Pass
Because Kevin, Chuck and I suffered through four days of rain on our 2003 PCT hike, we worried about the weather for this trip. So when the sun broke through the clouds on the morning of day two, there was much rejoicing. Chuck recounted tales of sun worship by American Indians of New England, and we felt a true kinship with those tribes.
We used the sun to dry off some of the moisture from the dew and Bob did a little fishing while we got ready for a long day of hiking.
Chuck worships the rising sun, while we do chores in our sunny campsite.
(Left) Bob poses by the small Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight tent that would be our home for seven nights. (Right) Chuck soaks in the rays while looking up at the ridge we have to cross in a few hours.
One major adventure on this day was the sudden departure of Kevin's backpack. We were resting at the top of a climb and he had set it down by the side of the trail. As I walked past it, the vibrations must have been enough to jar it. Suddenly it started to slip down the mountain side. It began in almost slow motion, and we all just stared at it. Certainly it was going to stop, I thought. My mistake. The pack started taking off. I was helpless with my twisted ankle to run after it.
Fortunately there were some trees about 30 feet below us and the pack stopped its plunge. Kevin, Chuck and Bob went down to get it back. Kevin was lucky that almost nothing was lost--just a bottle of insect repellant and a water bottle.
That afternoon we started seeing thruhikers who were making their way from Mexico to Canada. I had been reading the online journals of Greasepot and Garlic Man and knew that they would be in the area. Sure enough, we met them on the trail and I spent about 10 minutes interviewing them about their experiences. They were pleased that they had met someone who had been following their adventures online. I was impressed with how much of their personalities came through in their journals--they were just as funny and personable as they appeared in their text. With them were Freeman, from Switzerland, and Pickle, one of the older thru hikers this year.
On the trail, Bob, Tom and Kevin.
Checking the map above Trap Lake.
