Day 133, The World You Love

Part 5, Washington, Day 133

The World You Love

Miles: 14.03

Total Miles: 2306.03

The little motel room I slept in last night was great, but I slept badly. My legs were cramping up all night and my dizziness is keeping me up. I'm feeling very anxious lately about the end of the trail. Very uncertain. I slept a little and woke up at 6am and sat around until about 10am before I packed up and walked next door to the gas station to get some food. Farmer and Bumble were there, so at least I knew some hikers were around me, but everyone I was with yesterday was gone. Some were already on trail, others were in Packwood, 20 miles West. I left the gas station at noon and walked slowly down Highway 12 toward the trail.

I couldn't shake the anxiety I was feeling today. I felt tense and sort of agitated. It felt good to be hiking in great weather though, so I hiked at a slow pace and thought about my hike this summer. 

I climbed up for about 4 miles. I entered the William O Douglas Wilderness. The sign was missing a half, and someone wrote this informative message:

I learned something today! 

It was strangely quiet today. I saw no hikers for hours and heard nothing but the wind. It felt like the forest was preparing for something to happen. 

I'm getting slower with each passing day. I do have a full resupply, so my pack is heavy, but I had to stop frequently to rest today. There was smoke in the sky to the South, East, and North, but it was clear and sunny above me. 

When I was in White Pass, I kept hearing news of hikers whom I had befriended this summer dropping off the trail. Some were taking alternative routes to Canada on highways and such, others were stopping at the closure and going home. The fires are causing this last part of the hike to become very uncertain and anticlimactic. It's a confusing feeling. 

I hiked with extra awareness today. I noticed the plants rustling in the wind and I followed the footprints of other hikers before me in the dirt. I felt like I was following ghosts; there was nobody out there today. It was just me. 

At one point I turned a corner and 3 large grouse burst into the air in every direction, scaring the crap out of me. About 20 minutes later, an Elk ran off into the woods. I've been seeing Elk lately, and they are very impressive. 

I planned to hike a bit further today, but I tired out fast. 

I stopped at Bumping River. It's getting dark much earlier now, and I'm pretty tired. Today was a short day, but also a thoughtful day. I have a feeling that over the next 90 miles, I'll do a lot of reflecting and deciding. 

I got water and set up my tent near the river. 

Since it was a bit early, I laid on my pad and looked at the sky for a bit through the trees. 

The bees are buzzing around me. There are Yellow jackets everywhere in Washington. The other day, Lebowski got stung by one and he broke out in hives all over his body. Poor guy! 

I cooked ramen for dinner. 

I'm camped between the river and this little meadow. My tent door is broken; the zipper broke off, so my tent is full of bees. It's a wild slumber party for sure. 

I'm so tired lately. I guess fatigued and weary would describe how I feel physically. Mentally, I'm fatigued and anxious. A solid week of rain and thunderstorms are coming. That could be good for the fires, assuming no new fires start from the Lightning, but it also has my attention. It's cold here, and a week of rain makes it hard for me and my gear to stay dry. It's also really remote here. I hope I see some other hikers soon. It's getting pretty lonely lately. 

One thing is for certain; this sure is a beautiful world I'm hiking in.