Bushcamp to Bushcamp
22.8 miles
Mile 2571.9
I woke at 3 to the sound of rain pattering off my tent. Still exhausted, I drank my breakfast before packing up. I needed to make it to the ranger station near Stehekin before 12:30 to catch the bus into town in order to arrive before the post office closed at 2. Spikes didn’t have anything at the post office, so would meet me later in Stehekin. By 4 I was making my way up the dark wet trail.
The first two hours of hiking kind of sucked. Herds of frogs hopped out of my way as I made my way up my only climb for the day in the dark. The rain made me wet, but the overgrown plants on trail absolutely drenched me as I brushed by their soggy leaves.
By the time I reached the top of my climb the rain and thunder was retreating, slowly giving way to sunshine.
My GPS couldn’t locate my location all morning due to the mountains, so I had no way of knowing how far I still had to hike, so I ran most of the way.
When my GPS finally located me, I was only 8 miles from the station, and it wasn’t even 9 yet…so I was solid. I took my time from there, munching on huckleberries as I went.
The last few miles were an easy downhill glide to the station. When I arrived, I hung out with Torpedo, a German hiker I’d met in southern Cali, for a bit before hopping onto the bus and riding into town.
Upon arriving I went to the post office to pickup my resupply box and new shoes. My resupply box was there, the shoes weren’t…great. Apparently if boxes are delivered via UPS, the post office can’t accept them, so they’re stashed in a bear box down by the pier. Fingers crossed, I walked down to the bear box and sure enough, there was my box.
Relieved, I organized my resupply before hitting up the coin operated showers. There wasn’t any soap…so I didn’t feel much cleaner than pre shower, but at least I’d washed the dust off. I also laundered my clothes, so that was nice.
While waiting for Spikes, I met a thru hiking couple named Seadog and Cucumber. Now engaged, they met hiking the AT last year. They were a neat bunch.
I also explored the tiny town of Stehekin while waiting. The isolated town is nestled on the western bank of Lake Chelan. At a staggering 50 miles long and 1 mile wide, it’s Washington’s largest lake. The only way to visit Stehekin is by plane, boat or foot, there are no roads leading into town.
Around 4 Spikes arrived, and the two of us, accompanied by Torpedo cruised over to the restaurant for dinner.
The food was just ok, but the view of Lake Chelan from the patio was worth the pricey meal.
After dinner we all setup camp in the campground near town and hung out until dusk.
Cheers!