July 21

Distance today: 23.7 miles

Mile marker: 350.7

On the map today looked pretty easy – no huge climbs or bushwacking. Our feet were still pretty sore from yesterday’s big hike, but they felt okay this morning. We made it to Chinook Pass before 9am.

We made our way towards Mount Rainier National Park, crossing some lovely meadows and streams on the way.

The morning clouds were threatening rain and we were worried we would miss another mountain view. Fortunately, the clouds parted just in time for us to get our closest and best views of Mount Rainier. We were getting glimpses through the trees.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the time to stop and stare too much. We have miles and miles of walking in front of us.  A bit later we stopped for lunch. The water source we were counting on was another 0.3 miles down a side trail. What’s another half mile in the scheme of things anyway? Jason had masamam curry (A-) and Alex had spinach couscous (B-).

Shortly after lunch, the clouds finally rolled in and brought rain this time. It wasn’t a downpour, but enough for our rain gear to get a workout. The trail down from lunch was also rocky and with a few blowdowns that made for slow walking in the rain.

We made it to the river and managed to cross on a log thanks to a helpful tip from some northbound hikers we met a few minutes before. Our last push for the day was uphill, but by then the rain had stopped and the trail was in much better condition. We reached camp fairly late when we decided to shoot for the further lake to make tomorrow’s resupply easier. For dinner, Jason had broccoli mac n cheese (B+) and Alex had masamam curry (A).