Of Mountain Goats, Marmots, and Men

-Day 7-
Sunday, August 10th, 2014

10.0 PCT Trail Miles
Spectacle Lake to Ridge Lake

PCT mile 2420 to 2410 (+1 mi up from Spectacle Lake)              11.0 Total Miles
3,800ft elevation gain; 2,851ft loss

Spectacle Lake from the PCT

Alarm goes off at 0530 and I don't want to get up.  My little cocoon is so warm and comfortable and I know my feet are going to give me grief today.  But, time waits for no one, and its time to get going.  We had first breakfast with Claire and Andy talking excitedly about the coming day.  They are going back out the way they came in; 9 miles via Pete Lake.  Jim and I will be heading south on the PCT to Ridge Lake 11 miles away.  We start with a big climb out of Spectacle Lake then, once back on the PCT, we climb some more.  4,400ft gain and 2,886ft loss; that adds up to 11 total miles of a whole lot of work and feet that are already starting to complain.  Thankfully, my pack is now noticeably lighter; only two more days and we will come out at Snoqualmie Pass!!!  Wow, we are almost there.

Typical day at the office :)

The smoke is becoming very noticeable visibly, and you can smell it now too.  As we head up from Spectacle, I notice a lot of campsites tucked in and around the bolder fields up here.  I'm sure most all thru hikers will camp up here instead of expending the energy to get down to, and then out of, Spectacle Lake.  Thru hikers, at this point, are in maximum efficiency mode of operation.  We have now crossed paths with about two dozen thru hikers and should run into yet a few more this last little stretch to Snoqualmie Pass.  Jim has noticed my enthusiasm for thru hiking the trail has wained quite a bit since we left Stevens Pass.  I feel unsettled about it all, not more settled, as I thought I would once making this SOBO section hike.  The reality of a thru hike has come to light as we have met, and spoken with, so many thru hikers.  The day in, day out, up at the crack of dawn, walk till dark, eat, go to bed, and get up and do it again the next day, reality is bothersome. Can I do this, but even more important, do I want to do this??  My mind says no, no, no!!!  My Spirit says go, go, go!!!  It is all so overwhelming when my mind tries to wrap itself around 2,660 miles,  so I decide that I will go to Campo, start the trip, and make a commitment to Warner Springs, but that's it.  I have given myself an escape hatch and it feels good; comfortable.  After all, this isn't a contest, I don't need to prove anything to anyone at this stage of my game, Hike My Own Hike.

As we came over a pass we came face to face with a Mountain Goat!!  He was pretty casual about the whole affair and just kinda meandered off up the slope, stopping to check us out one last time before moving on.  Such powerful looking animals; beautiful!

 The trail kept a constant up until we got to the top of a pass overlooking the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River.  It was hot and exposed, but manageable. We stopped for a great lunch at the top and just admired the sweeping view.  I can see the trail as it goes all the way around the head of the Gold Creek basin.  I can certainly see why they put the PCT here.  This stretch from Kendall Cat Walk and all the way to Waptus Lake, is some of the most beautiful of the Alpine Lakes. I am soooo happy to be here.  It's hard to believe that tomorrow is our last day; tonight, our last night.  I'm so content

 Lots and lots and lots of people going by.  Day hikers, trail runners, short section hikers, full section hikers, and, of course, thru hikers as well.  Most everyone is friendly and ready to talk for a bit to share experiences, talk about what, and who, is up ahead.  A great place.  We only have about four miles to go to Ridge Lake and boy will the,every present, complaining, and tender balls of my feet be happy to get there!!   Once we got to the lake, we went around to the south end where Jim said one of the guys we passed mentioned a grassy spot with a view.  Sure enough, it was there.  Dinner and early to bed tonight.  Jim and I sat up and talked for a bit, but the bugs were pretty bad.  We layed in our tents for relief and talked until it got dark.  Only eight miles tomorrow to Snoqualmie Pass.  Eight miles; piece of cake.