26 September 2015, Saturday

Last night, as we were sitting under the tarp after dinner, we spied 2
headlights coming down the trail into camp. It was dark and near 8
pm. Ryan, the young man, exclaimed as he arrived, “Oh, thank
goodness!  There really is a Ten Mile camp. We were beginning to
think it didn’t exist and we were all gonna die out here!”  He and
his companion, Clarissa, were very grateful for the use of our tarp.
They went off to set up their tent while we made room on the bench for
cooking. Ryan came back first and set up his stove. Soon after,
Clarissa returned. O offered a tour of the site. Clarissa went back
to the tent to find their toilet paper. She came back and announced there was a mouse in their tent. By the time Ryan and Clarissa
returned to investigate and exile the mouse, the frightened creature
had already found its way out. We all chatted for awhile under the
tarp, and then we four went to bed.

This morning we are up at 6:30 to try for an early start on our 10 mile
plus hike out and our tree-climbing. We fortify ourselves with
breakfast casserole and are on the trail by 9:30. The sun is shining
brightly and mist is rising from the dark logs as they are warmed by
the sun. Despite the sunshine we are all wearing rain suits because
everything is so wet. Within ten minutes we hit our first climb-over.
We decide to keep count of the major trees we have to deal with. If
we can just step over, it doesn’t count.

We stop for first lunch along the Duckabush. We have already shed rain
jackets. It gets warm climbing over and under trees. Soon after first
lunch we all have our rain pants off as well. We pass Five Mile camp
and begin our climb up Big Hump. Second lunch is at a lookout just
over the top. As we are eating, the sky clouds over and the rain
resumes. I have my hood up as we come to a crawl-under. I have no
peripheral vision due to my hood and I try to get up too soon. I land
flat on my pack, on my back. I feel like an upside down turtle. S &
K have a good laugh. So do I as I finally manage to get out from
under. Good thing our packs are lighter!

Once past Big Hump the downed trees end. Our final count is 36 trees,
nine of which we had to crawl under. The rain has stopped again, and
the sky is clearing. We make good time back to the car, arriving at
5:30. Plenty of time for showers before dinner.

For anyone who was wondering…K’s boots did make it through the whole
trip. The Tyvek gladiator repair needed one re-tie, then a second
repair with some sturdy cord that we found. The superglue beneath the
cord held up surprisingly well.

Back at the inn, K & I get first showers. For some reason both O &
S seem to run out of hot water?! At the 101 Brewery and Cafe, O &
I have salmon burgers with our pitcher of stout. S & K share a
giant pizza. K inquires about the blueberry-peach pie advertised on
the chalk board. We are hoping to buy it for breakfast tomorrow
morning. Our waitress says it’s the only pie they have for the next
day. It was baked fresh this morning. She has to call the owner to
get permission to sell us the entire pie. She makes a good case for
us, telling the owner how nice we are. The pie is sold. An additional
complication – it is in the restaurant’s own pie pan, and we are
leaving town. No matter – we ask her to cut the pie into four
pieces and put it in carry out boxes – a job quickly accomplished.
We finish our dinner and beer and return to the inn – pie in hand.
We make sure S has some mint soap with which to wash his socks before
retiring for the night. This will make our trip home tomorrow much
more pleasant.