When we got ready this morning to hike out a little before 0700 it was not raining. Praise the skies!
Snow-white and I set out to drop down the hill, after which it would be another long climb and descent. But then, that would be it for the day too. A fairly straightforward 23 miles. Because the little community of Stehekin is pretty isolated, the only access to the town is via a dirt-road which runs along the trail. Because there’s hardly any traffic there, a shuttle picks up hikers twice a day to get into the little village. One at 1030 and one in the afternoon. Since there is no way we would make the afternoon shuttle in 2 days (or at least not without having to put in two ridiculous big days), we could take it easy today and tomorrow.
It was overcast pretty much all day, but we were fortunate enough to experience only slight drizzle every now and again. The soaking wet vegetation and plants that brushed against my rain-pants did soak my shoes and socks thoroughly though. They would not dry for the rest of the day, which was mildly annoying. Around 1130, just after finishing the big climb, we had lunch at a sheltered campsite. We had almost 12 miles left to camp. Both of us were excited we would get to pitch our tents at an early hour for a change. A real relief to not rush into the evening. The trail dropped between tree-line again, and we found ourselves hiking through one of the most impressive rain-forests yet. Some of the trees were gigantic, and probably several hundreds years old. Covered in moss and lichen, and towering high above us, I imagined the things that these trees must have witnessed in all their existence. They must have a ton of great stories. I felt little and humbled amongst the green giants, and I realized how precious these beautiful woods are. A strong desire for its conservation arose, and I reminded myself of the importance of caring for the beautiful and fragile places of this world.
Today too was another day of inspirational talk with Snow-white. We brushed upon many interesting subjects, and I found us feeding of each-others energy, both of us suggesting new topics, or asking questions about our lives and experiences. Time flew, and before we knew it we’d made it into camp. It was sometime around 1800. Grateful to have plenty of time to settle down and eat dinner outside while it was still light out we chatted some more until we’d both finished our meals. Longing for the comfort of our warm sleeping bags after what had been a pretty damp day, we both called it quits before it was completely dark out. Lovely to be able to catch up on some extra sleep. Tomorrow we plan to do 25 miles, which leaves us with 3 miles the next day when we hike to the dirt-road and take the shuttle into Stehekin.
Why are these women here dancing on their own?
Why is there this sadness in their eyes?
Why are the soldiers here
Their faces fixed like stone?
I can’t see what it is they despise
They’re dancing with the missing
They’re dancing with the dead
They dance with the invisible ones
Their anguish is unsaid
They’re dancing with their fathers
They’re dancing with their sons
They’re dancing with their husbands
They dance alone
They dance alone
They Dance Alone – Sting
