July 4, 2013 (transcribed)
From the Journal: June 25, 2013
Return to the high country today! After a few miles in the woods this am we climbed up Suiattle Pass at 6000'. For some reason it was especially exhausting. The snow was very hard, which made it difficult to get a decent belay in. We reached the top of the Pass, laid down and ate a bunch of chocolate. Things started to improve from here. We walked about three miles down to camp. There were some amazing views of the surrounding peaks, which is the great part of being in the higher country. We even had some patches of blue sky between rain showers. Only 10 miles, but we worked 10 hours for them. We are having bean and rice soup, then hope to get to bed early and get an early start.
June 26, 2013
We are camped on Dolly Vista at about 6000'. The day started off low elevation with lush forests reminiscent of an Ewok village. After 5 miles we reached the banks of the Suiattle River. The path of the old PCT was still intact, so we were able to cross on the old log bridge and save ourselves three miles. After another water crossing, we started climbing again. Luckily, the snow was softer and the angle gentler. We got to see some breathtaking views of Glacier Peak and the surrounding Cascades. It started raining again as soon as we set up camp, but it has stopped for now. This would be a great setting for a beautiful sunsent. We just felt a really strange tremor, like an avalanche or an earthquake. We're camped on an island and are safe, but it was just unnerving.
Last night we woke to an owl hooting near our camp. I love living out here.
June 27, 2013
Snuggled up in the quilt after a good dinner, life is peaceful. We got a really late start this morning, it was raining and raining which made it sound like staying in the tent was a much better idea. Several marmots popped their heads out of the their dens to send us off. We climbed up the pass to see another snowy bowl to traverse. We opted to drop down and hike back up. The sun showed up for a bit and warmed our bodies and spirits. From the pass, we dropped down to the valley at Milk Creek. Again, we took the old route to shave a mile off. The bridge has been washed out but we found a safe place to cross with me walking behind Benny and holding onto his pack. The water is powerful, you can see the evidence is severed trees and displaced boulders along the banks. After the river, we climbed back to the snow. Hard, hard snow in the trees. We alternated between snow slopes and scrambling up brush and loose earth covered slopes. We are now above the tree line and camped on the snow near snow covered Mica Lake. It's a colder night than it's been in the last several. We are conserving fuel so it was tortillas with refried beans. Cold food, but we made up for it with cheese, fritos and a Ritter bar for dessert. We both have alarms set and hope to feel more motivated in the am.
P.S. The sunset was exquisite last night, there were at least 20 kinds of clouds, above and below us and the sky was lit up with blues and golds fading to pinks and dusky purples before saying goodnight.
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