Apparently, I had lost my hiking stick some time shortly before this. From my trail journal:
“1:00 AM, June 12, 2010 – Have made it a short distance down the trail, and paused for a quick smoke. My intention today is to finish Dry Creek to the extension trail head, and retrieve my stick. That’ll make for a ~19-20 mile round trip! One could not ask for a lovelier day, warm and in the upper 60s now, but I expect it to warm into the upper 70s later today. The skies are clear and people are out enjoying the lake – kids in the water, boaters, fishermen… today shouts SUMMER!
12:20 PM – at the Dry Creek ford
2:10 PM – at Prospect Pass. Quite the slog up! This spot offers stunning views of Mt. Rainier over Prospect Ridge and Puget Sound. Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens are visible, too.
4:20 PM – I’ve gone over the pass and down past the SF Skokomish Dry Creek trail head to the big junction to find my stick. I had no success with that, but I did find a different one nearby. Providence! It’s quite warm and sunny, and I am entranced by how stunning this area is. Craggy peaks loom over narrow canyons, and I think I’ve seen the world’s largest bear shit. There are no signs of life at this end of the trail, and with the exception of one nude sunbather at the thigh-deep Dry Creek ford, my trip has been solitary. The trail from the summit down towards the South Fork trail head is not in the best condition, with trees down, and a washout. Observed along the trail:
RIP KRISTEN DELANEY, CLASS OF 1987, DIED HERE 9/13/1986
8:45 PM – back to the car. I figure I did about 18.5 miles over roughly 10 hours.”
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