Our last weeks in Washington were bittersweet, exhausting, wet, and beautiful. We made it quickly and without much fuss from Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass, where we hitched a ride to Skykomish, an old railroad town with a population just under 200. We were picked up by a local who is truly passionate about trains. In fact, he insisted on taking us to visit the Cascade Tunnel, which runs through the Cascade mountains for nearly 8 miles. When we arrived, you could see a tiny light in the distance, which he told us was a train at the other end. He promptly turned off the car engine, and said we should wait to watch the train come through the tunnel. So we sat... for about 20 minutes watching the tiny light grow larger, and waiting for the train to get to the other end... at which point he turned on the engine, and continued on our drive to his home town, where he was building a miniature railroad, and a replica of the tunnel he had taken us to. He knew everyone in town, not hard given the aforementioned population, and introduced us to the town.
After a night in Skykomish, we set off knowing that rain was in the forecast, but hoping it wouldn't be too heavy. Fall was in full swing. The huckleberry bushes that carpet the hills were turning brilliant shades of red, and the landscape we had come to know so well was beginning to welcome fall in all its wet and colorful glory.
Skykomish to Stehekin was not an easy stretch. The elevation changes every day were exhausting and the hills were steep. Suddenly there were mosquitos again and our feet and ankles were positively destroyed. And then there were the mice... the oh so persistent mice trying to get at our dinner, and the stealthy little guy that snuck into our tent at night. Long story short, that stretch kicked our asses.
We thought he could sleep it off, and that we would set out the next day... but then came the runs. No good at all. He spent another day in bed while I wandered the beautiful Stehekin (population 75) on my own.
So, we packed our bags that night, fully intending to set out into the rain early the next morning to get to Rainy Pass, where we could meet the trail 19 miles from where we left it. As usual, we had to hitch a ride. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that we were trying to hitch 80 miles and nearly 2 hours to the middle of nowhere. The people of Chelan looked delighted by us, and really seemed to want to pick us up, but they looked a bit perplexed by our destination. So, we tried multiple destinations...
We knew we were setting off into a very rainy woods, but we also knew that after the first day and a half, we could expect clear skies and sun as we headed into Canada. I was particularly thrilled to be able to finish because I had read about the Larch trees in Northern Washington, and I hadn't yet gotten to see them. So, when we began seeing larches on that rainy afternoon, I couldn't help but be happy.