I am so glad I kept hiking. The hike was stunning in the evening light. I was in a wonderful state physically and mentally. So happy to be walking through beauty. And happy - by the way - to have you with me.
So photos 8-10 do their best to testify to the beauty.
This section - between Rainy Pass and Harts Pass - is so lovely that I find myself fantasizing coming back sometime to hike it with Meander (who hikes it in early July every year to let southbound thru-hikers know when the trail is clear enough of snow to begin their hikes. Having seen the steep, steep inclines at the edge of so much if this trail I sure wouldn't want to be floundering around in slippery snow and ice here.)
Photo 11 shows a small burn area quite near Harts Pass that brought vividly back the many many burn areas I have hiked through on the PCT.
And last but definitely not least photo 12 shows two delightful camping neighbors, Kevin and Laurie from Lummi Island, who agreed to send an email message to Chris when they return to civilization Wednesday. They shared a hair-raising but also endearing story about Laurie slipping and falling on the trail on Mt Baker and breaking a leg, and calling 911 to summon a helicopter, and then having this strange man appear weighted down with machine gun and ammo (not what one typically expects to see on the trail) who turned out to be a border guard (watching for smugglers) but who was also an EMT and got out his EMT emergency gear to stabilize Laurie's leg until the helicopter came. Here they are at their campfire in photo 12.
And here we are, trail friends, at Harts Pass only 30 miles from the Canada border (where I will still hike another 9 miles to Manning Park lodge, either to meet Chris or to catch the 1:50 am bus to Bellingham via Coquitlam.) Either way it looks very much like I may really and truly finish this hike. Mexico to Canada. 2650 miles. Wow.
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