Washington PCT 2015: Day 15

Morning at Sheep Lake

Our day 15 started with a beautiful view over sheep lake! This turned out to be one of our favorite campsites. It was peaceful and pristine and we had a leisurely breakfast. I packed up and gave Laura a head start up the next round of switchbacks.

Looking south toward Adams

Clouds or the top of Rainier?

Sheep lake and Adams in the background

It was pretty watching the sun creep down the rocky faces as we climbed up out of our little valley. Soon we were up above the tree line and hiking along ridges. It was another sunny day. Luckily, the elevation we were hiking at had cooler air than the valleys below.

Heading across a cool ridge

View of all the mountains!

Panorama to the southeast

Getting higher!

Rainier

We hiked along the east ridge of a valley across from a big ski resort. There was a big restaurant and people were riding the ski lifts to the top of the range for a look at Rainier. We spent some time talking about how nice it would be to order a big meal at the lodge or ride a lift for a while. We also discussed heights. Even though we we had hiked through the more difficult Goat Rocks long ago, Laura found that that her body was involuntarily scared and tense when we were in similar spots. We talked for a while about why we sometimes can control our reactions while at other times we cannot.

Rainier and the ski resort

Heading north along the ridge

Cool volcanic rocks

By the afternoon, Laura was in a bit of pain again. Her knees were angry and her legs were sore because of hiking as well as tension from all the heights. After a short break, we sailed downhill toward Government Meadows and our campsite.

Heading back down into the forest

Evening in the woods

When we arrived, there were about 6 people at Ulrich cabin in Government Meadows. It was hot and people generally stayed outside to in the cooler air. The cabin was a ski cabin and designed to stay warm. We set up camp and talked with everyone. More and more people arrived as the evening wore on. Finally, we were camping with about 20 people. Many were hiking south. Others caught up with us going north. I surprised Laura with a package of Sour Punch Straws, one of her favorite candies. She was happy for the reward after a tough and pretty painful day. We relaxed and gave our bodies a rest after our 21+ mile day!

Cozy happy Laura