Got an early start and was on the trail by 6:45. The trail started with some switchbacks down and then changed to a really wide, smooth and gradual downhill. It was such a treat of a trail to walk. We figured it was so nice since lots of day hikers take the trail to Summerland.
We took a few breaks so Sweetpea could stretch and roll out her hip. Unfortunately, she got her trigger point ball full of sap on the first break, so she just wrapped it in a used plastic bag to be cleaned later.
Shortly before getting to the White River Camp, we had to cross a bridge that was bring worked on. The two workers braced the bridge for us using two hook-like devices…one from the right and one from the left. That bridge ended up feeling more secure than most as we crossed it one by one. We figured that log bridges must require a lot of maintenance, as they are not made to be permanent structures…the area just isn’t conducive to that. So, instead they are probably going out and fixing bridges on a near constant basis.
We took a snack break at the camp and talked with another WL thru-hiker for a bit. Then we headed out for our final three miles, most of which was part of a nearly 3,000 foot climb in about 2.5 miles. The trail was really well switchbacked and was at a really nice grade, so the climb up was no problem. We had thought it was going to be a beat down, so we both put in our iPods and started pushing hard. Before we knew it, we were at the top. When we got to the top, we had a passerby take our photo at the last WL sign and then we headed to the snack bar at Sunrise for a celebratory bowl of chili.
Daily Miles: 8.8 miles
Total Miles: 93 miles
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