Didn’t set the alarm and woke up a little later than I had planned. We wanted to make it to a road crossing by 9 for the bus into Stehekin. I woke up at 6:15 and the other guys were already packing up. Without the tarp setup, I was able to tear down fairly quick and get rolliing by 6:38.
Walk was an easy rolling downhill of 5 1/2 miles. I wasn’t using my poles and ended up slipping off rocks on a water crossing getting both my feet wet. Not a big deal, but I did start using my hiking poles again. I go back and forth on using them. They are quite useful for stream crossings and rock hopping, as well as taking the pressure off one’s knees when descending down mountains. But it is also nice to walk with my hands free when grabbing maps, water or food out of my pack while on the move.
Got to the road and waited for the bus with our group, Andrew, Birdie, and Jaybird. The bus stopped by the renowned Stehekin Bakery and we all got out and picked up several baked goods. The bakery is very very good. We all dropped over $ 30 there, picking up food that we ate today as well as breakfast food that we will enjoy for our last few days on the trail.
The bus ride finished at the ‘Landing’ where we met up with Sweetpea. She had taken the ferry out for the 4 hour boat ride to come to the town and meet us for the day. Great to see her again.
Stehekin is a town of less than 100 year around residents. It only has a couple roads and a couple businesses, and a school that goes up to just the 8th grade. There is a campground that is small, but free, and a national park visitors center. It is a little Shanghai-La of sorts being accessible only by ferry or float plane. I like it quite a bit. It is mostly tourists that we see walking around, but this is the beginning of the off season, so it is fairly quiet. I’d like to return.
Daily Distance: 5
Trip Distance: 2,564.2
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