Mile 2412 to 2432

Last night as I tried to sleep a rodent kept visiting my tent vestibule. First he wanted to lick my titanium spoon, so I pulled it inside my tent. Next he went for my pot cozy, then my stove, then my water filter and then my wet socks. By the end of the night I had moved everything inside. What is the point of a vestibule if you can’t keep anything in it?

I wake at 3:30am and it is not raining. I wonder if I should pack up because packing up dry in 100% rain is pretty rare. As I ponder, it begins to rain. Then it stops. Then it starts again. Then it stops. Clearly it is messing with me. By our normal getup time it is not raining, so we pack up quickly dodging a super soaker bullet. We know it will rain today, but at least our sleeping bags and gear are now sealed in water proof bags.

Short Break in Rain

Today we hike by everything Waptus related: Waptus Pass, Waptus River, and Waptus Lake. It rains off and on all day, with “on” at times being very hard. We are soaked from wet head to trench foot. Walking the overgrown bushes is like walking the rotating brushes at a car wash. Kevin concludes it no longer matters if it is raining. The bushes are soaking us.

With all the rain we make really good time, frankly because we are freezing. The best way to keep warm is to keep moving. We eat candy bars and snacks as we hike. We reach our targeted site early and get a brief break in the weather. We setup camp, do our chores and retire early.

Regardless of the weather tomorrow we hope to push through another 22 miles to Mig Lake. That will position us to meet Daniel at Steven’s Pass mid morning on Monday, giving us enough time to shuttle around the trail closure.

Brief Rest in the Rain