Sunday, September 09, 2018 – 14 miles
The sun rose this morning into a beautiful high ceiling, so I climbed up to Fire Creek Pass before eating breakfast. My olive oil had solidified overnight.
The climb down to Mica Lake was pretty, and the lake was pretty too. I would have lingered to dry my tent there if not for the wind, but decided to wait until Mica Creek.
The rest of the morning and the afternoon were spent in a long climb down to Milk Creek and back up again. I completed the ~3000 ft climb without a break and was proud of myself.
By the time I reached the top, the sky was grey and the top of Glacier Peak was hidden in clouds. I saw a mother (presumed) marmot nuzzling a baby (presumed) marmot against an stunning backdrop, since marmots always choose the best backdrops. So cute… if only my phone camera had a decent zoom so I could have taken a better photo. I had to appreciate the scene the old-fashioned way: in the moment.
I had seen no one all day, but a stream of hikers began passing just before I stopped for the night at Dolly Vista, which has a large site with a toilet. I pitched my tent directly beneath a huge tree with many layers of branches, so I’ll be rainproof. But not crushproof. Here’s hoping for lots of raining and no crushing. Six other hikers set up camp in the same site, one beneath the other side of the tree. It’s a great tree!
