Captain's Log: Day 16

The plan was to wake up at 5:00am and either get going or go back to sleep depending on whether it was still raining or not. It was not raining so we began packing up.

And then it started raining. Eeyore and I were the only ones that had shelters packed up at that point so going back to sleep was not an option for us. Rickets went back to sleep and Raptor and Loopy just breakfasted in their tents. Eeyore and I sat outside in rain gear.

By 6:30am it became clear that it was not just going to blow over and so the others began packing. Raptor and Loopy were ready first and went on ahead. We, The Three Bears, got going right about 7:00am.

Of course, no sooner did we start the 15 mile stretch of climb for the day did the rain turn into just walking through cloud. This makes it very difficult to regulate temperature when going uphill because anytime you stop to adjust a layer you begin freezing and anytime you put something on and start going you start sweating yourself to death.

Add to that the many warnings of a rampant crop of Poodle-Dog bush, a member of the forget-me-not family similar to poison oak, right on trail and it made for a great morning.

We didn't have a clear search image for the plant because the Internet has conflicting ones and we weren't sure what stage it would be at. After almost walking straight into a big bush of it Eeyore made the match and the we began 10 miles of contortions avoiding plants which were indeed everywhere.

We finally made it up above the clouds and into the sun which made for much more enjoyable hiking. Each of us had various pains that required attention and we were all focused on town and the zero day.

After cresting the peak we had a long, slow, and steep descent down the side of a ski mountain. Eeyore and I hung way back taking it especially easy, each with some tendon inflammation. The views were pretty spectacular, however, as the clouds blew through the valleys off to either side.

The other had hitched into town by the time we arrived at the highway but fortunately there was a fine gentleman parked watching the clouds too who gave us a ride down. We met up at the motel, showered, and then went to The Grizzly Cafe for much anticipated drinks and food. It did not disappoint.