Hiking in the rain wasn’t bad at first. That changed when the trail crossed a long section of loose scree. I slipped and sprained my ankle.
Trail and weather conditions were already slowing me down, so the pain was even more unwelcome than usual.
Before long, my other ankle also began to hurt, even though I hadn’t sprained it.
The trail curved around Huckleberry Mountain and when I reached the other side I found Ralph waiting for me. He had set up the rain shell portion of his tent so that he wouldn’t have to wait for me in the rain.
From there we walked about three miles over Alaska Mountain then down to the same campsite Ralph had stayed at last night. He told me he had been able to see mountain goats from there on a far-off ridge, but visibility was too poor for us to see any today.
A brief lull in the rain gave us a chance to set up our tents, but wind picked up, making the task much colder to do. As soon as I could get mine set up I climbed inside and changed into dry clothes.
I hadn’t eaten my lunch yet today, so I ate that in the tent instead of cooking.
Much heavier rain began to fall at 7 p.m. Though I had only hiked a little more than 14 miles today, it was a good day to make an early stop.
Tomorrow will be a nero day. We are less than eight miles from Snoqulamie Pass, which is where Ralph left his truck.