Day 75, Forest Road at Mile 2376.0 to Green Pass

The morning sky didn’t start clear, however. When I awoke, it was hazy.

The walls of my tent were wet from condensation because I didn’t set it up under any trees. As a result, my quilt was damp, and was even soaked a little where it had touched the sides of the tent.

After walking only a mile from my campsite, I got my first view of Mt. Rainier. The upper-most part of its snowy prominence could be seen from where a large swath of the forest had been cut for a power line.

Rainier was 35 miles away, but I was still awed by its massive size.

I lost my view of the mountain immediately when I re-entered the forest on the other side of the power cut, but I knew there would be plenty more views ahead.

In fact, there were two more power line cuts just ahead, and each one offered a better glimpse of the mountain.

Another hiker passed me and we both remarked about the view we were seeing.

Looking behind me, I could get some of my last views of the Northern Cascades. The mountains I had frequently viewed in the last few days, such as Chimney Rock and Mt. Daniel, were visible but barely identifiable.

A few small, grassy areas opened along the trail. When I reached one that was large enough to expose a good amount of sunlight, I stopped to lay out my tent and quilt to dry. I also ate my second breakfast with coffee.

A spring was nearby, but it was a little difficult to see because of the surrounding grass. I had to follow a small trickle of water upstream to find it.

While I was there to collect water, Compass and Blender came by. They didn’t seem to notice the spring, so I told them where it was. The next available water was 7.5 miles away, and I figured they probably didn’t want to skip this one.

Better views of Mt. Rainier began to appear later in the morning as the trail moved a few miles closer. The mountain was always easy to pick out in the small openings between trees. It stood out brightly against a deep blue sky.

As the trail neared the top of the climb, it ran along a ridge that had been clearcut. The climb crested just below the peak of Blowout Mountain, then finally began to descend toward Green Pass.

When I reached the pass, I saw that Ricky Bobby was camped there. He was with a hiker named Jinx.

I had originally planned to camp at a spot that was another 1.7 miles up the trail, but there was plenty of room for me, so I decided to stop for the night.

Later, after I crawled into my tent for the night, I spent some time looking for and patching holes in the ceiling. I kept finding more, and it seemed my tent was quickly nearing the end of its lifespan. I was beginning to doubt it would hold together in one piece through the end of this hike.

The opportunities to see Mt. Rainier today were remarkable. The sky remained clear all day and the trail offered many open views.

Washington weather can be fickle. Residents will tell you the mountain is often only visible for short periods of time and rarely all day long. Seeing it so clearly and frequently today was special.