Day 132 : Agnes Creek

26 miles today

86 miles to go

I wake early, even with my poor sleeping. I eat in the dark and am packed and moving up the trail before seven. Up is the right word. The climb from the Suiattle River up to Suiattle Pass takes all morning. It's a beautiful day. Blue skies overhead. I figured the clouds would be here to stay once they arrived. The river roars and churns in its channel. It's big and it's roar can be heard for hours after I've left it and climbed up the switchbacks. There are views back to Glacier Peak and the pass I came over yesterday in a gray bubble. The views from there today would be spectacular. I'm not going back that way so I'll have to wait for someone's pictures. My climb is up and over into the Agnes creek drainage. The morning goes quickly. Four hours of climbing, no problem. The afternoon slows down. Down the hill I go. It's warmer than it's been in a while. I take off my base layer. The trail down is across a cliff choked slope. The trail goes up enough to make the trail down twice as long as the cliff is high. Down through overly warm bushy areas. More down until I reach Agnes Creek. I wonder about the name. Why Agnes? Down along the creek. The home stretch. It's called the stretch because it stretches out before me growing longer and further with each step. Or so it seems. I meet Beekeeper and Hemlock sitting by the side of the trail. Huh, how is it that other hikers find time to sit around and dilly-dally? 

I arrive at camp exhausted and worn out. Four twenty five mile days in a row. I am in a great spot, fiveish miles from the bus stop an easy two hour walk tomorrow morning. I celebrate by eating a peanut butter tortilla. Today is the last twenty five miles day of the trip if all goes right. I set up my tent and cook and eat outside in the sunshine. Today's weather was wonderful. Will it last for another six days? I can only hope. It's warm and comfortable as I settle into my tent. I fall asleep quickly, so glad that I reached my goal. One hundred miles in four days, not to shabby.