August 12

2391-2395

Drip, drop, drip. We wake up in a cloud, camped under a bush. The water vapor condenses on the leaves above us and falls onto our tent. It feels like autumn. The mountains are telling us to hurry up. It is time to get going.

Mercifully, we have completed all the climbing for this section and have an easy downhill cruise to I-90 and the Snoqualmie ski area. The roar of the interstate traffic drones on, sounding like waves crashing upon a shore. The white noise, and the soft grey of the clouds, hypnotizes us. It feels like we are walking in the middle space between sleeping and wakefulness. The Trailside is full of salmon berries and I absentmindedly grab at them as I walk, filling my mouth like a bear preparing for hibernation.

We descend through the ski slopes, to all the trappings of modern society that we crave while hiking and try to avoid when we aren’t- greasy food, mindless television, and cold beer.

Our first stop is the pancake house that transitions into a teriyaki place for lunch and a steakhouse for dinner. It is in the same building as the motel. If only we could all be so multifaceted.

The gas station nearby has a artisan pizza shop attached. We order two large pizzas while we shop for resupply at the grocery store and then retreat to our room to shower, do our laundry, and rest.

For the entirety of the hike we have talked about racing each other through a section of the trail. The idea would be for Amber to leave half a hiking day ahead of me, and then I would try to catch up with her before we hit the next town. This upcoming section is our last opportunity to have our race- after this we will just have our run up to the border. This competition would have heavily favored me early in the hike- since I have hiked a long distance trail many times in the past. This far in, I fear the tables have turned. 2,200 miles into our hike amber is lean and mean like an Olympic athlete and I am gaunt and growing weaker by the day. I worry about what the next few days will hold for me. I think I am going to get smoked by this little tasmanian devil.

This close to home, we are an easy drive for friends and family to meet us. Amber’s sister Tahni and her partner Eric meet us at the small brewery for dinner. It is wonderful to see them. We talk about about our upcoming race, and Tahni looks at me with pitying eyes. Before leaving she covertly hands Amber a package.

“What is in the package?” I ask Amber when we get back to the motel. She smiles at me and tells me to go to sleep.

What is happening?