Stehekin, WA

Miles Hiked 50.2
PCT Mile 80.7
Elevation 1,886 feet
Miles Hiked Today 5.0

I got a late start today.  Bridge Creek Campground was left behind at 7:15 on my way to Stehekin, WA.  This will be my first town stop this hike

It’s a 10 mile distance from the Stehekin trailhead to town.  A shuttle runs on a schedule.  I’ll miss the first pickup at 9 a.m. and will have to wait for the next pickup at 12:30.

Except for the ever present rocks (my nemesis), the trail wasn’t too bad.  Nevertheless, I made terrible time.  It didn’t help that I walked right by a turn just a few minutes after leaving camp.  Then a couple hours later, there were some women hikers resting on the trail.  I missed another turn.  The women were standing in front of the sign and trail spur, so I walked right past the turn.  Frustrating! 

After making bonehead mistakes like that in the past, it was only about 5 minutes until I noticed I was not on the PCT.  I back tracked, picked up the right trail and continued on.  The women were still there at the trail junction .  “Sorry, we must have covered up your turn.”  Right.

The trailhead was reached by 10:30, and I settled in for a long wait.  As time went on, a lot of hikers showed up, and I started to wonder how many people the shuttle would hold.  When the shuttle arrived, I was relieved to see a full size bus.  We all piled in and it was off to town. 

The bus makes a stop at the famous Stehekin bakery outside of town, where I picked up a sandwich.  It was not the best sandwich I ever ate, but it was better than my trail food.

Upon arrival in town, I secured a campsite and set up my tent   Next, was dinner in the evening and that was it.  Tomorrow is a zero day to accomplish some housekeeping chores.