Washington
Starting: Section L3 - Cirque Below Snowy Lakes
Ending:  Section L4 - Bathroom at Harts Pass

Awoke to miserable conditions: cold with a mixture of rain/snow/sleet. Our route today includes several big climbs before descending to Harts Pass where we intend to camp.

Got to Harts Pass in the early evening after a full day of walking through an impenetrable fog & a driving, freezing rain. NaborJ & Chowder arrived soaking wet and were starting to get dangerously cold. Somehow I had managed to stay much drier and didn't think the conditions were quite as bad.

The thermometer at the empty Harts Pass Ranger Station showed 32 degrees. We searched for an open door or window into the ranger station but it was sealed shut. Just as they began to discuss the implications of breaking the door down the last car at the trailhead drove by & minutes later NaborJ and Chowder had secured a ride off the mountain. I chose to stay behind and weather the storm.

I made a note of the large and dry Forest Service outhouse and knew I could at least bivouac inside. I also found some relatively dry wood under the eaves of the Ranger Station and was soon sitting by a roaring fire. Minutes later Sweet Potato showed up and we had a rather enjoyable dinner by the fire.

So, I am spending my last night on the trail in a cold & stinking (but dry) outhouse and planning on doing a 40 mile day tomorrow to reach Canada. Not exactly a storybook ending…