Last nights sleep was OK…definitely missed the hammock…but the cushion was much better than a hard floor.

We got a later start as we were pretty pooped from the day before and with it rainy and windy out on the summit it was hard to get the nerve to head out.

Trail had turned to a river and feet were soaked within 5 min and stayed soaked for the day. It was a steep rocky rooty downhill. We only saw two hikers on the trail…and they were also headed down.

We got to the road around 9 and the first car pulled over to say that he didn’t have room. Another time where should have just pressed our case that we can cram ourselves into a car. A couple hikers passed us once and then came back and picked us up…we had probably waited 40 min.  Glad they came back…plenty of cars drove by.  Either we looked too wet for the cars, or not pitiful enough 😉

Once in town, Phenix got some new socks, we got food at Shaw’s (good resupply) and went to the Chinese restaurant and had a nice lunch. Hitching back was easy as a Subaru pulled over for us within 10 of thumbing. The lady was a massage therapist up at the mountain resort.

Steep, steep climbing up to the top. We stopped at Taft lodge on the way up, had a snack and continued on to Butler Lodge. The trail between the two was crazy. Since we couldn’t get a view and the winds were wild, we took the profanity trail (and found out why , it is straight up and was like walking up water fall). The ridge walk would be beautiful in good weather but the wind was trying to blow us off.

It was a descent to Butler lodge on the most slippery rocks I have come across. Phenix and I both fell down several times..I wacked my head on a tree. The Butler lodge is nice. I slept on the mat provided for the caretaker as it is colder than I think my under quilt will handle.

Only 10 miles with the long break getting on and off the trail.