Circumnav Success!

Wow, what an adventure we had this weekend!

So after a really slow start Friday evening (last minute gear gathering, fun Seattle traffic, etc., etc., etc.), we finally got out to the trailhead sometime around 9pm that night. Then after a few more snafus there (including realizing we not only weren't on the right trail but not even at the right trailhead), we finally got going in earnest at about 11pm Friday night.

We cruised through the night that night and had 1 fun bear encounter somewhere in the dark hours. He was right in the middle of the trail and just didn't want to go anywhere, so we waited it out a bit, made lots of noise, etc., and finally just went for it. Fortunately he finally decided to move. We saw one more bear Saturday morning, but not quite so close an encounter. The miles clicked by slowly but surely, and the scenery was absolutely spectacular.

Onward we went, and we pressed on into Saturday night hoping for smoother trails and staying on track. We got lost several significant times, and the trail was very slow going for long sections with many huge blowdowns, and hard to find trail. The size of some of the trees out there was mind-boggling! We also met some really fun through hikers on the PCT on Saturday who were really encouraging, and were very near the end of their much longer trek (2200 miles!).

We saw our second sunrise Sunday morning, and we knew we were finally within striking distance of the end. We were both hurting pretty bad by then, and happy to be nearing the end, and closer to getting back home to our wives. Arriving back at the car safe and sound was a huge relief, but we then realized we still had about a 3 hour drive ahead of us back to Seattle. I felt surprisingly awake, so hopped in the driver's seat, mixed up a fresh bottle of phix, and hit the road. We made it back home safely, and ate well that night with a delicious celebratory bbq meal with our wives and friends. Then we passed out. Hard.