July 22 PCT – Hey I’ve Got Some New Shoes On and Suddenly Everything is Right

  

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.–John Ruskin

Lake Janus to Lake Sally Ann – 20.1 miles
Rain, mist, and colder temps moved in during the night and continued for most of the day. This is the best. I call it “Hiking weather.” 

Green is the word of the day. 

Everywhere the eye meets is a hue of green. 

Also, the trail is lined with fresh wild blueberries. I managed to pick and eat at least 50 of the delicious fruit during lunch. 

Tomorrow, we enter Glacier Peak Wilderness. We have heard many great things and are looking forward to more glorious views. 

Our new shoes and Stealthy’s knee braces seem to be helping a ton. This is the first day in months that I finished a hiking day pretty much pain free. 

Washington’s north Cascades have many small lakes named after women, that have campsites and an open outdoor toliet. The last 2 nights we have camped at these lovely lakes. 

Oh and Stealthy continues to spot wildlife…the count:

4 bears, 2 snakes, a herd of mountain goats, many deer (one came within 2 feet of her), 2 elk, and grouse.

I, on the other hand have spotted zero. 

   
    
    
    
 

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14 Comments

  1. Sounds about right for a stealthy operator. I’ve seen one snake and maybe 5 deer in 1,500 miles of hiking. 🙂

  2. So glad that your conditions and new gear are making all so wonderful.

  3. ridgerunner

    Love reading about your travels through Washington, my backyard. Curious — what brand are your shoes? They don’t look familiar to me. Looks like they have a nice, wide toebox, which is something I’ve been searching for (Altras don’t fit my feet).

    • La Sportiva bushido. They fixed my plantar fasciitis. Literally no pain! I call them magic shoes.

      • agile trekker

        Good to know. I’ve had on and off plantar fasciiitis. I’ve been doing pretty good for the last year. I’ve been trying to switch from wearing hiking boots to trail runners for hiking. I’m still experimenting trying to find a shoe. I also have problems with my toes being squished. I’m trying the Altras now – gradually trying to get used to them. The toe space is great! But they are too loose in the heel. And they don’t feel like they support my arches enough. I don’t know if that is related to the zero drop. I do like the cushioning of the Altras too. I haven’t tried La Sportiva’s. I’ll put them on my list of future shoes to try. I’m still looking for that perfect shoe!

        • ridgerunner

          agile — I tried the Altras too (store only) and they were too loose in the heel for me. Try the La Sportivas if you get a chance. The Ultra Raptors are their long distance shoe. The Wildcats are also popular. I haven’t tried the Bushidos, but now I’m curious.

      • ridgerunner

        Too funny, I have the La Sportiva Ultra Raptors! They have worked pretty well for me and they are the widest toe box beyond Altras that I’ve found. Awesome about the elimination of PF! Enjoy the rest of your hike — it’s going to be a hot weekend here (for Washington anyway)!

  4. Very glad to read the feet and knees are doing better: the little you let slip sounded nasty for a while there.
    You’ll have to persuade Stealthy to follow you sometimes instead of always leading to give yourself a chance at some wildlife sightings 🙂

  5. I love reading about your hiking adventures. The pictures are beautiful as usual. Very inspiring to see all the beauty of the mountains.

  6. The shoes look very comfortable and nice and so do the rest of everything 🙂 Blueberries are simply the best meal you can have for between <3
    Happy hiking to you,
    Hanna

  7. Giorgio Consilvio

    Hello. My name s Giorgio. From Italy. I like Very much your blog and all photos! I love those places! I home one day to see those places! :))

  8. Love to read your posts and see the wonderful pictures of your travels! What brand of shoes did you purchase?

  9. Beautiful…thank you for updates and sharing such beauty!!

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