Monday, September 24th

Monday, September 24th: Todays miles = 20.2. Total PCT miles = 2,303. Miles remaining = 360.5.

Goat Rocks was spectacular!! I did not expect it to be as wonderful as it was nor did I expect the sky to be clear enough to see any of it. The smoke from the wildfires hindered the view a little but the view I had was sufficient enough. Goat Rocks is a mountain range that was formed when Mt. St. Helen's errupt in 1980. What is now Goat Rocks used to be part of the mountain but due to the explosion of Mt. St. Helen, Goat Rocks are now their own mountains. Because of the explosion the mountains are jagged and sharp. Every part of the mountains are steep and dangerous to hike. I actually hiked across what is called 'knifes edge'. The trail is about a foot wide in this part with about a foot or two of ground on either side of the trail. Past this extra space on either side of the trail are cliffs that go straight down to the valley. All I kept thinking while hiking this section was 'keep you hands and feet on the trail at all times...' and then I slipped. I managed to catch myself without any real danger but it scared me into being more careful with each step. Even with my increased level of awareness and precision I still managed to slip and fall a few more times. The trail was not the most sturdy and each step I took I felt unsure about. Especially the section where the trail was washed out leaving just a sand slide on the side of a cliff that we had to pass through. The ground in this section gave away under your feet. After studying the trail for a moment trying to decide how I was going to pass without falling thousands of feet to my death I decided that I would have to hold on to the mountain rocks with my hands as I dragged my feet across the washed out section. The moment I grabbed onto a part of the mountain rock it pulled right off the mountain as well, leaving me with nothing to hang onto. Baboon passed through first. Terrified, I was screaming as he attempted to make his way to the other side "I swear to God if you fall and I have to watch you bouncing off that cliff for a thousand feet...." and so on...
He made it though but not without a few slips resulting in panicked gasps from me. Next it was my turn. I took my first step and the ground felt like it was melting under my feet. My strategy was to test the ground before I put my foot on it. I was mostly trying to step on rocks but even the rocks were not held tightly in the ground and would give way. My heart was racing. It was the first time I actually felt in danger on the trail (except on Katahdin in a blizzard). After it was all said and done and we both were safely on the other side it seemed pretty bad ass...but I wouldn't want to do it again.

I made it to the road by 6:40pm! It wasn't until 8:15pm that I got a hitch into town. It was dark by the time I got the hitch and I wasn't sure at that point if I would get one at all. By this time it had gotten so cold outside I was bundled up in almost everything I have. I was so relieved when the car stopped to let us in. The man drove us right to the center of town where I got a pizza and walked over to 'Motel Packwood'. I had one of the better hot showers of my life then curled up under the covers not believing that just that afternoon I was hanging off the side of a disintegrating cliff.