August 15:Trout Lake, WA

We were all prepared for a miserable day filled with mosquitos. They were definitely around in the morning as we climbed up from Blue Lake and got some views of Mt. Adams. We even ran into a guy hiking south who told us that they were horrid for basically another 50 miles or so. But we were pleasantly surprised to find few to none the rest of the way into Road 23 where we would go into Trout Lake. We took some nice long breaks with no issues all day. It was wonderful!

The terrain was beautiful once again. We were mostly in trees, but the sun shown through, lighting up the trail and the trees around us. We were once again thankful for the tree cover because it was HOT. We were dripping by the time we hit Road 23.

Half of our group had been there for over an hour with no luck hitching. Luckily JZ and Slider had some friends in Trout Lake they had each hiked with at different times (same couple), and they were more than happy to take in all 10 of us! We all hopped into his pickup, with our packs strapped to the tailgate for the 13 mile ride into town. Most just camped in the backyard, but JZ was generous enough to give Mark and I the bed he was going to sleep on and he took a couch. What a gift! We took showers, did laundry, and just hung out. And because Dawn and Tripod (his trail name) have two little kids, we even got to watch the Disney flick Treasure Planet.

Even though it seemed like we took over their home, we also knew they were hikers as well, and totally understood what it is like. Most thru hikers are more than happy to be trail angels for others when they get the chance. So thanks again, Dawn, Tripod, Aiden, and William for takng us in and sharing your lives with us for awhile!

Total Miles:2237.9
Miles Today:23.9
Camp 110:Dawn and Tripod's House

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