After reaching the border on Monday, Takoda and I still had to backtrack on the same trail along Ross Lake, and we didn't return to our camp until almost 1:00 a.m. due to the difficult state of that part of the trail, with Takoda once again having to make like a gazelle as he hopped over downed trees. I've decided that jumping is Takoda's strength (unlike Shyla, who hates to jump, but is a champion walker who can churn out the miles hour after hour and never seems to get tired). The next day, exhausted from lack of sleep but exhilerated to have made it to the end point, Takoda and I rode back to Highway 20 and returned to Ellensburg, where we were going to meet up with Alina to ride the next portions of the PCT in Washington. It turns out that I was really lucky in my timing (something that hasn't happened very often on this trip!), as I managed to sneak through a window of opportunity when Highway 20 through Rainy Pass was open, both on Sunday when I drove up to Ross Lake and Tuesday when I returned. The devastating fires in Washington have been destroying homes and forests and often closing major highways, one of which was Highway 20, but each time it was open when I happened to be going through. I also got lucky in another sense, as I got to see these two huge bighorn sheep rams crossing the road and stopped to watch them and take a picture as they went by.

#wildlifeonthetrail #2014PCT