Day 4 - Frustration Day — Walking People Out of Poverty

walkingpeopleoutofpoverty.ca is the personal blog of Peter Thorpe, long-time Opportunity International Canada supporter and Walking People Out of Poverty founder. For Dan Murray’s blog and information on OIC, please click here.

Start Time: 7:32 an
End Time: 5:22 pm
Start Mileage: 2283
End Mileage: 2296.5
Distance Walked: 13.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 2586 feet

We have been frustrated by the late times we have been getting into camp, as we have no downtime. As soon as we arrive at camp, it's time to set up our tents, get our sleeping mattresses inflated, and set up the sleeping bag.

The following job is to cook dinner and boil water to clean our cooking pots. This all takes time, and after we have cleaned up, it's time for bed. We would love to arrive at camp before 6 pm so we have a little time together. We are like ships passing in the night!

We set off around 7:30 am this morning and were greeted with a short, sharp uphill section. I felt quite strong starting out. The hill finished abruptly before the trail plunged us into another beautiful forest. The upside of this morning's walk was that we were in the cool of the forest for long periods and were going down. It was amazing. Unfortunately, it didn't last, and we were soon lugging our packs uphill again. Now and again, there would be a clearing, and when we stepped out of the shade, it was baking hot.

Today's hike was supposed to be a 17 miler, with a food parcel pick up after 11 miles. However, due to all the climbing and the heat, that target looked ominously out of reach. Still, we pressed on, and I was eventually rewarded with a magnificent view of Mt. Rainier. Views like this make all the pain and suffering so worthwhile. Two hikers were there enjoying the view, and I got to know their trail names, Chute and a younger fellow called Frame. He was named so because he was carrying an aluminum frame backpack, which you rarely see nowadays. It was once his father's. I suspect Frame's father is one incredibly proud papa!

It was while I was chatting with Frame and Chute that a trail runner came by. He was wearing a water bladder and came up the hill and said hello as he passed. He didn't even stop to admire the view, which I suspect he's seen on more than a few occasions.

After a break, we pushed on, and instead of heading down, as we were led to believe, we started up a gnarly trail which could have been more pleasant. Fortunately, it was not for too long, although long enough to have us grumbling again, and we finally reached the high point of the day.

There I met a couple of young ladies who enjoyed the trail names of Tailwind and Rabbit, the latter enjoying the view down to the beautiful lake below as she spread out on her sleeping mat. Tailwind was wearing a cap with her name on it, so I correctly guessed that was her trial name and was proven correct. We talked, and I explained the Walking People out of Poverty initiative. Both Tailwind and Rabbit were intrigued, so much so that they will follow my blog, and I believe one or both committed Dan to donate.

After a brief chat, we were on our way down; this time, it looked the real deal. We had a 6-mile hike from the summit to the main road, a further 1/2 mile from White Pass. The photo below shows the first section down looked very impressive before the trail ducks into the trees. John snapped some photographs at the top.

It was a long 6-miles heading down, although it was a lovely trail through the forest. We were about a mile from the end of the trail, and a tall young woman came running by. I asked if she knew how far it was to the bottom of the trail, and she said it was less than a mile.

We fell into a conversation, and the young lady's name was Emily and hailed from Seattle. Emily had joined up with a friend for the day and had hiked the 6 miles to the top carrying her friend's backpack and then turned around and was now running back down the 6 miles to the car park. Emily will be entering her final year of studies at the University of San Diego and would like to work for the US Government in one of their offices abroad. Emily had also joined the rowing team at the U of SD and enjoyed it immensely. She was fluent in Spanish and very interested to learn about the work of Opportunity International.

The last mile down was a pleasure, and quickly made time go by. There was a bonus at the parking lot as Emily offered to drive us to the store, where I had a food parcel to pick up. This was a godsend after a very tough day.

Upon arrival at the Cracker Barrel store, we had a food parcel to pick up, and from there, we were supposed to return to the trail for another 7-mile walk to our campsite.

Needless to say, this was an impossible task, so a decision was made to take a Zero Day at White Pass and evaluate the mileage ahead of us based on our schedule.

This would allow us to get some vital rest and time for relaxation.

We have therefore changed our plan, but I'm happy to report I will continue to update this blog on a daily basis, although it will only get posted once I have a signal that allows me to do so.

Once Emily dropped us off, and after checking into the White Pass Village Inn and dropping off our bags, we took the short walk of no more than 50 metres to the Cracker Barrel Store. This was where my food parcel was to be delivered, plus it was also the only spot in town to eat. The only food available was pizza. Leah, who seemed to be the lead person, took us to the huge container that contained all the food parcels, but unfortunately, ours had not yet arrived.

Our next stop was for food, and we joined the large crowd of hikers spread out, enjoying their food or gathering with friends. Leah was extremely helpful, so I christened her with the Trail Angel name of Gem!