Wonderland Day 4

By  now, we are starting to leap frog with a couple of hikers, repeatedly crossing paths and staying at the same camps.  We just give everyone trail names and don't know actual names.  There's one couple that speeds down the trail and makes it to the next camp first everytime and scores the best sites.  The guy is always a wealth of information when we roll in.  He knows where the bear pole is, which sites are open, where to go to the bathroom, where the best water source is, etc etc etc. They are actually very nice and the guy grew up in McMinnville.  We have named them Camp Host (and Mrs. Camp Host) and that's what we call them the entire trip.  Another couple that we will soon be leap frogging with, we call Crazy Smoking Camera Couple.  They smoke and stop every 50 feet to take a picture.  We know they are in camp when we smell the cigarette smoke.  Kalamazoo is another couple that we will soon be crossing paths with.  They wear Kalamazoo half marathon t-shirts so they have been dubbed Kalamazoo.  I'm on the look-out for Wired as well.  I know she started the same day I arrived, I know she's doing it in about half the time I am, but I don't know which trailhead she started from or if she's going clockwise or counter clockwise.

From Dick's Creek, we must go to Sunrise Camp, 12.5 miles away.  Our typical departure time is around 7:45am. 

My blood sugar this morning is 84, a number I haven't seen in awhile.  Metformin is supposed to prevent lows so I'm not concerned but I do mention the number out loud to Nancy and Ingrid.  I'm feeling good and I have abundant energy. 

The weather got cooler on this day.  Very brisk wind.  We did see some mountain goats from afar but they didn't stick around for us to get a closer look. 

 

These strange clouds appeared off to the left of Mt. Rainier.  Further research indicates this may be a Lenticular cloud which forms when moist air above a mountain range vaporizes and condensation levels change.  Pretty trippy and cool.

 

 

This flower is called a Mouse on a Stick.

 

There were a bunch of day hikers in this large camp and it was hard to find a site that wasn't on top of the  next one.  Thank God there was one left, otherwise we would have had to camp next to a group of obnoxious loud dudes. 

Ingrid is filtering water here.