Drowning in sweat, I arrived at Snoqualmie Pass, where we would stay the night. For most of the day we did a tour of all the noteworthy food places in town, starting out with pizza and ice cream (Da Vinci and Siren were sitting there too) followed by a beer in the local brewery, where we could see Bilbo’s group march into town. It was also here that we were reunited with IPA. He had finished the Wonderland Trail around Mt Rainier and was going to hike with us to the end.
In the hostel where we would spend the night there were almost exclusively people from our current bubble. I’d hoped to see Squirrel Daddy here but no sign of him. We all claimed a bed in one of the big dormitories and I fell into an uneasy sleep on the foamy mattress and the remaining moody heat of the day.