The adventure never stops! Early in the morning Fitz and Mash went out to collect our rental car. Then it was time to part ways with Half and Half. A few hours later, she would be on a ferry back to Canada. Lucky Charm and Lavalamp would not come kayaking either. Lavalamp was flying back home and Lucky Charm planned to go back to Oregon and join Merlin and Marble when they came back down to hike the closures (which had now reopened).
The goodbyes never get any easier and leaving people from my trail family hurt especially hard. It reminded me of when I had to leave my friends in Australia, halfway through our massive (and life-changing) roadtrip. There were so many things I wanted to say, show them, express how amazing they are and how much I loved the time I spent with them. Time-limited as goodbyes are, most remained unsaid, but hopefully not unfelt.
Fitz, Mash, IPA, Merlin, Marble and myself left in the rental car, ready for our final adventure: kayaking to Canada across Ross Lake. Sitting cramped in the back and in between naps, I saw urban city give way to soaring mountains and my spirits lifted. This is what it’s all about, all the answers man could ever wish for.
‘You know, we were in Mount Rainier National Park and every day, it was kind of the same, so we were wondering if there is some route here that we could follow that has more variety day by day.’
I rolled my eyes listening to the family next to us at the ranger station where we had to pick up our permits, as Ross Lake was far from the PCT, where we could camp wherever we wanted. Their outfits and girth gave away that it was not hiking they were doing around here. I pitied the rangers for having to deal with these kind of people.
At a picnic table in Ross Lake Resort, the departure point on the south side of the lake, Ishay and Captain Jack, of all people, were having lunch. There’s another one I wanted to see before I left. Ishay said they planned to take 4 days to go out and back to the border, as opposed to our 3.
‘You plan to do 10 miles? In an afternoon?’ Captain Jack asked incredulously.
‘Impossible,’ he said, ‘impossible!’
This opinion was shared by the people renting out the kayaks, who had advised us to take 4-6 days, as people usually do. I could only slowly shake my head, a smile of amusement forming on my lips: Hah, my sweet summer children! We’ll see about that. Feather, Booster, Billy Goat and Poseidon had already done it in less than 3 days.
I got in a boat with IPA and off we were! After a wobbly start, IPA and me slowly found our footing on the boat and we paddled north. The lake was as flat as a mirror, not the slightest breeze could be felt. The only disturbance made by the front of our kayak cleaving the water.
The lake area was gorgeous. Our three double kayaks floating along was reminiscent of the first Lord of the Rings movie, when the fellowship leaves Lothlorien and paddles down similar landscapes. The nearby fires had died down, leaving a bright blue sky.
On Cat Island, we stopped for the day. Not nearly impossible to do 10 miles in an afternoon it turned out. Although my now noodle arms felt the exertion of paddling for multiple hours on end.
Having dinner with everyone, pitching my tent and crawling into my sleepingbag, ah, it’s good to be back! Tomorrow, I will touch the Canadian border.