Hello, this is Joy. I did get to Facetime Ron and Kendra twice this weekend. Cell service is very poor so it kept dropping the connection. But I got to ‘see’ them and they are both looking good and in good spirits. Unfortunately, they had to camp at a campground on Friday night and it poured all night. But Ron and Kendra said they were so exhausted, they slept good. They got up on Saturday and went to the Ranch, where they had a reservation. Even though they couldn’t get into their small cabin until later on that day, they were able to eat breakfast and do their laundry. But, they found out it only had a washing machine… no dryer. In the early afternoon on Saturday, the rain took a break and the sun actually came out for them. It was still on the cooler side (temps in high 40’s) but they took advantage of the sun and hung a rope (someplace) and were able to dry their clothes. They actually were able to dry all of the gear — sleeping bags and tents, as well. Ron said their tents don’t leak but because they are the single-wall, ultra-light tents, condensation builds up inside, so that is why things inside get wet and/or damp. Mainly the foot of their sleeping bags get wet when it touches the tent wall. Another hiker told them to try a garbage bag or a poncho wrapped around the foot of their sleeping bag to help it stay dry. Ron and Kendra actually have a trash compactor bag that they line the inside of their backpacks with, to help waterproof their contents in their backpacks, so they are going to try using these at night, the next time they camp.
So this cabin they are in… like I said before, no bathroom and no heat, but Ron said with both of them in this very tiny space, it was actually warm Saturday night. It has a small bed, which Kendra is using and Ron took the floor. But Ron said that literally, there is not one more inch of floor space in this cabin left, lol.
The plan is Ron and Kendra will eat breakfast on Monday and head back to the trail. The Ranch has a bus that takes them back the 2 miles. Right now, there is a 7-day window of decent weather. It’s going to be cold on Monday, with high of 38 degrees, but each day afterwards, a bit warmer, in the 40’s. And no significant rain in the forecast and no snow. Once they start out, in 20 miles, they could get off the trail, near a road, if they have to. Then, another 30 miles after that, there is Harts Pass, which they could get off the trail, if needed. Then, the last 30 miles will take them to Canada. So, this is good that they will have some exit points available, if weather turns on them.
Their backpacks will be heavy and they have some huge climbs on Monday. They are carrying 6 days of food, which is the most they ever have carried. They really need 7 days, but they said they will just have to conserve. There are other hikers trying to finish this week, which is good that there will be people around. ‘Safety in numbers’ and hikers supporting each other. Once they get started Monday, I will rely solely on the Garmin for tracking them. We agreed that I won’t be sending the Garmin any messages and they won’t be sending anything to me, unless they have an urgent need. They need to conserve the battery life on all of their electronics, for this longer stretch.
Ron and Kendra did share a nice thing with me today. Since they were doing so much night hiking this week to get into Stehekin, their headlamps ran out of batteries. Stehekin has a small store, but they were all out of AA batteries. Also, Stehekin is very remote — you either have to walk into Stehekin or take a boat — no roadways into Stehekin. So, it has very limited supplies and resources. They ended up buying these two little lights/lanterns to use, but these would mostly be used setting up their tents at nights and they really cannot carry these and try to hike in the dark. So, Ron was a bit concerned that not having their headlamps would impact them this week. When they checked in at the Ranch, Ron asked the desk clerk if they happened to have any AA batteries. She opened a drawer and it was full of AA batteries, lol! Ron was thrilled!!
Ron is still saying today, he is taking one day at a time and cannot think ahead. Whereas Kendra asked me to look into a few things, to get them back to civilization, and get them back home. She’s tired of being ‘cold’ lol.
Take care everyone!
Hope the weather holds out for their last week. Nothing worse than being wet and cold. So proud of them. Jerry and I have so enjoyed following them on their adventure. I read that most people don’t finish, they give up when the going gets tough! The pictures continue to take my breath away. I just imagine being there and seeing all the beauty up close and personal. We will continue praying for them until they are home. Thanks so much for inviting us to follow their journey.
God Bless.
Mary & Jerry 😊✌️
Hi Mary & Jerry- Bucket here. Thank you for following our journey! I have several weeks worth of photos to download to the blog yet. So be sure to keep visiting as there will be new things coming!!
Oh my gosh. I bet even with all the excitement they will be glad when they do get home. And I’m sure you, Joy, will be glad to have them home. Safe, warm and dry. I can’t wait to get together with Kendra once she gets home and gets rested and hear all about the trip. I’m so in awe of what they have accomplished and happy they brought me along with them via the blog and all the pictures. Thank you for that! Safe travels to them and as always, I will keep them in my prayers.
Hi Robin – Bucket here. Sage and I are actually in Wenatchee, WA this afternoon waiting to board Amtrak. It will go to Chicago, then a train to Cincinnati. We should be home on the 29th. I’m sure Kendra will be contacting you when she returns! Thank you for all of your support.