8/31/12

   Lauren woke up with a cold this morning. Some coughing and a sore throat. Not sure where she got it, but hoping its not a rough one. The miles went by so slowly as she was really dragging. We had each other convinced that going into Trout Lake for a night off was a good idea. I called every hotel in town when I got a signal. No rooms anywhere. I became content with the idea of camping early though, and taking the day slowly. So thats what we did.
    We hiked apart for a bunch of the day. When I got to road 23, I found amazing trail magic. A family whose daughters are hiking the trail, brought tons of goodies. There was cookies, sodas, beer, veggies, fruit, and chips. I felt completely spoiled. Before the family left, they gave me a bunch of stuff to give to Lauren, who had not shown up yet. She was very excited to get the fresh veggies and fruit.
   Despite feeling sick, she wanted to power on. So we climbed 2800 feet out of the valley to the base of Mt. Adams. This place is really sweet, I am loving it here. This is another volcanic mountain that sticks up out of nowhere. We found a sweet campsite with an amazing view of the mountain. It is going to be a chilly night. The wind is howling through here like a freight train.
   22 miles today. Lauren is amazing hiking that far with a cold. Not many people even exercize with a cold, let alone climb mountains.
  My parents sent me a great care package to Cascade Locks. Tons of cookies and snacks. My favorite part was a 30 day supply of quotes. They are all inspiring. My mother put a lot of time into this, and I feel very lucky to have such loving and supporting parents.
   Lauren's (and my) friend Andrea also sent lots of goodies which caught up to us at Cascade Locks. The beer was amazing, and Lauren even let me have a peice of chocolate! Thank you!
  If anyone else would like to send something, we would love it! Cookies, gummy worms, trail mix, or anything else edible would be appreciated. My favorite thing is personal notes and good sunday comics. Our last stop on the trail is Stehekin, Washington. If you would like to send something, please send it via the US postal service by September 8th, to Andrew Rivers or Lauren Balcken, C/O General Delivery, Stehekin, WA 98852. Write on the package, please hold for PCT hikers, ETA 9/17/12. Again, nothing is expected, but everything, including guest book entries on here, are appreciated!