Monday July 29, 23.8mi/38.3km

Lion Creek campsite ID (283.0/2522ft) to Shedroof Divide Jct WA (10.7alt /5551ft)

The others were still sleeping, so I packed up quietly and hiked back to the spot they picked me up from, 1.5miles up the road. Then, I ate breakfast and started my mileage for the day. It was tempting to swim in Priest Lake, but it wasn’t very warm at 9am.

The forests in this part are full of green, it feels like a wetter climate than before.

I hiked around the eastern side of Upper Priest Lake too, and there were frequently views of the water.

I decided to stop early for lunch, so I could also have a swim. I definitely didn’t wait 30 minutes after eating, I’m not even sure what that “rule” was supposed to prevent anyway.

At the lunch spit, there was also a surprise cave! It turns out it’s actually an old mineshaft, but either way I didn’t go in..

For a couple hours after lunch, I walked thru a forest with huge trees, and it felt very ancient.

This section is also part of another long trail, the Idaho Centennial trail. It runs from thru Idaho north to south for 1000+ miles.

After leaving the forest and the Centennial trail, I was on a hot dirt road for an hour. Then, back in the forest! I’m not sure why this trail had a speed limit.. I’m certainly not exceeding 5mi/hour!

This part was all uphill, hiking up to the Shedroof Divide, a low mountain range on the Idaho-Washington border. Halfway up, I hit the border!

The last hour into camp was slow, as this part of the trail was overgrown. I setup camp at 7pm, and enjoyed the nice views of the sun setting on the valley below.

Hello, Washington!