Tuesday July 30, 24.0mi/38.6km

Shedroof Divide Jct (10.7alt/5551ft) to Sullivan Lake campground (34.7alt /2631ft) (WA)

I was woken by the sounds of a large animal crashing through the brush, it was just a deer! I packed up, retrieved my bear bag, and hiked up the last bit of the climb. I love being up on the ridges.

The trail wound its way thru passes and around small mountains, and the morning flew by.

I came to a dirt road crossing, and I was expecting to see a PNTA trail crew, but sadly they weren’t around.

The road cut thru the pass in a rocky area, so I hung out for a few minutes, and the marmots came out of hiding!

I returned to the trail and savored a couple more hours of the blissful ridgewalk hiking.

It’s just so good!

Even in the burn areas, the contrast of new greenery and charred black stumps is cool.

Finally, near mid-afternoon, I started descending towards Sullivan Lake.

Three thousand vertical feet later, I was down at the lake. I stopped at a campground to refill my water and empty my trash, and continued the walk along the four-mile long lake.

Along the lake, I crossed paths with Patch, who is a PNTA trail crew volunteer, and also a former AT and CDT thru-hiker. We talked for a bit, and he gave me advice on a good camping spot a couple miles past where I was planning to camp. So, I went an extra two miles, past the end of the lake, to a spot near the Sullivan Lake campground.

I washed up in a nearby river, made dinner, and got into bed by 8pm. Tomorrow is a town day!