I had such a cruisy day today, just moving around the corner into the next valley. The PCT long distance permit is only valid for limited campsites within the North Cascades National Park, which meant I had two realistic possibilities. My choices were between a campsite 12 miles away and outside the park, rumored to have a bad problem with mice, or a campsite within the park just 6 miles away, with animal proof storage lockers on site. I chose the latter, easily strolling just 6.5 miles, 10.4 km.

I slept in late to 7 am this morning, most people would have already left camp by then. I enjoyed a relaxed breakfast and headed out from camp at 10 am. On the way out, I saw a cool looking shelter which matched the descriptions of what I’d heard from the Appalachian Trail, it almost felt like an advertisement to do another thru hike.

The sun came out while I walked, and I could see the mountains of the North Cascades. The air was free of smoke, and it was great to be amongst the mountains and fresh air again.

The trail ran high above Bridge Creek for a couple of hours, most of the way I could hear but not see the water. The trail then dipped down to cross the creek on a brand new bridge. This bridge still had sawdust on it from construction, and I could smell the fresh timber as I crossed.

After crossing the river, a small climb took me up the side of a ridge from Mt Benzarino. I could see all the way down Bridge Creek from here, and I was grateful for the clear air.

Today was a really nice, strolling kind of day. I had plenty of time to make it to camp, and barely felt the weight of my pack as I walked. All day, I was reflecting on my time on the trail. Memories were coming back to me from the desert, points which had felt so far from the southern terminus, were now ancient history in my past. I realize now that memorable places such as Eagle Rock are further from the start than I am from the end. The town of Julian now approximately mirrors my distance from the terminus. It’s wild to think how far in that first main town felt, how short the distance really was, and how much further I’ve come since then. I remind myself that the Canadian border is still nearly a week away for me, and I still have time to make the most of this experience before the end.