Getting over to Stehekin is no small task, since there are no roads into this small mountain area. It requires getting a ride into Leavenworth, taking a bus from Leavenworth to Lake Chelan, and then taking a boat across Lake Chelan to Stehekin.
Borealis talks me into going to the cafe with him for breakfast, and soon other hikers start to trickle in. A local guy by the name of Jim tells us he takes hikers back up to the trail head at Steven's pass--a good 30-45 min trip. Borealis, Bigfoot and I clamber into Jim's van after breakfast and he trundles us up. Halfway there Borealis realizes he's left his water bottle back at the cafe. So Jim turns around and drives all the way back. We pick up another hiker back at the cafe, Periwinkle--an odd, but nice older guy, who's ramblings I can never make sense off, and then pick up Darren on the side of the road heading back to Steven's pass. Bigfoot notices I'm cold and drapes his thin jacket over my legs without saying anything. Chivalry is not dead, even on the trail, and I fall a little bit in love with him.
When we finally make it up to Steven's Pass it's around 10am. Jim drops us off at the trailhead, but everyone decides to walk across the freeway, over to the lodge for some last minute supplies. I walk over with the guys, and while I'm saying goodbye to them outside, a new hiker, Safety Hat, says hi to Bigfoot and introduces himself to me. Bigfoot gives me a couple of pain pills, "in case you're in really bad shape, and you just need to get to the next place," and I thank him and jumble them with the rest of my pills and potions. I say goodbye, give some hugs (have I really only known these guys for a day and a half?), and tell Borealis that I hope to see him in Canada.
I hobble back down to the highway, lean against the concrete barricade, and stick out my trusty thumb. I see safety hat walking toward me, and he asks if it's okay if he hitches a ride with me to Stehekin. He says that he's ready to be done with the trail and head back home. I always feel safer with another hiker, even one I've just met, so I say yes, and we find ourselves as traveling companions. Safety (his name is Safety, people) talks a guy with a truck into giving us a ride after he gets his morning coffee. We pile in, and he drives us to Leavenworth, a made up Bavarian community (they have no historical ties to Bavaria), that is equal parts ridiculous and charming.
We have to transfer busses an hour and a half into the trip, which is perfect because I have had to pee for the last 30 minutes. Oh, but it seems that our bus was running late, so there is no time to pee--the new bus driver tells us we have to get on now or he's leaving. We sit in the back of the bus again, and I joke that I'm going to pee in my water bottle. I am almost dead serious until I realize that a) I will probably pee all over the floor and b) I only have two water bottles, and I don't want to drink from one that I peed in. So. I hold it. And pray that I don't explode. Safety is in the same position, and every time there's a bump we both groan a bit.
We finally get to Chelan, and, after waddling to the closest bathroom to pee for hours, realize we have to camp here for the night because the boat across to Stehekin only leaves in the morning. We get ourselves some burgers, and rent a spot on the grass at the nearby RV park. We plan to get up early and walk the 2-3 miles to the boat landing, so we go to sleep early. It seems like a long day, and I wonder, as I do most nights, what my friends on the trail and back in the real world are doing right now. Maybe we're all just preparing for the next day.
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