Day 153 Nannie Ridge/Sheep Lake

25.89 miles
From Killen Creek (mile 2247.6, elevation 5903)
To Nannie Ridge (mile 2272.6, elevation 5714)
Upload 3470
Descend 3664

Today was a day to move forward. There weren’t many sights really worth mentioning. Mount Adams was slowly receding and Mount Rainier was slowly approaching. I had been told that Goat Rocks is one of the prettiest parts of the trail and I wanted to get close enough to be able to do that hike in the sunlight the next day. I have also been paying attention to the weather forecasts to avoid, as much as possible, cold, wet (or snowy) days. I don’t want to fall off a mountain or need to be rescued.

rainy mountain

With today’s dry weather forecast, I wanted to cover a lot of ground. I passed the 20 mile mark before 4pm so I felt like I had done it.

Some fall colors along the trail.

This bridge has seen better days. It is still stable enough to support a hiker. But I chuckled at the “No Horses” sign, wondering if anyone would actually try to cross it on horseback.

Grouse on the road

This is definitely not summer camp anymore. The trail crosses Nannie Ridge at Sheep Lake and then continues along the ridge. There were reports of tent sites at the top of the climb (near Cispus Pass) that had spectacular views. But it had felt quite cold in the last couple of kilometers before Sheep Lake and those spots would be above the tree line and exposed to much more wind.

Since Sheep Lake was reported to have numerous tent sites, I opted to camp there. Even looking for a place to camp there, I deliberately looked for places that were a little more sheltered from the wind.

Sunset from the camp

Hours earlier, the weather forecast for tomorrow indicated a slight chance of rain. I just got an updated forecast that says it won’t rain tomorrow. But rain is forecast on Sunday (2 days later) until the end of the forecast window next Thursday. I’ll have to control that.

Camp

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