September 21

Our luck on the fantastic weather has finally run out. We knew rain was coming from watching the weather in town, so were not surprised when we woke up at 4:30 am to rain drizzling down. We packed up wet and started our hike for the day. The night before I had noticed a shelter indicated in 20 miles and figured if the weather was really bad we could camp there. It would be a short day to do that but worth it to get out of the elements. 

The rain kept coming all day long, and for the first 3 hours of hiking we were exposed on ridge tops with the wind pelting our faces with raindrops. Finally, just after 10:00 we dropped down to the leeward side of the mountain and had some relief from the weather. We saw one section hiker holed up in his tent. He said he didn't have rain gear and asked us how long it was supposed to last and if there was snow predicted. We told him what we knew that the rain storm was going to peak at 2:00 in the afternoon and no snow was predicted. About one mile after this conversation at about noon we saw our first few snowflakes as we climbed up out of the valley.

The snow didn't quit. It kept coming and coming down covering the landscape with fresh white fluffiness. We were soaked from the rain and getting more and more frozen as the temperature dropped and the snow continued to fly. The cabin shelter seemed more appealing and we decided if it was closed we could hike the 3 miles to the rest stop off the highway and dry out.

We reached the cabin at 2:30 right behind 3 long weekend backpackers Dave, Sean, and Marshall who were letting themselves in. Their first attempt was foiled by a locked door and the spirits of all 5 of us fell hard. We found an open door at the back and let ourselves in, all of us soaking wet and freezing cold. We have 2 of the 3 wood stoves burning and all of our stuff is hanging to dry. They are on their way out of the woods and have shared a bunch of food with us. I had my second Mountain House meal on the trail tonight and part of a dessert meal as well as the snacks they were throwing our way. We've played a game of Pictionary and are now cozy and ready for bed.