Day 140
Nice and steady. I approached the switchbacks out of Milk Creek at a nice and steady pace, knowing that for the next four or so miles, it's straight up on this side of the mountain.
I got a good view of Ptarmigan Glacier from Glacier Peak, which is the source of Milk Creek. It's just incredible. As I was nearing the top, walking on frost, the huckleberries once again provided a good excuse to stop. It's so good!
On the way down, the view of the expansive valley was unbelievable. The weather was excellent. Cool in the shade, perfect under the sun. I got a glimpse of Mt. Baker in the far distance. The morning was slow but we made up time, arriving early for lunch, where Topo and Candyman joined us. We thought about taking the old PCT route at Suiattle River, but we deferred as the concept of bushwacking, very steep unmaintained trail, and fallen log crossing on a raging river was not worth the time it would have saved us. Nonetheless, we made it to camp quite early that day, where we were joined by several hikers.
