22 miles
2851 ft elevation gain
7678 ft elevation loss
PNT Mile 230

One last shot before closing the shutters.

A glorious sunrise was follow by 2 cups of hot coffee and a casual start time. We scrambled over rock fields and walked thru the spare vegetation typical of treeline.

And we are off.

If you look closely you can see the lookout on the mountain behind me.

At the top of Davis Mountain we could see the route over the next high peak. It looked like we could contour around a bowl and end up on the same ridge. We ended up doing that but it wasn’t straightforward. And I’m sure it wasn’t easier, shorter or quicker. But it was fun. There were several drainages and cliffs that we couldn’t see. And then when we finally got to the ridge I looked at the app and then the map. We were on the wrong ridge! Luckily it was an easy contour the half mile to rejoin the alternate route. The rest of the 6 miles to rejoin the PNT were bushwhacking and downhill. One of the easier bushwhacking I’ve done. And I didn’t take any photos of this section. So it must not have been as easy or as stress-free as it seems looking back on it.

I needed and wanted a shower bad. We were 15 miles from Feist Creek Resort. I made a beeline for it. The Ruby Ridge Trail was one of the sweetest trails I’ve been on.

And then it was straight downhill. Check out the descent number above!

Once I got here, Cliff the owner greeted me outside. He told me to sit down and brought me an IPA. I was drinking that beer before my sweat had dried.

Cliff is extremely welcoming to hikers. I had a box of food sent here. He lets hikers tent on his lawn. Showers with soap, shampoo and a towel are $4.

Emma, Chris and I all had steaks and baked potatoes for dinner. I haven’t eaten any meat for a long time. It tasted great and was just what I needed.

The shower that made me race to get here was wonderful and worth the rush.