Alpine Lakes Wilderness Day 8

30 August 1986.  We move out quickly on Saturday morning--it's too cold to dawdle.  Besides, we have a bus to catch.  Our tents are wet but we don't need them again on this trip.  We make a beeline for Stevens Pass, the first road we will encounter since Snoqualmie Pass.  Powerlines over the trail crackle in the mist.  We meet a surprising number of hikers along the way.  But for the rain I envy them.  We make Stevens Pass in about 2 hours.  Stevens Pass is even more deserted than our starting point.  Nothing is open so we wait in the cold and damp for the bus which is about a half hour late.  A couple other hikers join us.  I am wearing every piece of warm clothing by the time the bus arrives.  We toss our packs into the baggage compartment and pile in.  The bus is warm and crowded.  It stops in Skykomish for a five minute break.  We bolt across the road to a deli for a hot dog and coke before settling in for the ride to Seattle.

Showers and food at my cousin's house officially end the trip.  Greg, Colleen and Gary head in their various directions.  That night I tour Seattle's bars and restaurants with two cousins, Amy’s (remember Amy?) mom Pat and her sister Kathy visiting from Spokane.  We make a valiant effort to sample many of the 33 brands of draft beer at one bar.  An amazing end for a day that began in the cold and wet of Lake Susan Jane.