August 12 Rainy Pass to campsite 9.8 miles (after 72 mile hitchhike). 1:15-4:30
Slow start out of motel, picked up biscuits at IGA and went to intersection to hitch. We needed to go up 530 to Rockport, then take 20 to Rainey Gap. First ride was nice guy but only about 11 miles and left us at a spot where we could not hitch easily, so we ended up walking a couple miles on road until this incredibly nice family turned around and came back to pick us up. A full pickup with three children in the back. They all squeezed in, then took us all the way to Marblemount which was way out of their way, but a great place to hitch– you always meet the best people on and around trails. Marblemount is a great little village. It was still early we had another breakfast, Bennett a huge stack of blueberry pancakes. Not long after a retired anesthesiologist named Dave picked us up and took us the last 60 plus miles to the trailhead. A short hike in was uneventful except for a thunderstorm which made more noise than rain. The terrain here is much different, almost desert like, though our campsite is a little meadow with a spring winding right through the middle of it– looks as if Disney designed it. A crew came in and camped near us. They built fire even though half the woods around here are on fire. Sometimes ash from the Wolverine Fire drifts down on us and you can smell smoke everywhere.