On the 29th it rained on me so hard and so long that I later heard people from Seattle say that the weather was really wet. My shoes got soaked and that led to a nasty blister on the bottom of my left foot. Moleskin just got soaked and slipped off. I had trouble finding a camp site but eventually set up my Hennessey in a hidden spot on the woods just off the highway about a mile or two outside the little village of Sekiu.
Just before finding a camp, I used the last of my phone battery to talk to Dad, which was nice, but, combined with the wind and the rain and the sore feet, made for a nice round of homesickness...especially when he started describing his steak dinner.
I made 15 miles despite the storm.
I kept my sleeping gear dry so it wasn't too bad a night, and I limped into Sekiu late the next morning. I was down to my last set of dry hiking socks, but I was clean shaven and not too worse for wear. There I was befriended by a woman named Heidi who informed me that the only two driers in the laundromat were broken.
She gave me quarters for the washers, refusing the dollar bills I offered her in return. She fed me homemade cookies and fresh salmon she and her husband, Conrad, had caught the day before. She had salted and smoked it, and I have never tasted better fish. She also arranged to have my clothes dried by one of the locals.
This took a while so I spent most of the day air drying and sorting the rest of my gear and eating some amazing tuna salad (also made by Heidi) and enjoying the company of my unexpected hosts. I had begun to regret the large meal I had at the diner in town before meeting Heidi.
As a further act of kindness, Heidi packed me more salmon and cookies, cheese, and banana bread to take with me. I've been eating well since then, though it'll soon all be gone.
I left an hour before dusk and still made 8 or 10 miles under clear skies and bright stars before making camp. My moral is high and my clothes are dry and my stomach is full, all due in no small part to Heidi and Conrad. So thank you both.
The next day (August 31st) I made twenty miles, despite a wrong turn.
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