D125-D132: A warm cabin, a warm cabin, and a warm cabin! 一棟又一棟的溫暖山屋

Days 125 to 132:

After saying goodbye to my cousin Scott at Chinook Pass, I kept walking on the PCT. Some angel had left some fresh fruit on the trail for hikers and I gladly took an orange to have with supper that night. 

在Chinook埡口與Scott告別後我回到PCT上繼續往前走。不久後遇到一堆留給登山客吃的水果，我拿了一顆橘子來當晚餐的甜點。

My goal was to not have to hunt for campsites at night anymore for the rest of the trail, so when I got to a lake about an hour before sunset, I didn't hesitate in setting up camp.

我現在的目標是不要再等到天黑之後才開始找營地，夕陽一小時前經過一個有營地的湖泊時我馬上下決定在這裡紮營。

The next day, I woke up to a wet tent and sleeping pad. It had rained a lot during the night and a bit of moisture had come through the tent floor. I find packing up wet gear covered in dirt and needles is one of the most disheartening things that can happen on trail, especially when there is no sun forecast.

隔天早上起來的時候發現帳篷的地板和睡墊都濕了，半夜有下雨，我的營位有積水，而水從帳篷底部滲進來了。帳篷濕了會有泥土和針葉黏上去，這時候要收帳篷好麻煩，如果當天不會出太陽也無法曬乾，讓人更沮喪。

I finally caught up to Dani, Rand, Eleanor and Orangutan, four hikers I had spent time with in Southern California and the Sierras but hadn't seen since. They didn't even recognize me at first because of how much my beard has grown since the beginning of July.

今天終於趕上表弟在Kracker Barrel遇到的四位登山客，這四位我在南加和內華達山脈常遇到的，很多時候也是一起紮營的夥伴。今天再次看到他們我很開心，不過我走過的時候他們看了我好一陣子才認得出我，畢竟我的鬍子這兩個月長長了。

The scenery today was as good as ever for Washington, but the clouds came in thicker and thicker throughout the day and by mid-afternoon it started to rain again.

今天的風景依舊很美，華盛頓走到哪都是好風景，不過下午的雲越來越厚，不久又開始下雨了。

As of several days ago, I already knew were I was going to stay today. There was a backcountry cabin beside the trail and I planned on staying there no matter what time of day I arrived. As it turned out, I arrived at the Mike Ulrich Cabin by mid-afternoon in the rain and having a roof over my head in the middle of the wet forest made me almost jump for joy. Not only was it a dry cabin, but people already there had a FIRE going inside!! It was hot and dry in there and I was able to take off all my layers and even hang up all my wet gear to dry. Everyone had their sleeping bags and tents hanging on the rafters and things were drying very quickly thanks to the fire! It was a complete mental and physical reset for every hiker that came in, so the mood in the cabin was exuberant.

好幾天前我就已經知道今天要睡哪裡，前面有一棟小木屋，而PCT可以睡室內的機會極少，所以我決定不管幾點走到小木屋一定會在那裡先休息住一晚。今天下午四點左右走到小木屋，能夠在深森林中到一個室內的空間躲雨我樂不可支，而且不只是乾燥的空間，早到的人已經在裡面的柴爐生火耶！登山衣服都脫掉了後穿上乾的衣服，還跟大家一樣拿濕的衣服和裝備在柴爐旁邊晾乾，靠柴爐的熱連睡袋和帳篷很快就烤乾。脫離潮濕步道到這個溫馨的小木屋大家都歡天喜地。

Some locals had been out in their jeeps and had left salsa and arugula behind for the hikers. I had tortillas, chicken packets, and some of Scott's leftover cheese in my food bag, and there was a wood stove in the cabin, so... I was able to make REAL QUESADILLAS right there in the cabin! Having food with fresh greens and meat that wasn't tuna, cooked on a hot stove as I sat inside watching the rain fall was one of the best surprises I had on the entire PCT. It really was my lucky day!

今天有當地人開吉普車來到小木屋玩，他們留下莎莎醬和芝麻菜給登山客吃。我背包裡剛好有餅皮、肌肉、還有表弟沒吃完的起司，而小木屋裡有柴爐，這樣我就有辦法做出墨西哥式餡餅！可以吃到有新鮮蔬菜且沒有我早已吃膩的鮪魚的熱食，又可以在溫暖的空間邊吃邊看外面下的雨是我PCT經驗中很難忘的回憶，當天十分滿足。

More and more people showed up as afternoon turned to evening. Matt was there, as was Rand's group, and despite my suggestion that they just stay the night at the cabin, they decided to push on. It was still early, but I didn't think getting a few more miles done in the rain was worth giving up a night in a nice warm cabin! That's always the dilemma on trail: when to push on and get a few more miles done to make the following days easier, and when to cut your losses and just rest or stop for the day. Considering how much it rained that night, I have no doubt that I made the right decision by staying at the cabin! Lying down in the warm loft reading a book, I thought to myself that I would never take shelter for granted again. Without any effort on my part, every square inch of my body is warm and dry; it is simply magical. I am even considering staying here tomorrow for a zero, depending on the weather.

快傍晚的時候小木屋的人已變多了，Matt還有今天遇到的那4位也都到了，我強烈建議他們在小木屋住一晚，但他們最後都決定冒著大雨回到步道上繼續走。雖然時間還早，下午四點就不走到了PCT這個階段算很早休息，但我覺得為了幾公里的進度讓全身勢頭很不值得，有機會住小木屋是不可以錯過的。這是走PCT時一直面對的矛盾，何時該走遠一點使得後面走到下個補給點的路比較輕鬆，何時該早一點休息，後面的路程先不考慮，聽到當天晚上的雨聲我就知道我這一次決定提早休息是對的選擇。在溫暖的樓中樓躺著看書，我知道我這輩子再也不會把室內的空間當理所當然的，今天只因為這個小木屋的存在我身上連一滴雨都沒有，只要待在室內就很溫暖，當時覺得屋頂和牆壁真的是很奇妙的東西。我睡覺時還在考慮隔天若天氣差的話要不要多待一晚，好好享受在溫馨小木屋的感覺。

By 11 p.m. the cabin's loft and main floor were entirely packed with hikers in their sleeping bags. It was so full that when I came down from the loft in the middle of the night, I couldn't even see the wooden floor and had to try hopping between sleeping bags just to get to the door. It was also so warm with that fire going that it was the only night on trail where I went to sleep with no sleeping bag and no shirt on.

晚上十一點時樓中樓和一樓擠滿了人與睡袋，我半夜要下樓去尿尿根本看不到一樓的地板，只能從樓梯跳到兩個睡袋之間的地方再走在睡墊上到大門，儘量不踩從睡袋露出來的手腳。柴爐一直有人加柴，整晚室內溫度很高，是我在PCT唯一次睡覺不蓋睡袋，那天我甚至連上衣也沒穿。外面下著雨，裡面卻那麼溫暖，我十分滿足。

The next day was another foggy, rainy day. It wasn't very pleasant walking, but the red leaves of fall were nice to look at and there were still a ton of berries along the trail.

隔天霧還在，雨還下著，走起來不是很舒服但至少有秋天的紅葉可看，步道沿途也都有莓果可以吃。

Around noon, just as the weather was really getting miserable, I came upon a forest road crossing with a huge tent set up on it, and a sign with a hiker's two favourite words on it: Trail Magic! A trail angel had set up this warm, dry space for hikers to rest in. There was a little wood stove inside the tent, so it was warm inside and there was hot water for tea, coffee or hot chocolate.

中午左右天氣開始變差時我遇到一條林道，林道上有一個大型帳棚，旁邊看到一個牌子，上面寫登山客最愛的兩個字：trail magic耶！有一位當地的trail angel在下雨天來這裡弄出一個可以躲雨的空間共我們休息，裡面甚至有一個小柴爐，不只可以躲雨還可以取暖喔，trail angel也準備熱水讓我們自己泡茶、咖啡、熱可可。

Monster, Cheez-Its, Rand and company, and a few others were all hiding out from the weather in the tent. It was such a luxury to sit in a chair having a hot drink and eating lunch, being able to forget about the weather for a while. Two downpours happened just in the hour I was in the tent, and I was sure thankful to have missed both of these. Thank you to Roger the trail angel!!
裡面有好多登山客在等雨停，包含昨天沒住小木屋繼續往前走的幾位，已經被我追上了，看得出來昨天睡小木屋真的時對的選擇。在大帳棚裡面可以坐真正的椅子上邊吃邊喝熱飲且外面的雨可以聽聽就好不用淋到，真的很過癮。光我在裡面吃午餐的那一個小時就下了兩場特別大的雨，對天使Roger感激不盡。

In the afternoon, there was a period of about five minutes where the clouds parted and I saw blue sky. I was so happy to see the sun that I stopped to take a picture of it. It was a great morale boost, even though it was very brief.

下午有五分鐘的時間我終於看到藍天，雖然時透過雲層中的小洞，時間又短，但陽光馬上讓我心情好起來。我還特別停下來拍照，怕會不會是我在華盛頓最後一次看到太陽的機會？

I got another morale boost that evening. I got to camp before dark again, and discovered once I was in my tent that I had full cell service here. I binged on the internet on my phone, staying up way later than I should have, but it was nice to have a taste of civilization again. Unfortunately, there was some bad news today as well. The zipper on my tent started failing again. I tried squeezing it together as recommended by the manufacturer, as it worked the last time I did this, in July. However, this time the zipper still wouldn't close and after a few times moving it up and down in vain, the zipper pull actually broke off! Now I had no way of fully closing the outer door of my tent and if there was ever a strong wind with rain or snow, it would blow right inside.

晚上又有沒預料的好事發生，我在天黑之前就已經找到營地，到帳棚裡面後發現這裡竟然有訊號，而且滿格！我滑手機滑好久，睡眠的問題暫時不考慮，有機會再次接觸到文明世界還是要把握。那麼多好事已發生了，不久後一定會有壞事發生，這是我早就學過的原理，而壞事就是今晚發生的：帳棚的拉鍊又合不起來了。像上次一樣我依照廠商說明用鉗子夾，七月這樣用是有效，但今天怎麼夾拉鍊還是合不起來，上下拉了幾次拉鍊頭還斷掉！現在已經無把帳棚外門完全關起來了，遇到下雨或下雪如果同時有大風吹不知道我能怎麼辦。

The next day it didn't rain, but the ground and leaves were all still wet from the past few days.

隔天天氣好了一些，都沒有下雨，但到處都看得到前幾天下雨的痕跡：

In the afternoon, I saw the highway leading to Snowqualmie Pass and arrived there before supper. This is mainly a ski resort area and there is actually one ski club cabin that is open for hikers during the summer, the Guye Cabin. This cabin has a big kitchen, rec room and living room for hikers to use, and bunks for us to use with our sleeping bags. They only charge 20 bucks a night, but are expected to do a housekeeping chore as well. As far as I'm concerned it's a really good deal. If there's any chance to get under a roof on a rainy day, I will take it!

下午我看到通往Snowqualmie埡口的公路，晚餐之前就走到埡口了。這裡沒有村莊，只有滑雪場和幾家店和住宿處，其中有一棟山莊Guye Cabin夏天會讓登山客入住。山莊內有大廚房、客廳、桌球室，有床鋪可以睡，要自備睡袋不過對我們來說這當然不成問題。住一晚只要20塊美金，但莊主也會派家事給大家做，一人一項，其實這樣很划算，在登山的時候能睡室內我什麼家事也都願意做！

Of course, the first thing I did at Snowqualmie Pass was go have some food. Then I went to the Chevron gas station, which holds packages for PCT hikers free of charge! This is a valuable service, as the nearest post office is over 10 miles away. My resupply box was there, but unfortunately my wool shirt sent by the Trout Lake Grocery Store wasn't here yet! If it didn't get here tomorrow, I might have to take an unwanted zero here just to wait for the shirt. On my way back to the Guye Cabin, I saw a familiar face. I couldn't believe it, but it was Omar, the hiker I'd met near Chester back at the beginning of August and hadn't seen since! Somehow, despite my skipping ahead in Northern California and whatever parts of the trail he had skipped, we were both in Snowqualmie at the exact same time at the same spot. He was staying at the Guye Cabint, too, so we agreed to meet up there later on.

回到文明世界要做的第一件事當然是大吃。吃飽後我去隔壁的加油站領包裹，這間加油站會幫登山客免費代收包裹，沒有他們這項服務就很麻煩，最近的郵局離這裡有16公里。我自己寄的補給箱已經送到加油站了，但從Trout Lake超市寄過來的羊毛上衣還沒到，如果明天早山還沒到的話我可能要在這裡多等一天，只為了一件衣服浪費一整天。回山莊的路上我看到一個很熟悉的人朝我的方向走，竟然是8月初在北加Chester認識的Omar，從Chester到這裡超過1600公里的路沒有再度看到他。我自己在跳過北加挑過一段，他應該也沒走某一段路才能今天已經到這裡了，兩人剛好同一天走到這裡實在太巧合了。他說今晚也會住山莊所以我們約晚一點在那裡碰面聊天。

Matt had been trying desperately to get to Snowqualmie Pass earlier, even attempting a 24-hour day on the way, so I expected him to be ahead of me but he ended up being at Guye Cabin, too. We ended up going back to the main road and having supper together at the local brewery. Yes, this isn't even a town, it's just a highway pass, but it has a brewery.

Matt為了趕上走在更前面的一群朋友本來要盡力快一點到Snowqualmie，然後不過夜繼續走，甚至還說在過來的路上要玩24小時挑戰，所以他應該比我早到這裡一天，結果我到山莊的時候卻遇到他。我們後來一起走回公路去啤酒場吃晚餐，這裡不是村莊只是公路需要經過的埡口，竟然會有啤酒場。

Back at Guye Cabin I went and talked to Omar for a while. He told me this was going to be the end of his PCT journey this year and he was going back home from here. He had a bunch of beers from the local brewery and offered me a can of their PCT Pale Ale. I told him I would take that beer in my pack all the way to the border and save it to celebrate completing the trail.

回到山莊後我去找Omar聊天。他說他今年PCT的故事到此為止，要直接從Snowqualmie回家。他在啤酒場買了好幾罐啤酒，也送了我一罐以步道命名的PCT Pale Ale啤酒。我覺得這罐很適合走完步道後慶祝時喝，所以就跟他說這一罐我會一直揹到加拿大的邊境再喝。

The next morning I went and joined Matt at the pancake house for breakfast and sat around waiting for the mail to arrive at the Chevron. I went in at noon and found out my package had just arrived that morning! I now had a warm wool base layer to deal with the cold, damp Washington weather, and I could get back on the trail right away!

隔天早上我跟Matt去吃煎餅，在那裡打發時間等郵差來加油站送包裹。我中午走過去問店員說今天的包裹已經送到了，而且其中有我的包裹！我不用在這裡多待一天，也有保暖的羊毛衣可以穿來應付華盛頓濕冷的天氣。

I passed the 2400-mile marker today, which meant that I still had over 250 miles to go, but my shoes were starting to show signs of wear. There was a hole on each side of both shoes and I was starting to wonder if the whole front would split open!

今天走到2400英里的里程碑，還剩250英里但鞋子已經磨損很嚴重，兩隻鞋的兩側都破洞，現在質疑前面會不會整個破開。

The next couple days were cloudy but it didn't rain much. The scenery around every corner was breathtaking and I have to say Washington is even nicer than the Sierras. There are gorgeous lakes here, too, but it's too cold to enjoy swimming in them now.

接下來兩天都是陰天但沒什麼下雨，每次轉個彎看到新的景色都令人屏息，我自己認為華盛頓這一段比內華達山脈的高山區更漂亮。這裡也有很多湖泊，但天氣已變冷，不再適合下去泡水了。

Despite the great scenery, I am starting to feel like I've had enough of the trail. It could be the colder days, it could be all the cloud and rain, it could be the shorter days that make it hard to get all the miles in before dark, or it could just be that I'm already looking forward to what comes after the trail (pilot training). Whatever it is, I don't think I will be sad when I get to the end. It's been an amazing journey, but its time is coming to a natural end.

雖然風景月來越好看，但我開始期待走完步道的時間。不知道時因為天氣變冷，還是因為常常陰天下雨，還是因為日照時間越來越短使得每天要走的公里數很難在天黑前走完，還是因為我現在已經很期待走完步道要做的事，也就是機師訓練，反正我已經知道走完PCT的時候我不會太難過，這幾個月的經驗都已成為我這輩子的珍貴回憶，不過我人生的這個階段感覺要到一個自然的分界點了。

The next resupply stop is Stevens Pass. On the day I arrived at this pass, I passed Man and Sunny again! They are the couple from Hong Kong that I met back in Taiwan during snow training. I passed them previously when I was going south with my friend Sana in Northern California, and today caught up to them again going north. I was happy to see they seemed in much better spirits today than when I saw them in Northern California. Because of the fire closure by the Canadian border, they had actually given up on finishing the PCT this year, bought tickets home, and were in Vancouver ready to fly out. Just two days before their flight, the trail reopened and they quickly made arrangements to get back on the trail and finish Washington. Now there was nothing that would stop them and I could see it in their eyes!

下一個補給點是Stevens埡口，走到的那一天也再次遇到香港山友Man和Sunny。我在臺灣上雪訓課程的時候認識他們，上次在北加跟加拿大朋友往南走的路段遇到他們，今天終於又趕上他們了。今天看他們的臉色發現跟上次在加州的時候有明顯的差別，現在看起來比較樂觀。因為8月發佈加拿大邊境鄰接的路段受火災影響而封閉，這兩位決定放棄走華盛頓，先回香港，明年若通往加拿大的路段重新開放再來把PCT走完。他們回去的票買好了，人都已經到溫哥華準備回去了，結果起飛的兩天前火災封閉範圍縮小，通往加拿大的步道又開放了，所以他們馬上改機票的時間並回去開始走華盛頓段，只差兩天就沒機會走完PCT，他們運氣算很好。現在看他們的眼神有一種勢不可擋的樣子，跟上次在加州看到的感覺比較根本是相反。

Stevens Pass is a mountain resort, skiing in the winter, mountain biking in the summer. The Mountaineers Lodge is open to hikers during the summer and I couldn't pass up another chance to have a roof over my head.

Stevens埡口是山上的渡假村，冬天可以滑雪，夏天可以玩登山車。這裡有一間山莊8-9月是開放給PCT登山客住，有機會睡在室內的地方我當然會趁機會去住。

This lodge ended up being my absolute favourite spot to stay on the entire PCT! The day I arrived it had rained a bit at noon at one of the high passes, and people who arrived later in the day said it was snowing on them in the afternoon. This was bad news as I still had over 200 miles to go and would likely encounter more snow over the coming days. For the moment, though, it was great news because I was indoors!

這間山莊是我整個PCT過程中最喜歡的住宿點。我到達的哪一天，中午時經過一個高海拔的鞍部有碰到下雨，比我晚到山莊的人說下午經過那個鞍部有碰到下雪。我還有300多公里要走，聽到這個消息有點緊張，後面遇到雪的機會變大了。不過聽到下雪也是好消息，畢竟我目前在室內，不管下雨下雪我都躲得到壞天氣耶！

This place was set up so well for hikers. They had a drying room kept very warm and dry with heaters and fans for all of our wet gear.

山莊的設備最適合滑雪或登山的客人，一樓有烘乾室，裡面有暖氣和電風扇，濕的裝備可以在裡面掛，隔天要走的時候會全乾。

There was a huge common room with a roaring fire in the fireplace keeping the place nice and warm. They had tons of outlets for charging, showers, and a ton of room for mingling in the big common room, with nice couches by the fireplace. This was a place to get out of the rain, kick back and relax. On top of all this, meals were included!!

樓上有很大的客廳，壁爐也已經生火了，整個客廳和溫暖舒服。他們準備好多插座供登山客的點子產品充電，壁爐旁邊有大沙發，客廳的空間很大，再多人來都不會覺得擠。這裡就是可以完全放鬆休息的地方，而且住這裡也不用想要吃什麼，餐點也包含在住宿費用內！

Like Guye Cabin, they asked that everyone help out with a chore while staying there, as the place is entirely run by volunteers. After months on trail, hikers were more than willing to get in the kitchen and wash dishes; in fact, it was a bit of a novelty. They put some tunes on, and we had those dishes done up in 10 minutes flat. Under normal circumstances, people would probably feel strange having to do chores when paying for accommodation. For me, though, it almost felt like a privilege to be able to wash dishes with hot running water, dishsoap, sinks and towels. It was sure a lot easier than the cold soaking, scraping and tongue cleaning I was used to on the trail. It was amazing how cheery everyone was as we did our chores.

跟上一間山莊一樣客人要幫忙做家事，畢竟這裡的員工也一樣是登山社的志工，不過在PCT走好幾個月後登山客願意去幫忙，好幾個月沒有做家事的我們甚至還可以樂於途中。洗碗時有人放音樂，大家開開心心的洗一洗、擦一擦、唱一唱，十分鐘內全部都已經洗好了。平常如果付錢住一個地方還要做家事會有點怪，不過我自己覺得有熱水、洗碗精、水槽、擦碗巾這些東西好幸福，平常在步道上用冷水浸泡、再用小刮刀或舌頭來清鍋子，和這個設備完善的廚房洗碗的方式比根本是兩回事。從來沒看過洗碗時這麼開心的一群人。

At night, everyone sat together in the common room and they put on a movie for us. We were just like a bunch of kids at summer camp; the atmosphere in this lodge is hard to beat. The next day I wasn't sure what time I would leave and I was waiting to see what the weather would do. The forecast was terrible for that day, and I realized that with the end of the PCT getting nearer, this might be my last chance to take a nice zero. I hadn't taken a zero since Chester, five weeks earlier, and what better place could there be to take a zero than this nice, warm ski lodge where they feed us three meals a day!? Just like that, I decided to stay out of the rain and snow and give myself one full day of rest. I paid for my second night, and then curled up on the couch by the fire for the whole afternoon, reading and chatting with other hikers there. It rained off and on all day, and hikers coming in today spoke of a lot of snow up at higher elevations. Staying indoors today: best decision ever!

晚上大家在客廳看電影，很像一群在夏令營的小孩，這間山莊的氣氛真的很棒。還沒決定隔天要幾點再出發，我想說看天氣再說。隔天早上起來後發現天氣預告還是很差，也考慮到PCT快走完，今天可能是我最後一次機會好好地享受零進度的一天，從Chester出發後，這五個禮拜以來也一直認真走路，都沒有休息過一整天，就決定在這裡多待一晚，今天一整天都給自己休息順便避開壞天氣。我去付第二晚的錢然後在火邊坐沙發坐一整個下午，偶爾看書偶爾跟其他登山客聊天。今天陸陸續續地下雨，今天到達的登山客也都說山上有下雪，證明了我在山莊多待一天的決定是對的。

I even got to play crib with someone here. This is one of my favourite card games, but it's hard to find people who know how to play it. It just so happened that there was a guy there who wanted to play, so while he got a stick-and-poke tattoo done on his leg (by a girl who had just gotten her own stick-and-poke tattoo done that morning and had asked me to do it for her but I declined due to my horrific artistic skills), I played crib with him to distract him. It was interesting end to my favourite zero of the entire PCT.

我在山莊也找到可以跟我玩crib的夥伴，crib是我最喜歡的撲克牌遊戲，小時候在家鄉常跟家人或朋友玩，不過在我家鄉外面很難找到會玩crib的人，剛好今天山莊認識到會玩的人。在PCT真的會遇到各式各樣的人，早上有個女生問我要不要幫她以縫針和馬克筆墨水刺青，但因為我畫畫的技非常差所以就拒絕了，後來她找到人幫她刺。刺完後她自己想要幫別人刺，在山莊亂問人要不要刺青，最後找到一位想刺的男生。這個男生也就是跟我玩crib的那一位，我們玩牌的目的除了好玩或許也可以讓他比較不會注意到刺青的痛。

Tomorrow I head out on my second-to-last section of the PCT. I'm hoping the snow on the trail isn't too bad, and that it doesn't snow even more in the next few days. The short, cold, wet days I'm experiencing now are in stark contrast to the long, warm, sunny days of the previous two states. It feels like the mountains have had enough of us and are trying to kick us out now. I hope my way out is actually via the northern terminus into Canada!

明天我要開始走PCT倒數第二段，目前最大的願望是步道上的雪不要積得很厚，也不要在這幾天再下雪。天氣變得這麼濕冷，日照時間變得這麼短，跟前兩州的情況根本是相反，感覺以前歡迎我們的大自然現在快受不了我們了，要逼我們趕快離開，真希望我離開的時候是經過加拿大邊境離開而非從他處。