The rain stopped long enough for us to take down our very wet fly and the tent body was only damp. A hot drink and left over lentils sent us on up the trail We passed Switchfoot and Not Yet still asleep. We are beginning to realize that most of the thru hikers sleep in and hike fast. We on the other hand are like turtles and just plod along. Lots of ups and downs. When the rain started we quickly put on the rain gear. (Mine almost immediately split in the crotch. ) We learned our lesson yesterday. Lots of clouds and fog today prohibited good viewing of the area. At a marked spring we stopped to cook up a hot breakfast. Two south bounders who had flipped (went from CA to northern WA and are now heading south) were also getting water. They said that they had met over 30 thru hikers yesterday heading North. We are on the train of hikers heading Northbound. Our sore bodies did not feel too bad in the morning, but by late afternoon the symptoms were back. We were looking forward to camping at Blue Lake. The weather was nasty and even though it was Labor Day Weekend, we figured that there would be space there. WRONG! Camping was in designated spots and as a friendly lady greeted us she told us that her group had gotten the last one. Now we were not only wet, but the wind was also blowing hard. Not wanting to have an epic evening, we hiked a little further and found a spot. Not sure if we were out of the designated camping area but safety of the individual took priority. The rain was dumping so we made the decision to sleep with the food in the tent and fend off any pesky critters. The one we feared most was the chipmunk. Considering it was a full campground on Labor Day Weekend, the weather made for most if not all the groups having a quiet tent bound night.

Mileage 21 - Blue Lake