Well, it rained most of last night. At least off and on. Damp everything this morning. I love the feel of damp nylon (Not!). Quick breakfast of two packages of instant hot oatmeal, then pack up and finish what I started yesterday, the ten mile hike around the lake. I was quite certain I would run into Monk this morning as he was ahead of me on this trek around the lake. But I didn’t. Somehow I missed his tent pitched near the trail.
The trail passes through an old resort from around 1885, Interlaken. Many of the old buildings have been restored. All had to be moved up the slope when they raised the level of the lake with a dam. Even though it was raining, I spent a few minutes walking around the buildings and went inside the owner’s old house. There are a few photos below.
It was Sunday morning and as I approached the end of the lake I found many people car camping. I had started hiking just before 6 and it was now maybe 7:30ish. I walked across the dam at the end of the lake and started up the other side. My destination was the small town of Twin Lakes. My resupply box had been sent to the grocery story in town by Andy. However, I was a little anxious it would not be there. In FarOut, the owners of the store had posted a note saying it was taking 2 to 3 weeks for packages to get there because the post office in Buena Vista was understaffed and couldn’t get the mail shipped out. I had mailed a package to myself from Salida five days ago and Andy had mailed my food supply about the same time. It took me four hours to walk the 10 miles around the lake. Four hours to contemplate my missing food and air mattress.
At about 10:00am I walked into town. Puddles greeted me with a big hello. We chatted for a few minutes, then I went in to see if by some lucky stroke my boxes had a made it. The owner said things had improved since that post he made in FarOut and walked into the back room to see if any of my stuff was there. He returned with two boxes, one spray painted yellow for easier identification and the little box holding my inflatable pad. What luck!!
I bought a Coke and a ice cream sandwich and took my boxes out to my pack, then sat with Puddles and a couple other hikers and drank my pop and ate half my ice cream sandwich when I realized Monk said he was going to get breakfast at the Inn. I walked to the inn and sat down with Monk at his table. He had a burger and fries, I had eggs, bacon and hash browns. We delayed our departure as long as possible. We had our phones plugged in and wanted to get as much charge as possible. When we had stretched our welcome to the breaking point,we left. It was now raining outside and our packs were sitting out in the rain. My entire pack is lined with a trash bag so everything inside was dry, but the pack itself was very wet. I put my pack cover on my pack and went back in the store to buy a few items for the next 5 days. When I came out the rain had let up, but all the thru hikers were under a wrap around porch roof on an old building across the street.
Monk excitedly told me, “The family is here. The family is here!” What family? Oh, THE family. There is a family hiking the trail, mom, dad and five kids ages 11, 9, 8, 6 and 11 months, boy, boy, girl, girl, girl respectively. It was incredibly cute. Each kid has a silver hiking umbrella and as dad readied them to cross the highway 6 silver domed umbrellas at differing heights followed him across the highway in a line like ducks following their mother.
Under the porch roof I called Sally. While we talked the rain stopped and the sun came out. I organized my food and repacked my pack while talking. In the middle of my conversation the three young girls of the family 8, 6, and 11 months (carried by the 6 year old) came up to me and started showing me how they peeled the poppy buds to find the entire flower inside ready to unfold. They told me their trail names, Angel Wings (the 8 year old), Beast (6 year old) and Dead Weight (the 11 month old, mom carries her). They were so full of life; happy, curious and unafraid to talk to me, it was delightful. I had to hang up on Sally for a few minutes to give them my attention, then I called Sally back.
Many of the hikers I have come to know were on the other side of the building drying out their stuff in the sun. Monk and I wanted to get some more miles in so we agreed on a 2:00pm departure time. I FaceTimed Andy and Jeff and talked for a few minutes and learned of my Farhers Day present, a garden wagon.
Monk and I started hitch hiking out of town back to the trail, about a mile and a half up the highway. We started walking it because we were not getting any rides. Finally, a couple in a Toyota SUV came back and got us. She was going to hike the Camino in the fall and she thought picking us up would give her good karma. We told her about the FarOut and Buen Camino apps.
We hiked 7.4 miles for the afternoon. Heavy rain and thunder had us scurry the last half mile of trail, quickly pitch our tents and climb in. About 45 minutes later we heard children’s happy voices coming down the trail and realized the family had caught up with us. They had hiked through the rain storm, each dry under their umbrellas. My tent opened to the trail as did Monk’s. Even though it was 8:20pm they stopped and talked to us for 10-15 minutes about life on the trail with 5 kids. They were upset about an article in a hiking magazine about the ethics of hiking with kids. From what I saw these kids were loving it. Giggling, happy, playing with each other while mom and dad talked to us, Dead Weight on his mom’s back in a pack in a one piece fluffy bear suit. I asked about diapers. They said they didn’t need any because she was potty trained and had been since age six months! They live and work in Africa when not thru hiking (they did the AT in 2020). They say everyone potty trains by six months in Africa because they can’t afford diapers.
They headed down the trail to find a place to set up tents for the night. Monk and I called it a night. When Monk hiked past their tents in the morning he could here them all laughing and giggling in their tents. The ethics of kids on a thru hike. Nothing unethical here.
The trail around the lake in the rain.
The main hotel at Inter-Laken
The owner’s main residence at Inter-Laken
The entire town of Twin Lakes. Reminded me of Elbe.
“The Family”
Beast and Dead Weight
A cool beaver dam and beaver lodge on the trail
Angel Wings with the Aspen head band she made. I added the poppy flower
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