17 miles today. Total miles so far: 144.
The entire trip, it's been hard to find a comfortable sleeping position due to various aches and pains, but the first night in the text was ok. Not far up the trail, I crossed a massive beaver dam, and then at the next lake, saw lots of beavers. Some were on the opposite shore doing beaver things. Others kept an eye on me. After I'd watched them from a log while eating my breakfast, one started swimming closer and closer, clearly checking me out. I didn't want to disturb them and moved on up the trail.
Less foot pain today meant I moved a little easier on trail, though it was very sunny and windy. The trail meandered through some pleasant pasture land, complete with cows and a calf that tried to follow me for a bit. Then on the last bit of trail before a road walk, I saw and heard movement and looked just in time to see a small bear headed away from me. I assume the initial movement was from mama bear, just ahead of the cub. After that excitement was a boring walk toward Weyerhauser, but the County View Motel sign came into view like a mirage. It's run by a lovely woman who puts lots of care into the rooms. Mine even had a recliner! She said she'd placed it there for a regular who had back problems and difficulties sleeping in a bed. It was a bonus to my sore feet! The woman let me know that another hiket was there, but he was getting a shuttle around the next day's nearly 20 miles of road, so I never saw him. I didn't sleep well, through no fault of the motel, since my hips were hurting, but I finally got some decent sleep just before the early alarm.
