Day 110: Eclipse

The eclipse was so cool! We started our day with a big climb, figuring we’d probably have a good view from high ground. We made it to the top of the climb a little after 9, just at the boundary of Mount Rainier National Park. We checked through our eclipse glasses and could see it had just started. It would be an hour before the maximum but we decided to stay where we were. We had a great views and the trail was about to cross to the Western facing side of the ridge so good views would be a challenge.
We are above the zone of totality, but it was pretty damn close, with just a tiny sliver of the sun peeking out at the very top. The light grew weaker and weaker and it got cold outside as the wind picked up. The flies stopped buzzing and the birds stopped chirping. A planet appeared in the sky. 7 million people supposedly flocked to the zone of totality, but we got to sit alone on top of a mountain. It was pretty awesome.
The rest of the day we had to hustle to make our goal before dark. We had a business lunch at a lake and got back on our way. In the afternoon we found ourselves a few miles from a fire. The trail isn’t threatened just yet, but were glad to be moving through the area before any closures happen. We had great views of Rainier all day today, and some views back to Goat Rocks and Mount Adams. It was a 26.9 mile day.