by cyndihaltom52

Created on: August 19, 2008   Last Updated: October 06, 2008

Part One - Back Packing Trip Unfinished

Slipping my backpack over my shoulders and then finally stepping off the ferry onto the Dock in Port Angeles, Washington, I was ready to start a journey of a lifetime. My plans, to pack all the way from Port Angeles to the US/Mexico Border along the Coast. The trip was pretty much uneventful when we first started only the rain was daunting but it didn't cause any diminished spirits in the party. We were excited, trying something we had never done and doing it under power of our own two legs.

The first day was hot, new pavement was being laid on highway 101 along the Olympic Peninsula Mountains, interior side, and the road was sticky, stinky and caused sweat to roll off our bodies. We tied double head bandannas on our foreheads to absorb most of the sweat but it only diverted the waters path temporarily. Pretty soon our eyes began to feel as though someone had poured salt water in our faces, all we could do was wipe ourselves dry and keep on we had wanted to make 18 miles the first day.

The eighteen miles would have been easy had it not started to rain buckets and buckets of water. We searched desperately for our ponchos and finally found them after first being drenched to the bone. This was not good, now for health purposes we needed to get dry and warm so it looked like the first night was going to be spent in a motel in the first town we came to outside of Port Angeles.

That first night was spent in Sequim, WA 16 miles outside of Port Angeles. The first motel was a quiet motel on the main drive of Highway 101. We went directly to our room unloaded our packs set about finding spots to place all the wet articles and went directly to bed. It's amazing how tired a person can get wading through water with a 125 pound pack strapped to their back. We slept hard and woke early, had a nice breakfast, one of few and headed on our way.

We decided on day two that we wanted to get off Highway 101 and get on 108 which was just past Shelton, WA 89 miles. We knew we couldn't walk it so we hitch hiked. Now hitch hiking is not something I recommend for personal safety reasons but making that major turn in our trip was mandatory. About 10 minutes into our hitch hiking we were picked up by a gentleman in and older Cream Colored Jaguar front and back seat with wood grain paneling in the front seat. It was immaculate and we were almost persuaded to tell him no thanks but quickly changed our minds. We told him of our adventures and the 89 miles

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