Woke up at 7:00am. Tossed and turned a little bit, my muscles are a little sore but nothing major. I did wake up to a swollen bottom lip for some unknown reason. We slowly packed up and got moving. The bushwacking near the water is not fun at all but noticed if we go higher up, there was less brush and spent more time walking through the forest and a lot of downed trees to climb over. We did have a few water crossings which we then took off our shoes and socks and marched on through. It was mostly cloudy so not sure if to expect rain, but I hope not. It wasn’t long before we reached the Six Mile Camp trail. Only seven miles left to the road where we exit.

Dense brush – Do you see Brien?

We did pass one guy who was heading up towards Dome Peak and Cub Lake and asked about the climbers route which we know we had passed cause it also meets and Six Mile Camp. We informed him which way we came out and he said he had a GPS with him that he is going to rely on. We said our goodbyes and quickly got moving down the trail. Even though most of the boardwalks we came across were destroyed, the trail was otherwise in good condition and mostly flat with a little decline.

All a sudden we were at the road, we did it! We completed the Ptarmigan Traverse from start to end with a little route twist at the end that gave us the same results. Time for a high five and food. We made a snack while we waited to find a ride back into town or start walking. My pants were torn into pieces thanks to the use of crampons, but that didn’t phase me one bit, worth it!

Aftermath

We spoke to a ranger who was driving through the area and we talked for a few minutes. It wasn’t more then 30 minutes later an older gentleman drove up and found us and offered us a ride back into the town of Darrington. He was just driving up in the area looking for an old campground he came to many years ago and just wanted to see if it was still around. I knew the area well and was able to help him see which we just drove past anyways once he saw it was still there. We shared some stories and then he dropped us off at a gas station where we called for our ride. We walked next door to The Burger Barn where we got a delicious burger and fries with a milkshake. Great way to end an amazing adventure. Now to go home and see my son!