PCT 2015 Day 124: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest

• Start: 2,149.3
• End: 2,164.5
• Miles: 15.2
• Camp: Near Three Corner Rock

We knew we had to wait for the post office this morning so we took time over breakfast and the market and didn’t end up leaving until quite late.

Crossing the Bridge of Gods was wonderful, with views up and down the Columbia River gorge. The bridge was made of steel grating underfoot and I could see all the way down to the water. The chilly wind coming from the river made it feel like a grand moment. I suppose it is – I made it to Washington!

The trail immediately rose rather steeply but the weather was cool so it wasn’t particularly unpleasant. We walked beneath Table Mountain, although later in the day we got a good view of this from a distance away.

The main excitement of the day was rather unfortunately getting swarmed  by wasps. Maybe the regular kind, maybe the bald faced hornets we’ve been seeing throughout Oregon. Who knows, I didn’t stop to ask. There has been a warning note at the informational boards by Table Mountain saying that there were aggressive bees a mile or so up the trail. We passed the next 3 miles without incident and figured they must have gone. So it was somewhat surprising when I heard a dramatic buzz rise up from the trail to my left. Chug was in front of me up the trail, but thankfully heard my shrieking and began running. I ran up a hill with a 35lb pack to get the hell out of there, but I still got stung a bunch of times.

In the early evening, I heard thunder rolling in, so we stopped to camp early to avoid getting wet. Good decision. It rained most of the evening. Welcome to Washington.