8:15 p.m. Had to duck into the tent early because the skeeters were insane! Well, I finally made it to the Pasayten Wilderness. Long drive to get up here. Spent last night in a Best Western in Wenatchee. Not bad for $109. This morning I drove up on the Chelan side of the river. Very pretty and many wineries in Chelan. Must bring the wife back some time. Parked in Winthrop and got a ride into Mazama from the Marshall. Then I got two rides to get up to Harts Pass. I think it took well over an hour on that really crappy road to get to Harts Pass. I think I started hiking at about 2:30 p.m.

I made it as far as Tamarak Mt. to camp but had to backtrack to Windy Pass because the campsites up there were taken. This pass is really nice except for the bugs. The first five miles of trail were mostly flat which is good because I was not liking the little bit of climbing coming out the pass. The trail starts at 6,200 feet. I am used to hiking at sea level.

I plan to hike to the border and back to Harts Pass, retrieve my food and hike down to Rainy Pass and get a ride back to Winthrop. The weather could be interesting with a chance of thunderstorms for the next few days.