Day 2 (August 12, 2004)
Campsite: Klapatche Park
Today disaster struck! The bomb proof, ceramic, water filter, which
weighed a ton, we carried quit working! As a party of four this gave us
great concern. Fortunately we had 3 back-up systems - iodine tablets,
chlorine drops, and fuel for boiling. After what seemed like hours of
calculating we determined that we had enough iodine and chlorine to make the
remaining 8 days so we won't have to eat cold meals.
The big thrill of the day occurred after a short period of time on the
trail. The sign read, "One person on bridge at a time. Do not
bounce or shake bridge." The crossing of Tahoma Creek requires
traversing a suspension bridge, which looks simple but is deceptively scary
the first time. Not only does the bridge bounce up and down as you
walk but it also swings from side to side! Crossing with trekking
poles fully extended is not recommended - they just got in the way and
helped to raise the pucker factor. The guidebook indicates that the
bridge is 250 feet long, is 100 feet above the creek, and initial
construction took place in 1976.
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