Day 3

I'm happily aware that the morning chill will wear off once I get my tent rolled up and start moving. Emerging from the little alcove I'd spent the night in, I see mile marker 20 (highway 4) and then begin a short ascent to the top of KM Mountain, not all that impressive as mountains go, but I am able to see a doe up ahead through the morning's mist. Darn it! It's gone before I can get a picture. Oh well. I'm certain to see more in the coming weeks. I've been eating blackberries from the side of the road but haven't had a drink for a long time. Then, upon reaching a mini mart in Skamokawa, I decide to see what my credit will buy. Uh oh. American Express doesn't work here. I'm just about to fill my bottle from the tap when the friendly clerk, Ms Cortney Meyer (Sorry if I've got the spelling wrong) offers to get me bottled water. She says it tastes a lot better. Awesome! Cheers for that Cortney. A couple more miles up the road and I see what looks to be some kind of storage facility. It's hidden location makes it a perfect candidate for camp. Later I come to find that food is stored here for the White Tailed Deer of the nearby Julia Butler Hansen Nat. Wildlife Refuge. The white, tightly bundled feed has an aromatic quality, atypical of alfalfa, which I find oddly refreshing as I watch the sun set in the distance.