Miles hiked: 9.75 (2466.25 to 2476)
Elevation: +1874/-2964
Number of people who really don't believe I'm done: 26

Slippery and cold last morning on the trail. There were unnecessarily steep bits, random washouts, roots and rocks. It was a perfect microcosm of the whole adventure. I began to miss it, a bit, as I was finishing this little hike into Steven's Pass, but maintained my conviction that ending now was the right choice.
Hitched, after standing in the cold and rain for a couple hours, into the Dinsmores' Hiker Haven in Baring. There we met up with the last group of thru-hikers for the season, I think. There was dinner at the store/cafe, a big fire in the pit outside the Dinsmores' place, lots of drunken 20-somethings making lots of noise. Glad to be leaving the kids behind, frankly.
Space Age, Zero, Hand Me Down and some others all tried very hard to convince us to continue. Instead, we went to the slightly larger town 30 miles up the road and convalesced/reintegrated for a few days. Then I rented a car, dropped Any Minute at SEA/TAC, and promptly went camping/hiking in Olympic NP.