Heading for Dechen La Lodge today and that means climbing the “Big Hill”. It turns out the climb is not as bad as we remembered. It starts raining & hailing just as we get to Camp 208. We step inside, have lunch, start a fire, brew some tea and have a great 2 hour break. Start hiking again around 3:30. At 5:30 it looks like another storm is upon us so we hurriedly set up our tents – about 2 miles short of the Lodge. We get camp set up and head off for the Lodge at about 6:00. Arrive at the Lodge at 7:00. Norm & Barb & Josh greet us and insist we stay for coffee, bread, turkey soup, and pudding, despite the fact they have a full contingent of guests. Some guests comment on our matching beige and khaki uniforms (they are just jealous). Also, they have our three missing fuel canisters. We learn they cannot give us a ride out on Friday or Saturday, so now we have to hike 28 miles over the next three days. We leave the Lodge around 8:30, stop for dinner on our hike back to our tents and pump some water (water is a problem up here on the Barrenlands). Make the evening garbage fire with tiny barrenland willow and birch twigs.