1982 UFO Near Mount Rainier

Taken from my 2007 Newsvine article, text shown below.  Illustrated article is here: 
http://adventurebooks.newsvine.com/_news/2007/10/02/997615-how-seeing-a-ufo-changed-my-life  
I don't know if I was lucky or not that day.  Twenty-five years ago, I was camped near the highest point on the Wonderland Trail that surrounds Mount Rainier in Washington State - and I saw my one and only Unidentified Flying Object.  Even today, I don't know what it was, but I certainly got a good look at it.
My buddy ((male name deleted)) and I hiked out of the Ohanapecosh trailhead, headed for Summerland.  This is the reverse route most people take, as we found out soon enough.  It's several miles of steady 'up' and a quick mile or so of steep 'down' at the end.  So, mostly we met people going the other way, and we beat ourselves up for not checking the route more closely.
About a mile or so before we reached the high point of the trail near Panhandle Gap, we set up a backcountry camp about a quarter mile from the main trail.  We had a permit.
 We erected the tents and fired up the stoves for dinner.  The sun went down and it got dark.  The stars popped out as if they were trying to get our attention.  The higher altitude and the lack of background city lights made them show up crisper and cleaner than we could remember.
I was looking up at that beautiful night and I saw a very large star moving steadily across the sky.  It was as bright as the planet Venus.  I thought it was a satellite at first, since it looked like it was high enough to be in orbit.  I estimated its altitude at more than twenty miles.  It was fascinating.  Just a bright star, moving in a straight line from east to west at a uniform speed.  I pointed it out to ((male name deleted)), and we watched it move across the sky.  We made guesses as to its nature.  I said it was a satellite in orbit maybe.  ((male name deleted)) thought it could be a meteor at first, but it moved too slowly.  We decided it was a satellite.
Then, without any warning, the 'satellite' made an instantaneous turn north.  It did this in less time than it takes you to blink your eye.
We both swore at the same time.  As we watched this 'star' it continued moving north until is finally disappeared over the horizon.  We had no idea what it was, but we agreed on one thing.  Nothing built by man could possibly make an instant ninety-degree turn like that.
No way.
Well, I never forgot it.  It got me thinking about writing again, and the very next week, after a five-year layoff, I started writing sci-fi again.
The result was to take a novel I had shelved since 1978, Say Goodbye to the Sun, re-edit and release it.  And then things sort of snowballed from there and I never looked back.  But I know that if I had not seen the UFO, my life today would be a lot different.