Daily mileage: 14
Mile 2402-2416
What a treat waking up in a real bed, pillows and blankets are pretty amazing. But I'm not off the trail yet, and I'm not quite ready to be either. Although I'd be lying if I didn't say that pretty much all my conversations with other hikers seem to be about how few miles are left and how close the end is. It's amazing to be out here but you have to miss the creature comforts a bit after 4 months. Lots of conflicting thoughts right now.
Eventually I faced reality and did the necessary chores like figuring out if I needed new shoes before the end and what the heck was I going to eat the next section. Ran into the cousins eating breakfast, they got in this morning. Fun to catch up. Then it was just a few more errands, some eating and by 2 I was back to hiking. And can I just say, oh my gosh I love this part of Washington.
Looks like there are lots of big climbs and big descents coming up, but they match these mountains. Pretty ridiculous how great it is. No big mileage goals for today, just hike as far as I get which was good because it felt like I had to stop every few minutes just to admire the views. Feels kind of like the sierras, even has the rocky ankle killing trail to go with it.
Somehow I missed the water at mile 2412, I think it was a little off trail and I wasn't paying attention. This stressed me out because it was where I had planned on eating dinner and was basically out of water. So I sped through the next 3 miles to make it to the next water before dark. Thank goodness that one was a no brainier flowing right across the trail. But thankfully that's when the best part of the day got going.
The trail has huge sweeping views right now and it made sunset superb, perfect mood changer. It was a mix between stoping and gaping and rushing to get a slightly better view.
I love it so much out here right now. Walked just a bit farther so I wasn't sleeping totally exposed in a boulder field and made camp. Cooking dinner and enjoying the afterglow of the sunset, can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.
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I'm loving your story!!! Reading during night shift in an Oregon ER. We want to know how your feet are doing! What's working or not working for you?
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks for following. Glad I could liven night shift up a bit. Oh feet, well they sure feel that I've walked a whole lot of miles. They are stiff when I first wake up and towards the end my R heel has cracked and is not happy. Some days they feel bruised and longer days they usually feel tired. But sleep does amazing things, and mostly you just walk (okay sometimes limp) on through. Fresh socks feel amazing and just stopping for a few minutes is heavenly.
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