Miles traveled: 19.4
Mile marker: 517.6
The moon is a night light here.
My alarm goes off.
I need to change my ringtone, I think. I hate this sound! I’ve hated it for the past year and keep forgetting to change it!
It snaps me out of my light sleep that I’ve been in for an unknown amount of time.
My first thought when I woke up: I don’t want to go hiking today.
I have yet to think that on this trip, but I just don’t have it in me today.
But what else am I going to do? Not walking?
That’s a joke Rafiki and I share. If I have difficulty on a climb in the heat of the day, what will I do? Just sit on the road and do what? Roll downhill?
This morning there is a light breeze. I put on the fleece and begin to cover the blister into which I put a safety pin yesterday.
Savannah brushes her teeth next to the log next to Rafiki’s sleeping bag.
«Do you see that?» I tell Rafiki. It makes me laugh because early at Paradise Valley Café I was getting ready for bed in the dark. Denis and Rafiki had camped quite far from the others. It was getting dark so I found a place to brush my teeth. I got tired of walking and ended up too close to Rafiki and Denis’ place.
“Why are you brushing your teeth five feet from us?” they asked, laughing and horrified.
Since then, I always ask Rafiki why he sleeps in the bathroom. About five times a week, I make sure to brush my teeth near Rafiki’s home.
I’m glad to see Savannah brushing her teeth next to Rafiki’s sleeping bag. The only thing is that she doesn’t know about this joke!
We walked over to the picnic table to finish packing. I moved all my stuff because last night Bumper lent me his Tyvec floor sheet and returned it to him so I could finish packing.
“You’re putting me off just by looking at you,” Rafiki tells me.
Maybe it’s my hunched posture that gives it away. I don’t feel good at all.
The six of us started moving. We walked downhill a quarter mile to the trail. We are surrounded by some trees and we walk down a steep slope. It is shaded and the light filters through the trees. I look over my shoulder and see the egg-yolk orange sun through the branches.
God, I’m tired. We’re about 201 miles from finishing the desert, and I’m ready! This heat has affected me. I didn’t expect the heat to affect me so much. The cold front we just experienced was very uncomfortable, with frozen fingers and biting wind and all, but I also walk better in the cold.
Have I already mentioned that I’m ready to be done with the desert?
The sweet aroma of grapes fills my nose. It smells like lupine with grape soda, but I don’t see any around. Perhaps these pale purple powers are also grape soda lupins. Lupins with grape soda are a bright but intense purple color that has a lot of personality.
It’s 6:15 am and we run into dad. It has a sign that says 500 miles!
Wow! We did it! 500 miles of desert hiking! I had never walked so many miles in my life! I’m exhausted today, but it’s a little encouragement to see how far I’ve come.
A very small stimulus.
Bumper plays I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles), and we all sing along while taking photos.
We continue walking. The sun shines brighter. Why is it so hot already? The crazy thing is that it’s not even too hot. We stopped at the water tank. It is a low tin shelter with a large circular opening and a lid on top. I stick my head in the cistern and hold my water bottle there until it’s full.
When I’m done, I crawl out into the bright light of day.
I return to the crowd and we all sit for a few minutes on the yellow grass. Soon I throw my backpack over my shoulder. It will be too hot today to laze around for long.
«You look tired,» Dad says.
«Yes,» I say. «I don’t know why. I’m just not feeling it today.»
He extends his arms to hug him. It’s a lot like two divers trying to hug each other, as our water bottles on the right shoulder straps prevent an actual hug from taking place. I still appreciate it.
We started up the road back to the trail. «You might look at what you’re eating to see if that won’t be enough energy for you. The beans and rice you’ve been eating have fewer carbs than ram pumps.
The road is hard and sandy. «Now I’m having a honey bun for breakfast. And I changed my dinners to rice and beans.»
Maybe it’s the fact that I changed my meals.
We continue walking until we reach a long path. I still feel pretty depressed.
“What do you long for right now?” I ask Rafiki.
«Eh, I’m not really hungry,» he says.
«Me neither. Just play the game.» —I say as we walk down the wide, hard sandy road. We can see in the distance the plains through which we will soon be walking.
«Maybe a salad,» Rafiki says. “With balsamic or thousand island dressing.”
«Oh, with tomatoes, salt, pepper, cheese and black olives! And green olives and green olive juice. With strawberry lemonade. And some watermelon and pineapple.»
«I want a normal lemonade,» says Rafiki.
«I want an Arnold Palmer,» Savannah says. “Anything cold!”
It’s pretty hot out here.
My mood seems to have improved after talking a lot about what salad I would like to eat.
“I hope to come home wanting to eat healthy things,” I say. Healthy foods really aren’t my favorite category.
In the distance an immense sand plain stretches before us. An army of windmills can be seen across the dusty terrain.
Soon we enter the trees again. They grab us, but at least they’re not as rough and stiff as some of the other branches we’ve had to climb over. Sometimes it’s like a tunnel you walk through, hoping the leaves or thorny sticks don’t tear your clothes.
We arrived at a stream! The water bites my feet when I let them fall into the water. I let them soak for a few minutes. My left foot has been bothering me today. It’s actually the same blistering problem as yesterday, just on the other foot. Not as bad as the other foot, thankfully!
I rinse my socks and soak my shirt. My shirt sticks to my skin when I put it back on.
«I’m waiting for you to cringe,» Rafiki says. The trees shade the trail, but we’ll move to a better spot in a minute.
«No. I’m fine. No pain,» I say. I grimace anyway as the wet shirt sticks to my body like a layer of ice.
We continued walking for about a minute and arrived at the place where Dad had lunch last time.
You cross a dirt road and a tree shelters a flat area. I cook rice and beans and go to bed to take a nap.
Flies attack me while I try to sleep. Damn biting flies. Soon, Rafiki left. He is also under the influence of Benadryl, as he is allergic to fly bites.
The rest of us do the same and prepare to walk.
«No! Not uphill!» —Bumper shouts after me. Scream like Frankenstein’s monster. I feel sorry for him. The sun beats down on us as we climb up and down the hills, weaving through the overgrown bushes. A nice breeze comes and cools me down for a moment.
Dad spreads his arms like an airplane when the breeze comes. I have never been more grateful for the wind!
We reached a road and went down a long dirt road. «Hiker Town» is written on a sign. We entered a giant dirt backyard. It’s set up like a spaghetti western, with two rows of buildings that say things like «Food and Shops, Town Hall and Hotel.»
Hikers are everywhere in the shade! It’s just lots of backpacks and people hiding from the sun.
We joined a group of people under the shade of a tree. Less than ten minutes later, while I’m trying to do another blister blast, a guy named Ed Brown shows up to take us into town.
It turns out that he is a film director who directed the movie «Unacceptable Levels.» He’s from Pennsylvania, but he’s helping his friend Richard run Hiker Town.
We arrive at the market. It’s a muggy hundred degrees here. We ordered hamburgers and rested at a table outside.
Unfortunately, they were out of homemade pickles. But we still eat the hamburgers. I enjoy a strawberry Fanta. Orange is my favorite, but they didn’t have any cans.
Ed appears and I jump. I completely forgot he was going to pick us up! I was so comfortable resting that I didn’t even think about him!
I buy some candy, ramen and snacks and get on the truck. Some people ride in the back of the truck.
A hiker named Barcelona says he is leaving at 3:00 am and we decide to follow this route.
I end the evening with a pot of ramen while watching the other hikers walk away with painted faces.
As I wash the dirt off my legs, a cat approaches me. He’s a pale orange kitten, but he lets me pet him. I miss my cats! I wish I could pick up this kitten and hold him. But it’s getting late and I need to sleep.
Next thing I know, I’m in bed, dreading waking up at 2:00 a.m.
Dad comes over: «The owner said we could stay as long as we wanted. He let me shower for free to help him with the trash. He prepared another towel,» he tells Rafiki.
I’d love a shower! I smell funny!
«It was really nice. Hot water!» he says.
But I’m already in bed and have to get up in a few hours.
The sun has set and the sky is a dark blue.
Night walk, here I come.
