Miles traveled: 8.3
Mile marker: 1018.1
My eyes open. The cold hits me, but the mountains are before me. I look to my left and an orange sunrise is projected across the sky.
I feel like I’ve been dropped into a book, lying before a beautiful mountain landscape. This doesn’t seem real! This is by far my favorite morning on the trail.
We make some hot chocolate while we get ready. Normally we don’t have hot food or drinks in the morning, but today it deserves it!
Voyager and I began our hike separately. We are climbing a peak, which is only 150 feet high in about a tenth of a mile. It’s very steep as I breathe fire going up the hill. It’s short though! We left our backpacks and began the big climb. We grabbed our trekking poles and slowly climbed up a loose gray rock.
Wow! Incredible! The sunrise is golden as I look at Yosemite. There are so many mountains before me. They are covered in snow and there are layer after layer of mountains.
The sky is gray and gloomy over the mountains. The blue skies are on the other side, where we will be walking. I can see the stretch marks on the mountainside, looking like streaks in hair. The trail is a clear zigzag through the strips.
We have a 360 view of the mountains!
For some reason, I feel like I can walk a thousand miles. It’s an arbitrary number, so marking that marker yesterday didn’t mean much. Today, after doing this side mission with Voyager, choosing to walk more, walking more hills, making the decision to do more, and getting this epic view, I feel like walking a thousand miles means something.
I don’t know what, but I know it’s significant. And this view shows me. It’s so big here. So epic.
Voyager and I keep moving.
The weather changes and we stop to take out our rain gear.
We reached some snow fields and crossed them carefully. I reach some sneaker spots and step more carefully. In the morning the snow is very slippery.
If we slip, we will fall a lot because of this steep snow.
Voyager is nervous about the snow, so I wait in the middle and tell her where I stepped. We’re digging our heels into the snow to create a safe place to put our foot.
We passed through some snowfields. The sky is a gray slate. Pink wildflowers I hadn’t seen much before line our walk.
I’m moving fast downhill with Voyager hot on my heels. I want to catch up to the others so we can hitchhike into Kennedy Meadows North at the same time.
A piece of wet cardboard advertising trail magic is tied to a tree. As we descend, Voyager receives a message from Bumper that they are on a magical path.
We crossed a road and walked a few more minutes.
“Are we sure that is so?” say.
«Yes, it will follow the path for a while,» says Voyager. “I see a car!”
We kept walking and sure enough we went up the hill and there were magical trails! Even better, Bumper and Rafiki are here!
I hate being separated from the group. I really need to work on that.
The legend is an old man whose wife is lazy doing the walking. He finds her on the road and picks her up. They sleep in their motorhome. Legend is apparently well known on the trail and has ridden it a couple of times.
The iPod is another PCT veteran. He’s only here for the weekend hitchhiking, but I have a memorable conversation with him.
I’m on my fourth hot dog with boiled onions sitting on the picnic bench with the others. Rafiki and Voyager are talking to Legend next to me while I talk to the iPod.
iPod is a dark-haired boy with a friendly smile. He’s also in a choir, which I think is cool.
“What were some of the things you learned from walking the trail?”
«People in town asked me what I was doing, and when I told them I was walking a long trail, they were amazed. I realized people liked me. I became more confident. I learned to socialize better. I was 27 when I walked it.»
All wonderful things.
The iPod takes us to Kennedy Meadows to the north. The five of us have a room above the hostel. It is an entire building with a store, lobby and restaurant.
We do our usual tasks around town and resupply, which has limited and strange options. We end up buying packaged, ultra-processed cinnamon rolls, cakes, and fatty cheese bars.
We’ll see how this turns out!
I’m in the bathroom looking where to put my coins. I’m going to get Voyager from the laundry room.
She laughs as she stands at the door. «I can see it from here,» he says.
I have never used a coin operated shower.
I look around the shower head, the walls, and then the paper towel dispenser.
Only it’s not a paper towel dispenser.
That’s where I put the coins.
We both laugh. I put my coins in and wait about two minutes for the water to heat up.
I’m glad I bought the extra seven minutes for this!
I have a steak for dinner. It’s okay, but I guess I’m not a big fan of steaks. Maybe I should have ordered it medium rare instead of medium. We’ll package this up tomorrow to eat with my Cilantro Lime Rice!
I put on my clean night clothes. I think the dryer may have shrunk all my stuff. My long wool Johns now fit me like a girl who is now too big for her old pajamas.
Rafiki rented me The Proposal, one of my favorite movies. We push two beds together and four of us place pillows against Lucy, who is lying on one bed. We lean on it.
The phone is on Bumper’s tripod, which is placed on top of two stacked bear cans. The tripod takes us about five minutes to set up.
We’re soon all overheated when the movie starts. Some of us snooze into the wee hours of 10:30pm, but it’s a really fun time!
The movie ends and I’m very glad I was able to see it. I’ve been wanting to see it for weeks!
I push my bed against the wall and try to fix the microfiber sheet. Oh ok. I fall into bed and fall asleep immediately. Well, after I put on a cooler suit. It’s a thousand degrees up here.
