100 miles down!! I cannot believe it. It seems like so much, and yet, so much more to go!! I am 1/26 of the way through-or one letter of the alphabet down. Only b-z left to go! Oh boy… Everyday I discover I am just as shocked as I was the day before when I remind myself that I am actually hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. It is pretty surreal. 

The foot pain is pretty real. But not as real as the desert is. Holy crap! It is hotter than blazes out here. And shade is few and far between. Occasionally there is a breeze-and it is the most amazing thing you have ever felt. Until it stops or you turn a corner. The siestas make it bearable though. Some people pass us by and say they are just gonna push through. I have no idea how they do that. It sounds like crazy talk to me, honestly. Our siestas are about 2-3 hours long and usually include lunch and a nap. The first day of ‘actual’ desert we could not find any shade big enough for the three of us though and had to make our own with our trekking poles and my tent footprint. The next day, we found a lovely shady spot under a tree next to a creek. Lots of flies, but totally worth the 4 hours we stayed there!! It was a slice of heaven in this hell on earth I have been putting myself through. And the worst part is that I still have weeks before I reach Kennedy Meadows (the end of the desert and the beginning of the Sierras).
But all in all, not a bad start to an awesome adventure. We have had blisters, rain, foot pain, back pain, wind traveling upwards of 30 mph, trail magic, hitch hiking experience, dry heat, 2 zero days, free lodge, free beer, and free pie. I have met so many people from different places. And they are all just as crazy as I am for taking on this behemoth task. 
Tonight we take on a new challenge on this grand journey: night hiking.


Until next time. ➡️&⬆️