Today marks 28 days on the trail. Only 4 more days until it has been a month. What a crazy month it has been! I have seen more of what California has to offer than I have in my entire 25 years of living in the state. And so far, it has not been the kindest of offers. Like I have said before, the desert is no joke: and we have not even hit the Mojave yet. Although we have had wonderful treks through mountains that remind me of the Sierras and seen desert views that simply take my breath away, the reality of the desert is a hard one to swallow. The heat, the sun beating down on you, the long distances between water sources, it all rolls into one giant headache: literally and figuratively. I have never drank so much water in my life before. We are currently waiting in Hiker Heaven for the heat to die down so we can hike in the “cool” of the evening. These next few days will be a hike through hell. Kennedy Meadows cannot come soon enough. Approximately 2.5 weeks is our estimate arrival. With the desert stretch we have coming up, I hope we can power through the miles in the evening and get to Kennedy a lot sooner.

 

The promise that Kennedy Meadows holds is a high one, though; the beginning of the Sierras, I am excited for the mountains, the cool air, the rivers. But that is not to say it will not hold challenges of its own. Snow is still heavy, from what we have heard. So although we are all eager to arrive and escape the desert, we also can wait and let the snow die down a bit. I have never camped in snow before, nor have I hiked through it (Mount Jacinto was the most snow I have had to deal with before in my life). Heck, I have only seen snow fall twice in my life, one of which was on the Pacific Crest Trail. It will definitely be a learning experience for me. I am eager to learn, but wary of what it entails. The snow is not my only worry. There is a lot of elevation gain in the Sierras. I hate hiking uphill; I always have and I assumed I always will. Although lately, it seems that the uphills are not as much of a challenge as they used to be. I am noticing that my speed uphill has increased quite a bit and I find that most of the challenge that comes with the uphill is the mentality I have while hiking. If I anticipate the hill, I begin to dread it, and it becomes a long trek that never seems to end. If I take the trail as it comes, however, I find that the hike is much more enjoyable. I can break when I want, enjoy the views, and then trek on knowing that with every step I take, I am closer to that summit than I was a moment before. The Sierras are a mixed bag of emotions; I am eager to see which ones will trump.

 

These last few days on the trail have been very interesting. Leaving Wrightwood, I developed a cold that has lasted almost a full week. Although I am feeling a lot better after having taken some rest (zero) days and Mucinex, I am worried about what is to come. Being sick on the trail is a new experience for me. In the past, my trips have been short, so I am usually home by the time the sickness hits. Being on trail is a completely different game. The congestion, the struggle to breathe, the tiredness; there is just nothing you can do. You have to keep moving forward. I only had Emergen-C packets with me, which I was taking religiously every morning. I would try to get to bed as early as possible to maximize the amount of rest and let my body try to repair itself. Complaining about your cold does absolutely nothing. The worst part of being sick on the trail is the elevation gain. The thin air mixed with the dust from the trail left me with a sore throat. Walking uphill, breathing through your nose is key-that is unless you physically cannot: then panting is what you get. Blowing your nose with the different air pressure left me with a slight head throb, forcing me to drink even more water than I might have allotted for myself through the long waterless stretches. But every struggle that this trail produces is an opportunity for growth. And that is how I have come to take these curveballs. Sometimes it feels as though the trail throws stuff at you in order to get you to quit, but the reality of it is completely different. The trail does not want you to quit, it wants to provide you with opportunities to learn from.

 

Every stretch has its own challenges and its own rewards. Each one builds on top of the other; the challenges get harder but the rewards are greater. Although I had to deal with my sickness, I felt I grew stronger as a hiker. We hiked to the top of Mount Baden Powell on my second day with the cold. We got to see stunning views, incredible wildlife, sunsets and sunrises. Vasquez Rocks were an incredible experience, I cannot wait to come back and explore them some more. Agua Dulce held Hiker Heaven, which is what it sounds like: showers, a place to sleep, laundry service, a kitchen to cook, a television to watch Game of Thrones, a fridge to hold ice cold beers, a tub to soak your feet. I got to visit my cousin, Lizzy, who took me to In-N-Out, and my friend Sam, who treated us to dinner as we recounted stories of White Stag and told him about our journey so far. So even though this may have been the hardest stretch due to my cold, it held the greatest of rewards so far on the trail.

 

I am learning to love the trail for everything it has to offer: the good, the bad, and the ugly. It has not been the easiest lesson to learn, but it has by far been the most rewarding. Talking with my cousin gave me a lot of perspective on what it is that I am taking on. Talking with fellows hikers is always nice, as they experience the same struggle and rewards as you; but it does not give you insight on how your journey affects those in your everyday life. Lizzy helped remind me that this is something that I will hold to dearly for the rest of my life, a memory I will look back on with fondness. The struggles will shape who I am, but they will not be what I remember about this trail. The kindness of strangers, the pure beauty of nature, the contemplation one experiences while being alone, the community of smelly, dirty hikers all as miserable and exhilarated as you-those are what will stick with me for the rest of my life and what drives me to complete this journey.

 

I gave myself until Kennedy Meadows as the first opportunity to seriously consider quitting: just get through the desert first, Sarah. But as of right now, despite all the struggles and the upcoming challenges, I do not think I will even entertain the idea. The excitement I feel for the Sierras is too strong, even with the trials it holds.

 

NOTE: It takes FOREVER to upload photos to my blog, whether I use the computer or I use the app on my phone. If you would like to see photos of my journey, PM me on Facebook and I can add you to the group Joe and I created for photos.

 

Until next time. > & ^