We are almost through the desert. Only 136 miles left. I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning: I am practically jumping out of my skin with the anticipation of water, shade, trees, and rocks. Although the elevation is daunting and there is still snow reported beyond Kennedy Meadows, I simply cannot wait to arrive. Not only will this mark the end of the desert and the beginning of the Sierras, I will also get to see my parents. 
I have officially been in the wilderness for one month. One month!!! Ah!!!!! My own body odor is beginning to grow on me, the dirt on my legs I almost want to keep because it makes me look tanner (and I like to think it helps deter the UV rays from the sun), even pooping in the woods is becoming second nature for me. I am truly turning wild. And I am loving every minute of it. Do not get me wrong: the feeling of a shower, whether hot or cold, is one of the most amazing feelings I have experienced; being able to rinse my clothing, even if I do not get to truly wash them, is one of my happiest moments on the trail. But I am noticing things that used to bug me, or at least worry me about being out in the wild, are starting to not bother me as much. We joked earlier that when we get home, it is going to be weird not to be able to go to the bathroom wherever we want. Waiting in line for a bathroom?? That is going to suck so hard! 
I feel like in every post, I talk about how challenging the last week has been. But every week brings its own set of challenges. This past week is a prime example. After taking Mucinex religiously in Hiker Heaven, my cold was quickly squashed. I could finally breathe through my nose again-and it was amazing! We knew the stretch ahead would be a daunting one: it lacked shade and water. We decided it would be easier to hike the next 100 miles during the night rather than the day. We were only slightly right. The first night was incredible: I finally got a view of the stars that had been lacking due to the fact that we went to bed at sunset, time flew by very quickly and you could not see what was ahead, making hiking very simple: taking the trail as it comes. However, it had its problems as well. Hiking during the night, we would not go to bed until 2:30 am, wake up at 5 am, and finish our miles. That was okay though, we could always sleep during the hot hours of the day. Except it was so hot, you could really only sleep an hour and spend the rest of the time uncomfortably hot. Basically, we were hiking 20 mile days on 5 hours of sleep. Tensions ran high, and I am pretty surprised that we are all still friends after that stretch. The wildlife we saw at night was incredible though: scorpions, Jerusalem beetles, black widows, kangaroo rats, and more. 
The other struggle of this last week was the amount of people we saw. After leaving Hiker Heaven, it was only 24 miles to Casa de Luna, another Trail Angel who opened up their home to us hiker trash and allowed us to camp in their backyard, take showers, use their water, and cooked us dinner. They also provided us with Hawaiian shirts while our laundry dried. After Casa de Luna was Hikertown, home of yet another Trail Angel who allowed us the same opportunities. Every home had a group of hikers who only wanted to party. It became very overwhelming being around party animals. I find it pretty incredible that some people out here can drink beers then go out hiking later that night. It is so hot, even after one beer, I have to chug a liter of water to make sure I am well hydrated.

Despite these challenges, we made it to Tehachapi, grumpy and sore. My feet have been relaxing and I can feel the muscles and bones rebel against leaving tomorrow morning. But I am eager to arrive in Kennedy Meadows. It will be a big milestone on this hike. 

Until next time. ➡️&⬆️