Day 22

On one of our shortest days yet we hit a major milestone for my shin splints: summitting Mt. Baden Powell. A deep descent and nearly endless switchbacks brought us up to 9,400’, as we had a solitary dinner on top of the mountain. Barely any pain, “1s and 2s” as I’ve come to describe the pain to Tim, which is very minimal and usually overshadowed by another ache or sore spot somewhere else on my body anyway.

We got to touch an ancient Limber Pine, that is estimated to be greater than 1,500 years old! I’ve always loved pine trees, but wish deeply that I could identify them. If anyone wants to send me a kindle tree-identification book for the west coast that would be greatly appreciated!

Our day ended with a campsite on a ridge with an amazing view of the sunset hitting the valley below. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful short day. This is what backpacking dreams are made of.