39 — the Sierras

Mile 716.5 — 733.0 (16.5 miles)

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Rose: the beauty and familiarity of the alpine Thorn: leaden legs Bud: finish my audiobook tomorrow

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I allowed myself to sleep in today. I still awoke at 5:15ish. I left bed, like always, at the behest of my bladder. It was cold. Or colder than any other morning. I curled back under my quilt and let myself enjoy the warmth. No one else in the camp stirred. When the sun crested the hill, around 6:30, I willed myself out of bed.

Today I tried the bear canister strapped to the top of my pack with light clothes within it, the food in its usual bag in the middle of the bag. It felt better balanced, less back arching, but also felt like it was making the pack lean back. Oh well. I’ll just keep trying different variations in my pack. I miss my Ursack.

The walking was beautiful. Up and up I went today, wandering up drainages, in and out of the view of meadows, through saddles, on side hills. It was so varied. It reminds me of the Wind Rivers. High meadows with rock everywhere. The dirt is oddly bare. It’s like the high altitude or the Yellowstone crust, but it looks just like tiny tiny rocks. It feels violating to travel on it.

I feel so much more comfortable in this forest and alpine. I took a nap under the pines high up on a saddle. The wind was very light. I said hello to the passing hikers.

I met new hikers along my route today. One or two faces I recognized: the really fast people who I won’t see again in a couple days. There’s others on the trail who got off trail and back on due to injury or heat like me or those who are sectioning who are just starting the Sierras.

I spent most of the day swept up in an audiobook. I should I have reverently hiked in the beauty, but shrug the walking was a little hard. My muscles didn’t ache. Nothing in particular was hurting (for very long). My legs were just leaden. It might be from the altitude: I have dropped below 7000’ since Kennedy Meadows. I just went nice and slow.

I camped alone. The first time in over a month where I was alone. No feeling guilty for how many times I tossed and fussed with my sleeping quilt. No one to hide from when I went to the bathroom. I even cowboyed alone.

The night is oddly quiet. No wind so no rustling trees. No birds. Just silence.