A hard-fought 20 miles today. We woke up at 5:30, took down camp, and headed up Mather Pass. The snow was still icy and slick in the morning air, which made the pass dangerous, but still (to me) preferable to postholing and hiking in wet socks for the rest of the day.
Speaking of which, we didn’t have to ford anything today! My boots have finally dried out, and I’m pretty happy about it.
We had lunch near a stream. The water was clear enough to see to the bottom, and there were fish swimming around. Tom caught one, cooked it, and ate it. Jerry caught one and let it go. I was too busy making mashed potatoes to bother trying.
After lunch, the trail took us into gorgeous pine forests. This is a beautiful place, and it seems to jump-start my memory, which brings back totally unrelated moments from my childhood as I hike. I’ve been thinking about home all day, about family and friends and old times and future plans, and about how I’m not going to take things for granted anymore. I’ve also been thinking about how much further we still have to go. Truthfully, I’ve never felt so much like quitting and going home as I did today. I think I’m safe for now, though, because our next stop, Vermillion Valley Resort, is still two days away, and short of being airlifted, there’s no way for me to leave the trail before then. I can do this. One step at a time. ‘Night.
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