Stolen Shoes

I am now in Big Bear Lake at mile 265 of the Trail, and the last few days have been nuts. I was in Idyllwild last week for a rest day and I was going to leave to get back on the Trail on Friday the 13th( my birthday) but my shoes had been stolen. I was able to get new shoes and start hiking on Saturday, but as anyone knows new shoes take a while to break in and my feet are now covered in blisters. The days have been so tiring and my body is sure sore and sick of being cold, hot, tired, hungry, thirsty, wet, and blown around every minute by the horrible wind, that never ever settles down. This is an average day: 100 degree heat, ice, snow, rain, sun, rattlesnakes, no water, too many water crossings, wind, wind, wind, wind, and oh did I mention wind. The elements out here are so extreme, that is the hardest part, the hiking is easy and simple, but dealing with the constant wind and changing conditions really wear me out. I walked by an "animal sanctuary" yesterday and there was a beautiful grizzly bear locked in a cage no bigger than a large dog kennel. The bear just kept pacing back and forth, it was very sad to see. It is so unfair that humans have so little respect for animals and that humans rob the spirit of wild animals by degrading them in cages. It made me so mad to see this. I have to say I have yet to enjoy a day out here, it is a constant battle with the elements and after days of dealing with this I have started to lose my desire to keep hiking.