1506, Almost out of California

Well, the past few weeks have been very difficult. I reached the halfway point and the going got slow. The trail has been so hot, dusty, sandy and waterless, much of the day is spent trying to covince myself to keep hiking and trying to remember why I am still going. The pain in my feet is awful and constant and my heart is homesick. I have been hiking with two sisters from Switzerland for the last 300 miles, they are great!! The three of us have had so much fun together, their friendship has really inspired me to keep going on the days when I dont think I can.The nights have been so hot, it is almost impossible to get compfortable enough to sleep, the days are much hotter and the hiking has been pretty boring lately, the comfort of my music has really helped get me through the hours when I can't be alone in my head anymore. The forests in the last few weeks have been  filled with logging operations, trees falling down and chainsaws running all around us. It is a sad sight to see all the destruction happening. I want to be like the Loraz, and say to those people, please stop cutting down my trees, but I can't do that.

 Hitching into towns to resupply lately has very difficult, sometimes taking hours and then when you just want to rest in towns, you cant' becaue you have to go grocery shopping, do your laundry, plan your next strech, fix/buy gear that has broken, etc and all by foot. It is very frusterating!!
But then there are moments that are perfect and that is why I have not given up. It is true that life is not measured by how many breaths we take, but by how many moments take our breath away. The PCT is filled with moments that have taken my breath away, so if I am to continue to have those moments I must continue to push through the hard, painful, and lonely moments. I am less than 200 miles from Oregon, and I can't wait to get there, can't wait to be in another state. It is hard to write all I feel or have been through out here, this trail has taken me into the true depths of myself and shown me the true power of the land, the power of the seasons and the wild. I am humbled everday out here and I am determined to keep going.

I have limited time online when I get to towns and there is always so much more I want to write, and when I finish I will add more!! For now, I must keep heading north :)

Halfway

I am now halfway to  Canada. I have taken alot of time off the trail and I am behind my orignial plan, but I have taken the time off that I needed and I know that my journey has been exactly what it has needed to be. The trail is great, hard work, my feet are so sore, but I am making progress and hope to be in Canada by the end of October. The meadows out here are just like scenes out of the movie Bambi, so vivid in color and life. My days start early and the trail is filled with the smell of lilacs early in the morning and the nights start with the sky displaying all colors of the rainbow. The butterflies dance in every direction and it gives me a sense of hope and a reminder that beauty can be found in even the smallest of things. Trail life is an amazing way to live. The wild flowers decorate even the most dark, dusty and dead places out here. The forests are full of deadfall and mosquitos, but it is wonderful and I intend on finishing. The ridges are covered with rock and overlook lakes that glisten in the distance, the trail is amazing. I feel strong but weak, however, I am going to complete this trail and I will adapt to whatever comes my way.