Well I have not updated my blog now for sometime, 900 miles to be exact. Lets just say Trail life has been wonderful, crazy, challenging in ways I never thought of, it has been so difficult so many days and so perfect on others. The Sierras were amazing this year, in my wildest of dreams I could of not dreamt the beauty and the enjoyment I had during my time in the Sierras. There was no snow, no snow, which was a welcome gift after last year, the Sierras were magical, beautiful, colorful, they were so perfect. John Muir said it best " In every walk with nature, one receives far more than they seek," I was reminded day after day why I so love the mountains, why I look to them for peace and challenge and why I truly need them as apart of my life so I can venture into them whenever need be. I was not scared but rather felt strong and delighted everyday, there were no creek crossings up to my chest, no post-holing, no losing the Trail, like last year. My time spent in the Sierras this year was a true gift. Since the Sierras my days have been spent trying to do big miles, the bugs have been nuts, for hundreds of miles the bugs became a daily problem, so bad that you can barely stop and take a break, they buzz in your ears all day long, they fly into your eyes, nose, ears, and mouth, I must have swallowed around 50 of them in the last few weeks. The noise from their buzzing keeps you up at night until late and it wakes you up each morning around 4:45 a.m. The constant buzzing is enough to drive one insane and for miles days seemed unbearable because of the fatigue and lack of breaking during the day due to the amount of bugs. Sometimes my entire shirt would be covered, they bite every body part, I counted 138 bites on my body last month.
Northern California is home to 4000-5000 foot climbs, hot dusty terrain and tons of mental hardships for hikers. It is a section of Trail where I have felt most homesick, tired and uncomfortable. The dirt and dust out here finds its way to every inch of your body, you feel sticky, dirty, hot, sweaty and tired every step, but somehow you continue to manage to do miles, somehow you keep hiking. Mentally though I am worn out, I have already hiked this Trail and each mile seems to be a memory of distant time out here, its like I am watching a movie about an adventure I have already lived,at times all I want to do is go home, but then I remember, I want to thru hike the PCT, I hiked 2400 miles last year, falling a few hundred miles short from Canada, but I was not satisfied with that and so that's why I started it all over in April at the Mexican Border and now I am 1606 miles in, with only 1059 miles to Canada. In total I have now hiked 4000 miles on the PCT, and to think in just 8 weeks I will be in Canada at the Northern Terminus, a place I have been dying to see for two years now. The ridges in Northern California are wonderful, red rocks, blue sky, flowers that light up the land, butterflies dancing all around, and the sounds of birds singing, there is so much beauty and color out here, so much peace and I am glad to be able to hike, but I am in many ways ready for my PCT journey to come to an end, I am ready for the next big adventure in my life. With the beauty comes a lot of challenges though, there has been long waterless stretches some 28 miles long, hard hitches into towns, hot weather, and a ton of mental and physical fatigue. So here is to 8 more weeks on Trail.
