Some thoughts before departure...

  • I am still not a vet, doctor, lawyer, dog trainer, cia agent, fbi agent or a navy seal so...walk
  • I am doing this for the challenge of course, and I hope to gain a confidence that comes with this type of endeavor. But also I hope to gain some new knowledge about the world and the truths that reside in it.
  • Am I walking to "find myself"? Or just to take a walk. You decide...and you'll probably be right.
  • I'm not in the best shape of my life, but I do have a lot of new great gear so....
  • After living with my parents the last 2 years, it makes perfect sense to walk 2650 miles - alone.
  • Yes there will be bears, cougars, rattlesnakes and scorpions both imagined and real along the way. I'm definitely more worried about those imagined.
  • Am I scared? Not as of yet, more of just a constantly increasing anticipation. But check back with me on the 3rd night in the desert.
  • I tried to keep my pack fairly light, but I definitely would not call it ultralight. Somehow when I added up all my ultralight gear and put it in my ultralight pack, I ended up with just slightly heavy.
  • My biggest concern for this trip is that I get too hungry somewhere along the way, my brain goes awol as it usually does when I get hungry and subsequently you never hear from me again...I'll try to eat frequently.
  • I am not Christopher McCandless. This is not Into the Wild.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Fading Fast


Day 55, Mile 853.5ish
Muir pass was the first thing on the agenda today. It was long and slow going. 2 miles of snow on the front side, 3 miles on the back side. The Muir Hut was pretty cool up at the top but the rest just felt repetitive. I think it mostly has to do with my lack of nourishment, but I'm starting to get tired of this stretch of trail. The passes are all difficult to some degree, the scenery is always beautiful, waterfalls everywhere, and I'm ready to be in Mammoth in comfort. We did the rest of our miles from Muir pass on in pretty good time. Just like yesterday i watched trout and potential trout locales all day. But our camp spot for the night happens to be next to a rough and fast spot in the south fork of the San Joaquin River- no trout. I have to catch some tomorrow, otherwise i will only have a few pieces of jerky for dinner. I'm still not happy with myself for that, i knew it wasn't right in the back of my head. Safe to say i wont be packing the beef ramen with the Ritz crackers in a ration from now on though. Even if i had the correct amount i do not think it would be enough. I am getting skinny-er I've noticed. Hip bones seem to be protruding a bit more then usual and when i scratch my back i can feel ribs instead of fat or muscle. My demand for calories has been increasing since i started this leg and today it felt like i hit empty. It's real hard work at times to hike through soft snowfields with a pack on, and at altitude. I had really low energy all day, i wanted to sleep at every break. I have some jerky left, a small bag of trail mix, and 5 bars to last me a day and a half to VVR. Wish me luck. Thought of the day; i miss my family, both nuclear and extended. Song of the day; Rudolph the red nose reindeer. Craving of the day; fruit- blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, oranges, bananas, mangoes, papaya, kiwi, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, pluots, tangerines, clementines, pineapple, pears, cantaloupe, honeydew, Tuscan melon, casaba melon, watermelon, star fruit, yeah some fruit.
JWC on the PCT
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