The food supply dwindles. Whiffs of our own smell make us wince. Salt stains from sweat stand out white on our clothing. Yes, it is that time again, time for town. Bishop is the place this time, a mid-sized city right next to the Sierra’s. To get there, we need to cross Kearsarge Pass, a place which was described as being easier than Forrester Pass, but in reality I found to still be quite the challenge. Maybe it’s the altitude, maybe general tiredness or even something else, but I still haven’t regained my usual speed. Where I would usually cruise ahead of most of the group, now I’m comfortably at the back, taking the uphills slow and steady. Which is good in a way, giving me more time to appreciate this amazing area.
After being here almost 6 days, the Sierra’s are a place to me where one can still dream, somewhere far far away, a land pervaded by mystery and wonder. It requires no great effort to imagine dragons, trolls and mad wizard hermits on mountain tops inhabiting the area.
At the top, Willy Nelson ran around high fiving everyone, handing out congratulations for getting here.
‘All those people out there stuck in matrix lives don’t know what they’re missing!’ he shouts.
On the downhill I got behind most of the group, my legs feeling like lead. I could so easily lie next to one of the lakes and take a long nap. Trudging down, my steps becoming ever slower, I got the morale booster I needed: Tommyhawk! On the rocks next to the trail was the man himself having a phonecall. Soon he finished and we hugged. He was going uphill, already being done with town. Remedy and Gnome were still in Bishop, about to get a ride back to trail, so I would most likely miss them. Every time I think they’re way ahead of me they pop up again, just when I miss them the most.
The last miles I ran down. Merlins parents had come to the trailhead to shuttle us to Bishop, which was quite a way, so I was very grateful.
In the hostel, I saw Lukas. He looked a bit fazed. His usual confidence reduced to a flicker of what it was. The group he’d been hiking with had a different pace than he’d liked. They started later and hiked until late, while Lukas preferred to walk early and stop earlier too. So he split with them. The day after he’d decided to hike sunrise Whitney and then push on until he’d hiked a full 24 hour around the clock. A bit odd, to say the least.
Dinner was mexican, in a place near the hostel. Pippin, Lumberjack, Fry and Early Bird were there as well. A slightly crazy woman ran around the restaurant, playing Funkytown from her phone and dancing, all thr while trying to convince everyone to move to Michigan for some reason.
I shared a room with Lavalamp that night, the first time in a bed since Big Bear.