3 months on trail today. I remember way back when such milestones meant something. Now I barely gave it a second thought. I did a lot, but there is more to do, much more.
Dog On gave us a ride back to trail early in the morning. I’m so jealous of that bushy white beard of his.
As soon as we got there, it was back to the heat. I crave a day where my back and shorts aren’t soaked in sweat. On the first ascent, I passed Merman, ID and Rolls Royce. We took a long unplanned nap in the shade, waiting out the worst of the heat.
Pinch and Veto swung by at some point and I went along with them. Pinch has the same plan to go from Seattle to New York by train, so we agreed to split a cabin if we make it to the end around the same time. Veto, good British chap that he is, did a part of the Haute Route before. It sounded cool, but not as awesome as the PCT.
It cooled down ever so slightly and I raced ahead. I got to the campsite, only to find one other person, Crossroads. Turns out he started on the same day as me and I’d never seen him before.
These past few days have been mentally hard. I don’t know if the novelty has worn off or the heat is getting to me. I keep wandering old trodden darker paths in my mind and feel the wrongness of things seeping through the cracks. If I force myself away from it and focus on the trail and the mountains, the feeling dissipates and I find peace and joy again.
