Day 75, July 1: Mile 1031 to 1053
Start: Mile 1030.8
End: Mile 1053.2
Miles: 22.4
Ascent: 4253 | Descent: 4399
I woke up in a great mood despite being being very sleepy and hitting snooze a number of times. But I finally roused myself and hiked out in the cool morning light. The morning was beautiful and started with some rolling hills through a pretty landscape dotted with trees and boulders. At one point, there was a noticeable shift into more volcanic-looking rocks.
I stopped for a breakfast break about 5 miles in and the rest of the group- Liz, Tikka, Sensei, Gus and Cathole- caught up to me and we hung out for a bit before I hiked on. Eventually they all passed me, and then I caught up to them at a water source. We had fun conversations about Enya, horseback riding and other banalities.
We agreed to meet at a certain point after a big climb and hiked on. However, when I got to the top of a pass, I had cell service so I ended up sitting there for quite a while checking on things. After an hour or so, Squirrel Daddy caught up to me and we chatted and hung out for a bit. He wanted to keep relaxing up there, so I hiked on.
Halfway down the hill, I caught up to the group again. They were finishing up a lunch break but I had a quick snack with them and hiked on. Cathole, Liz, Tikka and I stuck together for a bit. It’s so nice to hike with people now and then!
We naturally separated after a bit and I was planning on making a final push to camp. But lo and behold, I caught up to the group once again. Today was definitely a day of many breaks. Liz and I had a little dance party to “Here Comes the Hotstepper” by Ini Kamoze and “Kiss” by Prince. Classics.
Then came the final push to camp. The terrain, though considerably easier than the Sierra, was tiring towards the end of the day, with constants up and downs. I put in my audiobook and kept chugging along.
Finally I made it to camp. The gang was there minus Boop, though she arrived a bit later. We had dinner together and laughed and talked before passing out. Another great day!