October 4, 2016
Mile 2461.5-2477.6 16.1 Miles Another 2:30am wakeup. In the future, people will sometimes tell me that they have trouble sleeping on the ground and wonder how I did it for four and a half months. The truth is, I sleep much better outside than I do inside. I wake up in the middle of the night about the same number of times, but when I’m outside I quickly fall back asleep, whereas when I’m inside… This morning when I wake at 2:30, I am too hungry to sleep. Like insanely hungry. Of course, nothing is open at this time, so I raid my snack bag instead. Goldfish crackers, peanut M&Ms, dried mango. I continue reading 1984 for about an hour, until I finally feel like I can fall asleep. When I wake again, it’s 7:30. The post office doesn’t open until 11am, so there’s plenty of time and I move slowly enough to need it all. I shower in the bathroom at the end of the hall. My hiking clothes cause me dread every time I have to climb back into them. My shirt has started to rot from the constant damp; my pants are stiff with dirt and dried sweat. I knock on Roadside’s door. He’s just woken and wants to take a shower before breakfast, so I walk down and pick up more snacks at the convenience store. A grocery bag full of them. They’re ostensibly for the trail, but I can’t stop myself from eating a 4-pack of Oreos and a bag of donuts as soon as I exit the store. On the way back I check the restaurant’s sign—they aren’t open until 10! I hope I can last that long. I do all the little chores I never think of—my mustache and nails have gotten a little out of control, so I trim them. I patch the small holes that have shown up on my pack liner. Two hours are used up in a flash. Saltlick and Squatch join us for breakfast, then we’re off to the post office, where we pack our resupply in the lobby, and then Saltlick drives us all back to the trail. As he drops us off, he gives each of us a couple of hardboiled eggs. It’s another thoughtful gesture from someone who has already given much of his day to us. There are a couple more hikers here, and five of us set off along the trail in single-file. It appears to have been an evenly-graded dirt road at one point, but vegetation has taken over. I’m out in front, and it doesn’t take long before I’m alone. Coffee and food have enlivened me. Even the rain is no damper on my spirits. The cold is severe, unforgiving. I hike to keep warm. The first big climb leads me to Lake Valhalla. A spire of rock juts into the sky behind the lake, majestic and mythical in the mist. I add it to the list of places to return. The trail climbs around the back and over a lip, then winds through a couple of drainages. The huckleberry bushes are all gold and red now, and give the landscape a toasted look. Next is Lake Janus, then a big climb, and then Glasses Lake. The cold pierces, penetrates through my layers. No time to stop and look around. If I hike faster, maybe I can outrun the winter.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Author
Nick is a teacher, writer, and amateur adventurer. Archives
June 2020
Categories |