Again a little bit of rain during the night and again I did not sleep great. Perhaps it is elevation. Spend a lot of time at night thinking over the day and the wonderful sights I have seen and giving thanks to God for the ability to do this trail and the wonders I am seeing. Generally these types of thoughts help me go to sleep. I am getting good rest but not sleep. A good friend told me that worrying about sleep is not necessary and as long as you allow the body to rest you will be fine and sleep will come in due time. The target for today is going to be Mather Pass. As I start to walk there is a coyote coming up the trail towards me . He sees me and veers off to the side. Wanted to get a picture but he was too fast for me. Here are some shots of Lake Majorie where I start my day

Here are some pictures of the trail on the way down the valley. In this section you are always going down from one pass or going up to the next pass. Very little walking on level ground. There is also generally a rather big stream on one side of the other. Every chance I get I look at the stream to see how far I can see where the water the going with me which means I will still be on the downside. When the water turns against me, I am on the upside, but I generally don’t need the water direction to tell me that 🙂

The day was short. I stopped pretty early after getting over Mather Pass. I was not feeling good with an upset stomach. I am not actually eating very much because food is causing me to be nauseous. Again, perhaps an elevation thing, but I have found eating proving difficult for most of the trail. Just seems to be getting worse at these elevations. Make it to Mather Pass and below is a picture from the top looking down to Palisade Lake where I will stop and camp for the day.

I camp early in a spot where I figure I will be alone. Not the greatest camp site and just ahead there are plenty of good camp sites according to Guthook. Since I am not feeling well, I want to be alone. However about 7 pm, 4 other PCT hikers show up and decide to camp at the same spot. Oh well….. anyway they did not start the PCT at the beginning but started at Cottonwood Pass skipping the first 740 miles. They did plan on going all the way to Canada. They were not interested in talking much.

Lenora’s Note:
Today the pool demolition was supposed to start. Following morning mass about 7:15 am I am ready but no workers, and no Tom to present me with a contract to sign or a request for money. 8am, 9am, 10am still nothing so I send a text. Nothing. Next a phone call. Several hours and several phone calls later they agree to send a small crew on Friday. Good news is I have filled the time waiting and am going to finish my current project soon and I have this evening and Thursday to run errands, get car serviced and cleaned, etc. I make a date to see Linda and Jen at the gym tomorrow followed by dinner and drinks – I’m thinking Margaritas :).
One of the blessings of this “time out” of our ordinary lives is getting the chance to realize how very petty most of my daily anxieties really are. If the pool guy doesn’t show today I can stitch, not tomorrow? It is ok I can get the car serviced. Things work out for the best when I relax and accept the disappointment and irritations as a part of the journey. I am thinking about Paul a lot and how he could rejoice in his suffering and I pray that my trust in Jesus grow as I face life with less rebellion and fewer demands for my own way.
The sat phone runs out of minutes during this week and feel more lonely once I realize even the voice contact is being taken away. However I am happy to be going out with friends tomorrow and know they will pepper me with request for information on Don’s journey, progress, well-being and mood. I am excited to share.