At the end of this day I was drenched in sweat.  The brim of my hat was soaked and sweat was dripping off the end.   It was only a 10 mile day!  My feelings were of inadequacy and my thoughts were that I just could not do this.  I am not capable.  Where is that red button on the InReach that I can hit and call in the helicopters to get me out of here.   So how did I get to this point….

It was a great night.  I was camped by the river and the sounds put me to sleep and I slept well.  The few times I did wake up, I marveled at the night sky.  I had set up my tent without the rain fly and so it is just a fine mesh to keep the bugs out.   At night the mess disappears and all I could see were the trees and the stars in the kind.  It was magnificent.  Got up around 5 (which is later than usual) and got packed up and was sure to isolate the food for the day in a bag that was easy to get too in the pack.  Had my breakfast and started to hike.  Here a picture pretty early in the day (7:22) of the trail.

And then a little later a beautiful little waterfall and pool.

About an hour later I come to Bear Creek and it has a bridge that crosses the creek.  YAY!!!  Love bridges

All is going pretty good at this point.  Had some climbing at the start and then a short downhill and then I started to climb again.  And climb, and climb, and I thought:  What is going on.  I had made the mistake (for me) of not knowing what was ahead of me.  If I know I can be prepared but when I am surprised it is always a bad thing.  What followed was 7 miles of continuous climb.   A climb from 3000 feet to 6000 feet.   Here is a view along the way.  Fabulous view and I think I stopped here for some time to catch my breath.

A number of people passed me.   One that passed me I caught up to because he stopped for lunch right by a stream.  I needed water and so I stopped and also had lunch.  We talked for awhile and he told me about the trail this year.  He said they had 150 miles of snow in the High Sierra.  I laughed and told him I had about 20 feet of snow on the trail the year before.  I asked him where he started the day and he told me which was 8 miles before I started!!  This was about 5 miles into the day and so he had walked 13 miles in the same time I had walked 5.  His trail name was Stoic because he just hikes and endures and does not complain.   There was nobody with him at the time but he said he was part of a group.  That is pretty much how it works as everyone hikes at their own pace but they have a goal for the day and the fast ones just get there first.  Stoic is a teacher and is engaged and is a bit of a hurry to get to Ashland where he will be met by his fiancee.  While we are talking one of his group arrives.  His trail name is Siri apparently because he likes to try and answer any and all questions whether they are meant for him or not.

As I was walking the trail I was noticing that the trail was very clean and fresh and it was not long before I understood why.  I met Spencer who is a 66 year old who spends his summer maintaining the trail.  He is retired from a Forestry career.  He sets up his “rig” at some spot and then hikes about 5 days in each direction and maintains the trail.   He told me in his younger days he use to carry a big chain saw and take care of trees that had fallen across the trail.  Now he carries a macleod.  Here is some info:

• Macleod:  Of all the tools in this list, the most popular one with us has got to be the Macleod.  It just screams “Trail Building!”  While all the other tools have many common uses outside of the realm of bike trail building, the Macleod, or mountain rake, really isn’t seen any where else but trail building (with the exception, maybe, of forest fire fighting.)  This tool is the holy grail of trail building tools.  A lot of work can be done with it alone, but where it really shines is in the details.  This is usually going to be the last tool to touch a trail tread before opening it to riding.  The Macleod is basically a sturdy rake with a long handle and a wide square edged hoe on the opposite side.  It is good at scraping, cutting small roots, and removing rocks from the trail surface.  For finishing, its wide, flat head is ideal for packing the trail surface, and leaving a product behind that is ready to ride.  A must have tool for any trail crew.  It is not a tool you will commonly see in the hardware store, but most stores are able to order them in for you if you request one.  Bring a picture in case they have no idea what you are talking about!

It is a very impressive tool.

By the time I reach Lookout Rock I am done.  It is the highpoint of this climb and as I mentioned at the beginning I was in bad shape.  Here is a picture of the approach to the Rock and some pictures looking out from it.

I text Lenora on the InReach with the following.  “Already stopping at mile 1257.  I suck”.  She responds with.  “You don’t suck.  Work into it, rest when you need.  Be patient with yourself”  THAT was all I needed.  I did not hit the red button.   It is amazing how far a little encouragement, a little word of kindness can go.

Lenora’s Note:

I ended up not doing much yesterday.  Shoulders are painful and pain, tingling and numbness shoots down to my fingertips at times.  I’m sure rest is what is needed so I watch hours of TV while dozing.  I think the cats are already bored as they decide to have cat wars on the bed next to me.

Still achey and numb in the hands I decide to do my shopping to stock up for what we will need when Don returns.  I explore both grocery stores and both dollar stores looking for the things we need.

My big find is a replacement for the milk glass lamp shade from my mother’s bedside lamps that got broken by accident.  I had decided to put the base of the lamp in the give away box when we get home and the little used stuff store by the motel had one sitting on the shelf.  God is good and life is wonderful.  I may not be stitching much but I am glad to be on the adventure.

Sometimes all I can do is pray.  Thank you Ellen for giving me the Holy Spirit chaplet bracelet.  It is a constant reminder that I am never alone.  Don said “I suck” about his hiking and I have been feeling that about my part but then I am reminded that every new part of our lives brings the opportunity to grow in all sorts of ways.  Right now patience and perseverance might just be the virtues we are called to grow in.