It was another very challenging yet extremely rewarding day.
For the first time on this trail, we set an alarm to make sure we got up at a decent time. It doesn’t get light as early as it used to and while we used to get up with the sun, we are so behind on miles for this section that we need to make sure we start hiking as soon as we can. I woke up before the 5 am alarm, but I would have loved to get another hour or so of sleep. Not today.
The first several hours of the day I felt nauseated and thought I might be sick on the side of the trail. The feeling went away by 10, but I didn’t eat or drink or even take many pictures before then as I was more focused on just getting the miles in without puking.
We went over two passes today, Hat Pass and Lester Pass. Both were brutal yet stunning. To make better time, Nick and I decided not to hike together. When we hike together, we are much slower because I have to wait for him on the uphills and he has to wait for me on the downhills. Separately, though, it all evens out (for the most part).
Like yesterday, we hiked until about 5:30, briefly stopped to boil water and purify some water, and then hiked for 30 minutes or so while our meal rehydrated. The entire time we hiked I could see the promise of a spectacular view just around the next bend. Much like going up switchbacks, however, we never seemed to get there - there was always just one more bend to get to the full view. After hiking further than we needed to (because we wanted that view!) Nick stopped, hungry and wanting to eat. I, thinking that certainly we only had one more bend to hike around, made him hike just a little further.
He was not amused, but after I promised we’d stop after the next bend no matter what, he reluctantly hiked on.
I was wrong, of course- the view STILL wasn’t there. But, as I promised, we stopped to eat. The view wasn’t terrible, but I had to laugh because once we resumed hiking again after dinner, the view I wanted to see was just around the next bend. Figures. :)
We are now on the Knapsack Col alternate, which everyone says is brutal in comparison to the CDT route but has stunning views. I’m excited but well aware that I need to eat more - my mood has been pretty low and I find myself getting hangry a lot. I know it’s because I need to eat more, but unfortunately didn’t bring enough food with me for this stretch. It’s ok, I’m sure the views will get me through - they always do.
Along the trail:
Camp:
