I’m currently at mile marker 24 at the Lance Creek camping area. Neels Gap is next and is the first option for resupply on the trail. But between me and the delicious pizza they serve lies Blood Mountain. For the last few days I’ve been trying to keep the miles down to about 8 per day as I devop my hiking legs. So far the constant climbs and descents have been relentless and I always arrive at camp ready to turn in. Nothing feels routine yet. My first attempt at filtering water was a comedy of errors that I wish was video taped, sped up, and dubbed over with Yakkity Sax. At least nothing broke and my pack dried out.

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Sleeping has been tough. I’m so tired, but it’s uncomfortable, there are weird noises, and the acute awareness that there are actually bears in this area to keep my mind busy when I should be sleeping. It doesn’t help that I’m a night owl normally (turns out there are ACTUAL night owls here… Every night.). Going to bed at 8pm and spending 12 hours in the tent when I probably am only actually sleeping for 5 is a long time laying in the tent. But other people have complained about the difficulty sleeping at first too, so it must be something we’re all getting used to. It certainly adds to the overall exhaustion.

The night after day 2 brought heavy rain. Packing up wet is no fun. It was a hard day hiking wet the next day. “Embrace the Suck” is all you can do to keep going forward. I think the exhaustion caught up with me this morning though as I had an emotional moment on the trail. Why was I even out here? I missed my old life. A toilet, a shower, and running water. A warm comfy bed. But after the moment passed and I was again present on the trail, the view opened up, my legs felt great for a second (advil kicked in), and I was all alone just me and this trail. I felt very vulnerable, but ALIVE.