Evolution of an Artist: Day 9- Miles 506.5 to 517.8

To Hiker Town!

Morning came much too soon this day. With less than 3 hours of sleep and the wind howling behind me, I broke camp and packed in a "record" 45 minutes time. I wanted desperately to get out of the high wind tunnel where I was forced to camp the previous night.

Once again, my food bag was untouched and my imagination had managed to be my own worst enemy.
It was cold enough for us to lawyer on clothes and get going without breakfast or changing.

"Hiker Town and my baby tomorrow"...

We started walking from mile 506.5 (5705.0') at 7:09 am and didn't stop until mile 510, at elevation 3829'. By then we had passed our third human on the trail, an eager day hiker and photographer ready to have fun with the large, expensive camera hanging from his neck on this fine Saturday morning. He took this picture of me scrambling under a tree on the trail.

We also passed some trail volunteers, busy cleaning up and wanting to know where the next blockade was for them to tackle.

I eventually stopped for breakfast and to change clothes. The last 5 miles of my trek were very slow and tedious. With less than 3 hours of sleep and a small breakfast, my energy was non existent. But I moved along because really, what other choice did I have?

I felt much safer after leaving the mountain top but knew I still had quite a trek in front of me. So I did my best to take in the beauty around me and push myself quietly to my destination.

I enjoyed a stream, replenished all our water and walked along admiring the landscape, taking breaks as needed and feeling grateful. I was now used to checking my map and GPS on a regular basis and felt much more comfortable with the terrain. It took a while, but we got there. It was windy and very cold.

After walking 72 miles faithfully by my side on leash, I let Booboo off leash in the last .5 mile before Hiker town. He bounced happily looking into gopher holes and checking back on me every once in a while, as I dragged my tired self down the path and smiled back at him.

I arrived to Hiker Town a day before time, hoping to rest enough and have plenty of time for my trail angel to take me to my car. Unfortunately, she never returned my calls that afternoon so I stayed at Hiker Town waiting for our agreed time for pick up the following day.

In the meantime, Bob the caretaker at Hiker Town, fed me a pot of stew (really, I literally ate a whole crock pot of beef stew) and showed me the shower and laundry facilities.
I relaxed, cozied up, checked in with family and friends on FB and started writing the first entries of my blog from notes I had taken during my hike.
The cold afternoon turned into a very cold and windy night. I was blissfully grateful to be indoors, nice and warm in my bag under a wool blanket. I was clean, fed and safe. And Booboo was with me.

There was nothing else needed in my life at this time.