strugglin'

Day 14 ~ miles 228 - 248

We awoke from a wonderful slumber feeling sluggish.  The morning turned out to be our most mentally and physically challenging time on the trail thus far.  We were walking soo slow.  We were tired and just couldn't get into a good hiking groove.  We were breaking frequently, eating more and more, hoping that it would give us a burst of energy to carry us the 6,000 feet up and out of the canyon. It never worked, as we trudged uphill at a pace of less than 2 mph.   Most of the time on the trail, it's pretty easy to tune out aches and pains and other unpleasantries, but on this day, they consumed my mind.  (No tears shed, though!)

We stopped at out lunchspot, a creek 10 miles out.  We rested in the shade, filled our bellies, and hydrated our bodies.  We got back on trail feeling strong, and had a totally different outlook on the day..it also helped that the terrain got a bit easier, so the majority of the climb was behind us.  We hiked up and into a beautiful alpine forest, where the grassy mountaintops were covered with gigantic  pine trees.  We found a campsite on a ridge at around 8,500 feet, where we setup with the 3 guys. It was cold, but the scenery and company were  excellent.

Funny how your day can just turn around in an instant out here.