We wanted to leave early, but our late night made me sleepy and lazy. We have 16 miles until town. Then we’ll stay in a hotel for two nights, giving the group a full zero day.
Our hiking today was fantastic. It wasn’t particularly easy. Well, it kind of was. But mostly, I enjoyed the way we hiked. We covered a few miles and then took a snack break at some ledges. Then we covered several more until we had another break at a shelter. Just a few miles after that we had lunch at more ledges overlooking the valley. Basically, we took our time today. It was something I really needed. Warthog did really well with it up until mid afternoon. Then he was tired and ready to be in town. Honestly, I was ready too. However, I was still grateful for the slow start.
We saw a snake, a brave little lizard, and a deer butt today. Nothing too much more. We are also starting to get to the point where we need really look ahead at our water sources. We used to have water available every mile or so. Lately, it’s seemed we’ve had many eight to ten mile stretches without water. It’s common the father north you go. We just need to acclimate to it all.
As we were hiking, I asked Snow Monkey (who is a geologist) a rock question. In his answer he was explaining something about gemstones. He talked about how it’s the impurities that make the gemstone beautiful, giving it colors. It took me by surprise and then I thought how lovely that statement was. The impurities in the rock, the blemishes, is what gives the gemstone it’s color, it’s beauty… Not the perfection of the rock itself. Rather, what’s “wrong” with it. I loved it as an analogy for people. It reminds me to be better about accepting and appreciating the parts of me/us that are a bit off or “ugly”. Because it’s those parts that make us unique. I’m not sure I’ll look at a gemstone the same way again. That’s yet another reason I so appreciate this experience. It is teaching me more ways to see and understand the world.
We made it into the city by 6p and were checking in around 6:30p. First things first… showers. After that, dinner. We walked across the street and got Italian food. The portions were enormous. Still, we ate our salads, entrees, and dessert. A few of us did go home with boxes, but those were to be devoured at a later time. Feeling satiated, we headed back to our rooms to zone out in the comfort of a solid bed. “Excited” doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about resting for a bit.
-ansel