but really, it was a long walk. we made it out just fine. a pair of crocs saved my trip from the first week on. trail angels. i shed tears, no joke. it was an early morning before our resupply, and mentally i was prepping to enter civilization and then have to re-enter the woods. not that i wasn’t excited, but once your legs get dialed you have to then amp up your mind. two parts physical four parts mental. a real test of stamina and will. then many days of mountain passes and crysal-clear lakes and rushing creeks and high basins and granite spires stretching into infinity. fast forward to a tequila sunrise on half dome with two strangers and two buddies who made it out as our last food drops. amazing moment. played guitars on the top before the camera-wielding touristicos arrived. after 29 days, i was spent and was running the last three miles, pavement pounding my knees and feet down the JMT to the valley, which might have hurt my foot. we’ll see how it feels in another weeks. indeed, too many moments of pure bliss. a sensory overload like times square but with nature’s neon and ticker tape each morning. walking through evolution basin at sunset. waking up in a sleeping bag of ice after sleeping out one night that night at 11,000 feet. the muir hut at muir pass after being sick that morning. meadow after meadow of purple and pink and yellow wildflowers. each peak a new story to tell. a few brushes with the black bears of yosemite….
Posted by ajm at August 28, 2006 04:01 PM