Day 141: 8/27/14
1074 to 1078
Miles hiked: 4
I lingered in camp for an extra hour as I watched the sunrise. It wasn’t hard to remember to slow down with this view from camp.
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| Alpineglow. |
I wondered if everything (anything?) I’ve learned from my injury will sink in permanently. Will I still go swimming and rambling around camp once my foot gets strong? I certainly will have the time, now that I am free of the time constraints of a thru hike.
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| Enjoying the rambling switchbacks. |
When I got to Carson Pass, I had a few hours before Steph picked me up. I chatted with the wonderful docents at the interpretive center, poured over the wildflower guidebooks, and went on a side trail to visit another lake. I loved the opportunity to meander.
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| Another lake, another swim. |
Overall, I was delighted with how this first test trip on the PCT had gone. The lower muscles in my legs and all the muscles in my feet were tired from being weak from the CAM boot, but there was no sign of re-injury. I know having a few days to rest after this trip is going to be good for my foot though. And I get to start making plans for continuing to hike the PCT into the fall.
Special thanks to Steph for taking me to the trailheads and for all the support and for making my "comeback" possible!!! YOU ARE AWESOME!!!
Great to see that you are moving towards getting back to the PCT. I started following your blog mainly because you are using a hammock. Other PCT blogs I followed have finished the trail. Your blog is like a bonus. Good luck the rest of your journey!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Robert! Nice to hear from someone else interested in hammocks!
DeleteWell .. it certainly didn't take you long to "switch gears"!! You are so fantastic Joan!! Love those photos with the Alpineglow ... sheesh .... nothing is quite as beautiful as that in my opinion. And that glass like lake reflecting all that beauty!!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear about the rest of your trip. Here's hoping it is a (VERY) late coming winter this year!
Thanks Brenda. Yeah I've been stalking the alpineglow these last few trips. Trying to set up camp where I anticipate it will be most stunning, and learning to tell where the sun will rise. Skills I didn't develop before. Been quite fun. Plus, the alpineglow seems to be getting better and better as fall approaches.
DeleteHope you are enjoying the signs of fall too. Was thinking of your neck of the woods the other day when I saw some gentians. :)
Joan, I would like to post your photos from Day 141 on a website I maintain about the PCT - www.pcttrailsidereader.com . . . I post stories and images from the PCT (a labor of love). I loved your photos from this day (and others as well). I would also include a little backstory (perhaps a note about the stress fracture and now your return to the trail). Although I have focused on your photos, I appreciate your writing and would welcome the possibility of publishing some of that too . . . I do think the challenge of re-framing plans of a thru-hike given the realities of an injury would be something many of us can relate to. See the website - www.pcttrailsidereader.com or contact me at hughes@humboldt.edu
ReplyDeleteJoan...your pictures are absolutely beautiful. Glad you have switched gears and enjoyed your relaxing time on the PCT. With that kind of scenery I would also like to linger although when I'm hiking alone I too find that difficult. We have to learn to enjoy our own company. I so enjoy reading your journal. Good luck on the PCT as you hike into fall.
ReplyDeleteWhat particular model of Keens did you end up getting?
Thanks, Virginia. Yes, this lingering alone is a skill that takes awareness and intention to develop, at least for some of us that like to go go go all the time.
DeleteI have been wearing the keen voyageur lows- non-waterproof.