Day 17. Part 1. March 17. Mile 188.3, elevation 7424, to Mile 204.3, elevation 4083. Walked 16 miles, 1306 ft up, 4650 ft down. (Plus a little "excursion" from the trail when I missed a turn - another 2 miles, 600 ft up, 600 ft down.
Dear Trail Friends,
I slept well under the stars and enjoyed watching the Big Dipper move in the sky. The morning walk on the still cool part of the day had the usual morning wonder and delight.
Photos 1 through 3 celebrate the dawning of the new day and the quality of morning light. (Again. Yes I know. I don't seem to ever get tired of morning light).
The walk was beautiful but arduous. Lots of very steep downhill walking (and occasionally up) with lots and lots of loose rocks. Photo 4 tries to give you a sense of the rockiness and how one could not develop a stride, one had to be continually pausing, testing footing, stepping cautiously. Imagine my joy when the caterpillar in photo 5 appeared and there followed a stretch where the rocks had been turned under and the surface smoothed. So much for the love of unspoiled wilderness.
To be continued in Day 17, part 2.
I love reading about your outer journey, to be sure, but the other one, the inward one where you address yourself, your feelings, your tendencies and the way the natural order seeps into your interior landscape is terrific. I like reading and following both your journeys, River
ReplyDelete