Day 5. March 5. Mile 58.8 to Mile 72..2

Day 5. Sunday, March 5. From Mile 58.8, elevation 4760 to Mile 72.2, elevation 5630. Walked 13.4 miles, 2692 up, 1755 down. 

Dear Trail Friends

I am very tired tonight and a little intimidated by the wind.  I think my tent is securely staked and that I am dressed warmly enough for whatever wind chill factor might make the night colder. But I still feel anxious. I hope writing about my day - which was really quite wonderful - will help me let go of the fear and feel my gratitude for being here. And I do know that the price of being here is to face my fears. A whole lot of them.

Let's start with photo 1. I was worried about wind last night but it settled down. There were a few gusts and the night was not very cold. I woke up early and started a little before dawn. Just as the sun rose I came to a nice creek where I could get water. 

 

During the hike I had many wonderful thoughts about what I would say to you. But now I am so tired I mostly want to crawl into my sleeping bag. 

As I climbed I had vast views of mountains south all the way into Mexico. Photo 2 is an example. 

 

I had a rest stop and again listened to my feet and did inverted posture. I thought you might like to see my gaiters that have butterflies on them.  

 

After I passed over the summit for today (about 6500 ft) I had expansive views north. As I looked toward the desert I found it really exciting to think about how new and different that will be for me. So far everything has been over 4000 ft. Photo 3 shows that glimpse of desert and photo 4 shows some colorful rock formations that moved me so much I gasped aloud when I saw them. 

 

 

There is so much more I want to tell you. How I love the mauve and orange-gold colored rocks that are the main color of much of the trail, how they make me think of the colors of sunset and sunrise so I am walking on the very colors of betwixt and between. How I saw no hikers all day but did see two open vehicles with grim looking men dressed in camouflage. I feared they were the vigilantes I have heard of that people say confiscate water caches just to be sure the illegal immigrants will not find them.  Who knows what else they do? I tried to rein in my fearful imagination. 

It seems clearer and clearer to me that the passage out of darkness into light is a passage out of anger and fear (and so a letting go if the illusion that I can and should protect myself from all pain) into wonder and curiosity and an open-hearted and open-minded capacity to meet people and the world on their own terms. I was thinking of that all day. Now here I am too tired (and fearful) to write about it!

Part of the gift of the trail is that it is continually both building my confidence and self-respect AND my humility and ability to laugh at myself. 

So here I am. Beside a creek (such a beautiful sound to sleep to) in the midst of a great wind (maybe that could be a beautiful sound to sleep to also, with a little attitude correction. )

Thank you for sticking with me.