MM 75.5: Met a guy named ‘Camel’ who thru-hiked the Pct in 2018. I had to tone down my excitement from seeing another hiker. It’s sort of nice not seeing people for several days because when you do, you are so grateful. It often feels like I’m on this mission alone and I go through these feats every day so when I see someone it’s a reminder that there is always someone not far away. Someone could be camped 500 feet away from you and you wouldn’t even know it!
Shortly after, I ran into Adam and Buck next to the water cache. God bless backpacker men, they are so gorgeous to me. It’s as though I can’t help but be a huge flirt around them. He did the AT in ‘19 and was not used to hiking in the desert so he got super burnt to the point where his lips were bleeding. 🥺 I offered my lip balm but realized that it didn’t have sun protection.
High winds blew my hat off my head into a pile of cow poop. Each section has its own unique set of challenges. I will say, though, back when I first started hiking I was completely grossed out by horse and cow shit to the point where I would adamantly step over and around it. Today, I had to roll under at least 5 barbed wire fences where it was inevitable for me to roll in cow shit. I’ve come such a long way as a hiker. 💪🏼
The trail teaches you patience more than ever before. You never know what each day will bring you. I woke up thinking it was going to be a calm, sunny day. Sunny yes, but the winds were completely out of control. I kept swaying off the path which took a toll on my shins by the end of the day.
Went to bed convinced I was going to die in the windstorm which eventually turned into a rainstorm. My sleeping bag got super damp as my tent was collapsing on top of me and that’s when I started praying. I started reading Hope Johnson’s wisdom bits and one of the first ones I read was “don’t pray for what you think you want, pray to see it differently.” And then I relaxed.