So I got out of the bus around 19 and wanted to hike about 6 more miles to a campsite close to a creek. Only problem, the trail was only going steep uphill.

 

But the shoes where good and the backpack incredibly comfy so it didnt take me too long. At 21h, after the sun set, Iarrived at the camp already with my headlamp on becauee it was so dark.

 

I quickly set up my tent and even skipped dinner for a few brownied becauee I was too tiret to cook.

 

 

 

At 6am I was on trail for a 5700 feet uphill stretch over the whole day. Because I wanted to put my new gear to the test I set off at full speed an quickly overtook 2 hikers.

Even at a higher altitude the smoke was omnipresent, so I still got no views 🙁

In addition to that my phone and powerbank are running so low on batterie that I decided to switch off my phone and only use it to check the maps if I really needed too.

 

After a quick second breakfast I took of again for another 3 hour hike before I reached the last watersource until dinner and I decided to have my lunch there under a tree.

The sun was brutal and the smoke made the heat even worse. If I would have layed down after lunch I would have fallen asleep right away. Even though the backpack is super comfortable, my hips have to adapt to the new system… and they didn’t!

 

I stood there for 5 minutes before I left breathing heavily in agony because my hips were killing me. But there was no choice to make, I had to continue hiking.

30 minutes into the trail it got less painfull but still far away from acceptable.

 

 

Quitting has never been an option, but this afternoon was far from beeing just bad. The smoke was so dense I couldn’t even see more than 50 meters.

 

I wanted to do the afternoon hike in one go, but had to sit down a few times to treat my tortured body with brownies.

No one said it would be easy!

I didn’t thought it would get easy!

And it shouldn’t be!

One does not simply walk from Mexico to Canada.

Walking between 50 an 60km a day through ski resorts with a 15-20kg backpack is as hard as you’d imagine…

After 55km I set up my tent and fell asleep while eating…

 

 

 

 

I got up at 5h30 and I wasn’t fully awake when I noticed that something looked wierd!

 

 

I screamed out loud swearing at those god damn motherfucking chipmunks who chewed through my tent and right into the loaf of bread! Literally every single of the 15 slices has at least been tasted…

 

Took me an hour longer to get myself going.

 

At least the first miles were flat and the smoke got less dense the view was a few hundred meters, as far as it hasn’t been since I got back on trail a week ago.

 

Right now the pancake challenge is what keeps me going, I want to get to Seiad Valley on monday morning, which means 35 mile days plus 12 on monday.

 

I passed the 2 hikers from yesterday again, Diggy and Bandit an walked with them until we had lunch at 14h after 20miles.

 

After lunch I took off alone again.

 

After some downhill to lunch the trail was going back up again.

 

I was an 90 minutes into the hike an so focussed on the trail as suddenly

*let’s treckking poles fall to the ground*

*puts backpack next to them*

*puts his fit ass on the ground too*

*grabs the brownies meant to be for tomorrow*

*puts on favorit song on phone*

 

Finally after all the pain from the past days and after all the smoke, this is still why I’m out here, this is what makes happy.

 

This is what makes me feel alive 🙂

 

A well deserved rest has been made and I might have to admit that one tiny, itsy bitsy little tear dared to show up. Because right now this is Heaven, Nirvana or Valhalla even without 72 virgins.

That my shinsplints got back an all the rest still hurts is not that bad anymore because I finally have the views back <3

I ate dinner an hour away from camp to avoid falling asleep while eating it again and reached camp at 20h30.

 

 

 

 

 

I was about to pack my stuff together as an old lady started to yell that I had already ruined her evening an would ruin her morning now to. What would I dare to camp right on her… this went on for 10 minutes of screaming and went then over to mumbling.

 

 

I thought it could maybe have been for someone else because I didn’t camp close at all to her tent.

 

But as I was about to get of at 6h30 she started again… how disrespectfull I am, if I didn’t read the guidelines, this would be her private space… because I camped about 10 feet away from her on a designated tentsite, I just answered that this place was ment for two tents and thag there have been two tents, if she is not comfortable with someone camping next to her she then might opt for a four seasons hotel instead of beeing outside in the wilderness.

She continued screaming until I was as far away that I couldnt hear her anymore. I would have loved to stay for an argument, but

 

1. I have to do 30+ miles today and

2. Its ‘Murica, she might shoot me 😉

 

Diggy and Bandit arrived an hour after me and had already left when I got up, so I had someone to catch up too!

 

Not a pleasent hunting season… an hour later I saw them while getting water. A quick hi and of I went.

 

The views were nice when I finally left the forest, but my shin was already making me worry. I tried walking faster, slower, with various stepsizes, even the breakfast pause did not help and so I decided to just ignore the pain.

 

I had lunch next to a smal creek but my good intentions to leave early again got interupted by Mammoth with whom I ended up talking for half an hour before we decided to leave at 15h.

 

As I was climbing up the mountain I saw that another forest fire had formed where I was hiking a week ago. As soon as I get service I gonna check the news on that one!

 

 

The pain in my shin was getting worse and worse but as I was reaching a road I saw two cars with a few people around them and screamed “AAHHHHHYYEEESSSS” maybe too loud… but there was trailmagic!

 

I almost ran down the hill as fast as my injured shin would let me… only to arrive too late… they were gone when I arrived…

 

After a short moment of grief I had to continue, my shin was not getting better and I still had 5 miles to hile before I would reach the campspot where I wanted to stay.

 

Halfway up the first hill I had to take a break and eat my last brownie to regain motivation to continue to arrive before the sun would set.

 

And so did I at 20h, only moment before the campsite was covered in shade I was able to set up my tent. I cooked and ate while sitting upright to avoid falling asleep 🙂

 

At 21h I finished cleaning up and climbed into my quilt to sleep.

 

 

Lifelesson learned: not everytime you hear a branch braking there is an animal around you!

 

As I slept in a burned forest, still years later the burned branches fall down from alone making the same noise as if something would have stepped on them.

I set of at 6h20 and because the wind turned I was again covered by smoke… not as bad as the past week, but still enough to ruin half of the view.

 

 

My shin did hurt from the first mile on, but I had no choice but to continue.

 

An a pain scala uphill was a 5 from 0 to 10, flat was a 4 but downhill was 7-8. Unfortunatly the biggest part of the day would bee downhill.

 

I had second breakfast on a pass like I had a lot in the sierras, but with the smoke there was no view to enjoy.

 

Most of the day the trail went around the ridge of the mountains which let to the trail beeing covered with small stones. Which my altras didn’t like, they start to fall apart. After only 4 days on trail, I start to think about replacing them. Money not well spent…

 

I tried to ignore the pain, but walking with music only made it slightly better.

I never had a more uncomfortable lunchbreak then today! But I had to stop because I was getting to hungry and this was the best place for miles and I didn’t want to gamble on going further. Should have taken a picture!

 

After lunch it got better with the pain and I was able to grind on the miles 🙂

 

To the point where I reached the summit. From there on 22,7 miles of downhill to Seiad Valley.

 

It could have been a lot worse, but it wasn’t good at all. I had to stop once because the pain got too bad but after 5 minuted I could continue and then it was ok. I felt it was not good but it didn’t hurt which is nice after all the pain from the last days.

 

The second pause was to eat my last slice of bread with the rest of the honey. At least I tried, there was honey everywhere and soso so much on that poor slide. I had nowhere to hold it anymore 🙂

 

Honeytreatment for my beard had to be good! But I still have some left.

I reached the tentside just before 8 an thought about going one site further. But it wad 2.2 miles and only for 1 tent, so if there would have been someone, I would have had to continue for another 3 miles. The risk was too high, so I stayed where I was after another 55km.

 

Tomorrow 24km to the pancakes! I hope to arrive before 10, but that’ll get hard.

 

 

I got up at 5h30and left the tentsite at 6h05. 4 more hikers had arrived after I fell asleep yesterday.

 

My shin was already hurting while putting on my clothes so I wont tell you how bad its right now. I pushed and the miles were flying.

 

After going to fast through a bush where I couldn’t see anything behind I twisted my ankle very badly and had to take it slower for almost 15 minutes. I am avery lucky person with twisted ankles because usually they hurt for less then a minute, but this time it was different.

 

 

After 2 hours I reached the paved road which made my shin worse again but I could pack my poles away an focus on walking faster.

 

 

But there were blueberries all around the street and I had to stop more than once to grad a few.

 

At 9h15 I reached Seiad Valley after 24km.

 

I bought a beer and went to take a shower. Note to myself: 750ml of beer do not mix well with an empty stomach 😉

 

After that I had breakfast and lunch at once, I decided to not do the challenge because I saw how it looks like. 5 pancakes, 5 pounds of pancake, thats 2,5kg!!! Another hiker ate one and gave up.

 

After finishing my milkshake I did my resupply and sat down in a room with aircon next door to charge my stuff an chill for a few hours. Its 16h30 now and I gonna make myself ready to hike out a few more miles 🙂