Day 121: Thank You Water Caches!

October 26th, 2024

Mile Marker: 2892.2

Miles Hiked: 26

I woke up around 6:20 and could feel myself wanting to sleep longer but knew it was better to get up. I felt so tired this morning.

We took our time getting things ready and sipping on coffee and got out a little before 8 AM.

I was loving the warmer morning temperatures, even though I was tired it made it easier to get out of my tent.

The sun was shining bright nice and early. We had about 6 miles to get to our next water source. I would hike through cold patches in the shade and then warm patches in the sun. It was a beautiful sunrise.

The miles went by quick as I thought about it being our last Saturday on trail. Going forward, it’s going to be a lot of lasts on this thru hike.

Some moments I’m sad about it and other moments I’m ready to be done and moving onto my next chapter, whatever that is.

We arrived at the water source and decided that we had enough to get us to the water cache in another 5 miles. It wasn’t the best looking water and if we didn’t need to use it, we wouldn’t.

I pulled half a liter just in case the cache didn’t work out and headed out after a short break.

We had our last bigger climb of the trail and I made an effort to push up it. If it was the last big climb, why not go for it a little.

The leaves are falling and turning colors, it felt like a beautiful fall morning as I crunched on the leaves as I walked. I was loving it. Fall is such a beautiful season!

The trail then took us out on some ridges with views of the mountains in the distance and the ever growing desert and few trees. It was where we were headed and I was ready for it.

I then made it down to a trailhead where the water cache was said to be and was thrilled to see gallons of water, plenty for all three of us. I was so thankful for this and the trail angel who fills these up. This is a huge help!!

We took our lunch break and after a while I decided to head out on my own before the others were ready. Parts of me were antsy, my body felt good and I wanted to keep moving. I also wanted to get to camp before dark, something I really enjoy.

I found myself hiking alone for majority of the day and felt confident doing as such.

I plugged in some podcast and hiked away in the heat of the day. It’s wild how much better my body handles heat than cold.

It was easy going with small ups and down and I felt like I was moving well. I took a short shoulder blade break and then continued on, moving at my own pace.

I thought about cell phone usage today. I realized that when I arrived in a city I would feel overwhelmed by the notifications coming through. I thought about enjoying having my phone on airplane mode except to text Journey, family, and friends.

I thought about how I feel when I actually get on social media. How addicting it is for me and how it actually doesn’t make me feel better. It’s a way for me to numb/distract myself but it never makes me feel rested, it never makes me feel…happier. If anything I get caught up in comparison or frustrated at something someone said or the rudeness in the comments. I thought about the time wasted scrolling when I could be doing things that are actually beneficial to me.

I realized that it’s time to try something different and I started thinking about life off of social media. I figure I will give it a try once I’m back in the real world.

I made it to the next water cache around 3:45. This one we were very uncertain about and were once again pleasantly surprised to see so many full bottles.

I had carried enough water from the previous cache just in case this cache wasn’t here. But was still happy it worked out.

I topped off some more water and after a long break headed out by myself again. I found myself losing patience and just wanting to move.

We only had about 6 more miles to get to our camp for the day and I was on track to get in around 6:30, perfect!

I hiked along and before I knew it, I was facing an incredibly beautiful sunset. I kept taking picture after picture it was just so stunning.

I made it to our camp destination around 6:35 and heard an ATV coming around the corner. The thought to get out of view came into my mind but I reacted a little too slow to it.

The ATV was full with 4 men and they all stared at me like I was a zoo animal. They asked if I was okay and I said “Yep, I’m good” and they slowly inched forward and then I heard a man say to me “Hey, you are really brave” with a strange expression on his face. I tell him thank you and the ATV slowly drove away.

I hated that I felt worried or needed to. I’m sure if I was with the others as a group, they would seem fine but as a solo woman, it was hard not to feel a little concerned.

I walked further down the sandy road, put my mace in my pocket, and tried to find flat ground to camp on. I didn’t want to fully set up camp yet in case the men did come back. Thankfully Aster and Whatever were close behind.

I finished setting up my tent and making a flat spot for the other two and once they arrived I felt at ease. We made dinner, laughed at each others’ toots, and slowly let the crickets chirping make us sleepy.

I’m surprisingly exhausted and can feel my eyelids getting heavy while I try to finish writing this.

Night Night.

Iz and Oz