Miles today: 27
Trail miles sum: 1997.8
SOBO Trail location: 1302.8
Elevation: 5651
Spinning on the turntable: U2: The Joshua Tree

It’s so good to be back on the trail! The air is crisp and clear. When we bumped north from Kennedy Meadows to Old Station in June I recall how great it was to hike on a very flat trail. Today was similar. What a great location to start hiking again. The (relatively) flat terrain, pine tree needle covered trail combined with great weather made this a near perfect day of hiking.

It so great to hike when it’s not raining! I can’t even count how many times today I said “I am grateful that it’s not raining”.

I happily hiked today. How lucky am I? After weeks of stress it was a joy to be back, comforted by the awesomeness of nature.

It’s great to see new mountains, but the amount of snow is a bit disconcerting. Seems like there was no snow on the mount in July.

This is why I hike. It’s so peaceful. I’m so glad that we came down to California to continue our hike rather than call it a day in Washington!

It’s crazy good to be hiking out here going into my third consecutive season. It’s fall but winter isn’t too far away.

Snow is on and near the trail. I’m keenly aware of the ice puddles in the middle of the trail. I’m navigating carefully to keep my feet dry.

Noelle hiked out to join me this afternoon and we hiked back to the van together.

Today I was nervous that the time off trail had stolen my trail legs. I’m happy to report that my legs feel good. I may just be able to pull this off!