Miles today: 13.3

Trail miles: 289.9

Elevation: 6067

Spinning on the turntable: Yo-Yo Ma: The Essential

This morning we passed a young man around 8:30 as he was breaking down his tent. We waved, he waved back, and we continued down the trail.

I wish I had stopped and spoken with him though. As I walked I pondered what I had seen in him that was so intriguing to me. I decided that what I saw in his face was joy. Pure, unadulterated, joy.

Most (not all) thru hikers seem pretty dang happy to me. We’re out here in the wilderness living out a dream, attempting the downright foolish. We’re attempting something that may reside slightly beyond our reach. I hope that I’m able to project the happiness that I feel on the inside to others during our thru hike attempt. The PCT is hard. I have a daily laundry list of aches and pains, but, it fills me with such amazing happiness at least once each day. I wish that kind of happiness for you today.

This is a typical sight on the trail. A tree laying across the path. We gingerly step, hop, slide, but rarely glide over the trees. I eyeball most trees like this to make a snap judgement if Noelle can get over the tree without assistance. I can’t wait at every tree, there’s too many obstacles most days. Here and there though I do hang out to lend a hand, if it’s needed.

This afternoon we were hiking through an area that was burned out a few years ago. The trees were about four feet tall but the remains of the burnt trees were still standing up straight.

Burnt out sections equal no shade. The outside temperature may only be 70 degrees but it feels far warmer.

I liked the low key tone of the day. It was good for contemplation.