Our time in the Sierras has been nothing short of spectacular. It has been challenging and wonderful and exhausting and life changing. I continually have to go back and revisit my "WHY HIKE?" entry, and think through why we are really doing this. It is partly about being uncomfortable, but it is also about finding extreme joy in the simplest of pleasures. Putting down your pack and sitting by a stream feels like spa treatment. Water has never tasted so fresh. Food has never felt so nourishing. Every single simple pleasure in life is amplified on the trail to the point that you can't believe you neglected to worship the water cooler at work that endlessly produced cold, clean water. So, while there is pleasure in knowing and understanding what it is to be uncomfortable, the real fun comes when "comfort" takes on a whole new meaning.
So, that's another reason why we hike... And then there's this:
And now, since I can't give you a real play-by-play of the past 16 days (and because if I did, it would be really boring - lot's of walking), here is the highlights reel:
*TRAIL MAGIC : On Day 1, it dawned on us that we weren't in the High Sierras yet, and water was in short supply. We were THIRSTY. (Not that we can admit that to all the folks who hiked through the desert not seeing water for up to 30 miles at a time). But, along the trail, we encountered what we consider our first bit of trail magic: a spring rigged up to produce fresh water in a long dry section.