Timeline

I was concerned about getting through the night with so little water, but it turned out to be fine. I only have 3 miles to the next water source. I'm able to eat, so it won't be so bad.

It is colder than expected, though. I'm in a canyon sinkhole, so there's a layer of frost over everything.

The next morning, after a shower, I put on the robe I've been given, and prance around the house eating cereal. Sandy and I get along so well that it feels like I'm just a friend visiting.

I assume she feels the same way.

I'm up before first light. It's going to be a long day, and I need to make use of every bit of daylight. I filled up on water the night before in order to save time, and well before sunrise, I'm climbing.

Today I climb Mica mountain.

I hear no horses, or anything but a slow moving creek.

It's time to get up, and it’s much easier these days because it's in the mid 30s; a relative toaster oven to what I was sleeping through a month ago.

Ok, today is going to be downhill. I think. Yesterday, I was pretty sure it was going to be flat, and I was wrong. I tend to misjudge elevation profiles, often to the detriment of my intended schedules.

So.

Eventually I slept. At 5:30AM, the cleaning staff walks in and says it's time for me to go. Earlier than expected, but I pack up, and head to the post office lobby. The attendant told me yesterday that there's a slim chance my resupply package would show up today, but she couldn't be sure, because they don't know where the package currently is.

In about an hour, the post office will open.

After eating at the restaurant, I head over to the general store. Since my food never arrived, I'll have to default to the standard hiker diet. It's awful, but I have no other choice at the moment.

Lots of Knorrs rice packets, Idahoan potatoes. Nuts. Chocolate. And of course, a pound of cheese, tortillas, and jerky.

I'm up before first light; I want to make sure I get up the mountain today, regardless of what terrain I run into. The owner of the ranch let me use one of their cabin's bathrooms with a working sink. When I walk in the cabin, I see this really nice bed. There's a dissonance between being out here, desiring to sleep in a tent on the ground, and opting for a bed when it's available. If you sleep in a bed all the time, though, what's the point?

I didn't sleep much last night, p

My next stop is up another mountain. I'd like to make it up there today, if possible. The reality, however, is that I don't know the terrain well enough to know whether I can make it, so I'm not in too much of a rush. I'm walking shortly after sunrise, weighed down by 2 Chipotle burritos.

There are some inclines, but they're reasonable. For the most part, it's rolling hills of rich blue skies and yellow wheat grass.

I woke up before first light today. I have a certain place to be today, preferably before sunset, so I want to be walking before sunrise. It's going to be a full day, though, so I need to make sure I eat a good breakfast to set it off right.

I normally cook oats, but I'm going to try cold soaking them today to save some time. By the time I start walking, 20 minutes have passed, and the oats are ready to go, so I can casually eat them and the mixed-in hemp hearts with a spoon