I wake after almost 10 hours in my sleeping bag. In my mid-30’s, I’ve noticed I need a ton of sleep to recover from the first day of backpacking. It’s 5:30AM and I stretch inside my warm sleeping bag. I twist the knob on my NeoAir sleeping pad and listen as the cozy warmth escapes into the damp, cold morning air.
The stress and worry from yesterday washed away by a good night’s rest, I’m feeling good and ready to hike deeper into the backcountry.
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Mele and I wake up in the van at 5:30 am. It’s chilly and damp and I didn’t sleep well – not normal for me. Usually I sleep great in the van on my comfy little futon mattress. Last night our exodus from the Seattle metro area went as good as one could expect. I caught the 4:30PM ferry from Whidbey Island and met up with Mele, my hiking partner, at 5:30PM in the Safeway parking lot in Everett. We said our goodbyes to Jason, Mele’s husband and my former coworker. She mentions something to him about hiking a glacier, and we scoot off.
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Tuesday, July 31, 2018
There’s nothing like sleeping on a ridge line. I love it. You get the last of the evening light, and the first light of the morning.
As the sun hits me this morning, I’m awoken to a beautiful sight. Compelled by what I’ll see today, and a back as stiff as the stone I slept on, I leap up to attention. It’s time for coffee and breakfast.
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Monday, July 30, 2018
Today, I’m not an early riser. I have no job to do, no commute to fight, no homework or bills to pay.
At home there’s a mailbox. Inside it perhaps are envelopes… pressing business that won’t receive attention for at least two weeks from now. In my backpack is a cellphone with airplane mode switched on. I imagine there are messages funneling in from someone, these beacons I cannot see.
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Sunday, July 29th, 2018
I woke up on the ground. The first of many more, except today I’m in a campground.
Squirrels scatter across the campsites, corkscrewing up the pine trees. They chew pine cones then dismiss them, from the tree tops down to the dry and dusty ground.
The neighbors are getting going, breaking their camp down to fill their car. I assume they have a long drive today, and work tomorrow. I feel fortunate for my time here, and that it’s just begun.
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Saturday, July 28th, 2018
I took a shower and now it’s time to put on my clothes that I will wear for the next 3 weeks. Excitement fills me up.
Oh wait, change of plans. Rachel’s bringing a small bag to leave clothes in our rental car. When we reach the car we can exchange the soiled stinky clothes for clean and fresh. Good idea. It will be nice to have clean clothes awaiting us at the end of our adventure.
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