Day 7 was preceded by a sleepless night. Despite exertion, my body would not give in to sleep, so writing this I am exhausted. Now on to the good stuff?
Today began with some of the most difficult miles I have ever done. I had roughly 10 miles to meet up with the PCT, but there was not a path, road, route or even inclination towards the best way to cover the distance. I began by walking a straight line, which soon became jagged and I was quickly cliffed out. I retraced steps and tried following a different wash (dry seasonal creek bed) and had the same result. I was moving a mile an hour and fighting thorns and cacti. So I climbed up the nearest ridge and followed it without obstacle. I dropped down to another wash and climbed the next ridge. The process continued countless times, with dangerous lunges across loose rocks and down climbing rock walls all being part of the experience. Then after hours and 10 miles I connected with the PCT.
I walked the trail and crossed Mission Creek. It wouldn’t have been significant, but in 7 days, this was the first natural body of water I had seen. It was amazing after the heart of the Sonoran desert! I climbed into the mountains, where I socialized with hikers Hot Pants and Mark. The afternoon was not without adversity. While hiking in an especially hot area, bees attacked me. I began to run, cussing and swatting as best I could. One stung my butt and another my thigh, but after running a half mile they were gone. At moment, just sitting is uncomfortable.
Miles: 31
Days since shower: 7 (will this change soon? I hope)
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