Distance hiked today: 26.3 miles / 42.3 km.
My battery bank died, so I need to have my phone turned off most of the time for it to last the next 2 days. So I look at the map and memorize some points so I know how far I've gone and where the water is. 12 miles to water, then up a mountain and back down is another 12 miles, then another 2 miles to the next water. Usually I check my progress as I go so it feels weird to not know where I am, but I'm going to have to walk there no matter what so it doesn't really matter. It also means no music, and no Dexcom, so finger pricks and silence it is for the next couple of days.
I passed the ¼ mark of the trail - it's like congrats! And also… you're not even a third of the way. 😅
I did more miles today so that I can have a shorter day tomorrow into Kennedy Meadows. I passed through cool rock formations and huge boulders. I walked fast the last 2 miles, rushing to beat the sunset. I quickly scooped some water from a nearby spring, then found a flat spot on an abandoned sandy road to camp.
I cooked dinner in my vestibule, and ate the rest of my sugar free chocolate with a hot tea. I appreciate the small luxuries on trail, celebrating the accomplishment of each day with a piece of chocolate carefully rationed to last until the next town.
Total trail mileage: 683.2 miles / 1099.3 km