Today I walked 12.6 miles with a 30 pound pack mostly over deadfall, rocks, and unbroken snowfields. I gained 2500 feet of elevation and then turned around and lost 2500 feet of elevation. If I cut my lunch break and my water breaks, it took me four hours.
This is probably the fastest I’ve ever hiked and also one of the most painful hikes of my life. (I should back up the bus and say that this weekend, Matthew and I planned a backpacking trip for our sixth anniversary. We drove up Friday night, slept at the trailhead in the back of the car with the dog, and woke up ready for our trip. Somewhere between the car and the halfway point, we decided to hike the whole trip in one day.)
The first three miles felt good and the next nine hurt. It felt like there was sandpaper between my kneecaps and my knee joints. Matthew was so kind and encouraging and it really reminded me of why we go to the mountains for our anniversaries. With help from Thew and our sweet pupper, I just kept going.
We got to the halfway point, a saddle somewhere in the middle of the sawatch range, and I felt this joy in my heart that bubbled up to my mouth. We were the only ones in a ten mile radius and I let loose this deep laugh that rang between mountains and I could feel my heart soften and relax and everything was okay.
I don’t know if I have ten years or seventy years of trail breaking and racing myself left, but holy heck if I’m not here for it. I’m content to chase that relentless happiness which only follows the pursuit of wildness.
Hiking with Kate 