Man Can't Climb Any Higher and Men Never Came Any Tougher
The snags of dead foxtail pines stood between large boulders, the grain of their trunks dramatically spiraling round and round from base to tip. They looked as twisted and contorted as a dish rag wrung dry. All that was left of one snag was a stump, the rest of the tree had long since fallen, leaving what looked like a twisting cyclone of wood rising up from the ground. The trunk shot up like a helix, its spirals of wood ending in thin and jagged fingers, tendrils reaching up
Kennedy Meadows
I had four miles of hiking until I reached Kennedy Meadows. The Promised Land. Gateway to the Sierras. The End of the Desert. The river reflected the bright blue of the morning sky and I realized I would no longer have to worry about the next water source - streams and creeks would now be plentiful. At the same time, I was surprised at how dry my surroundings were. I had always envisioned Kennedy Meadows to be situated in a dense mountain forest, but this was high desert - wi
Bindlestiff
The song Big Rock Candy Mountain looped over and over in my head to the point where it became maddening. I felt as if there should be a word to describe the sheer annoyance of hiking uphill under the weight of a heavy pack while the same song plays endlessly in the echo chamber of your mind. As obnoxious as it became, I found myself relating to those lyrics sung by a nomadic hobo living out in the elements, dreaming of a Shangri-la full of every amenity that his current situa
Mojave
I stopped by the front desk of the motel to purchase a box of laundry detergent and something about my interaction with the man at the counter left a lasting impression. It was for the most part a superficial interaction, but as I matched his earnest, friendly demeanor with kindness and appreciation I felt a strong sense of positivity that I had not felt in quite some time. I knew nothing about him or what he was truly like, but there was a sincerity to him that one rarely fe
Blasted Earth and Blasting Sky
In the morning found myself amidst a beautiful mountain landscape. These were forested mountains, not the barren ridges of my previous nine days on the trail. For the first time it truly felt like the beautiful, idyllic experience one imagines when they imagine a thru-hike. You know there will be difficult, hot and boring sections. Many of them, in fact. But cruising along comfortably, a cool breeze against your face - conifers and mountain peaks all around you - that is what