Winding Down

I did not sleep well last night. There was condensation inside the tent and I think I was overly tired. I tried writing the post about Whitney, but I stopped because it was pure garbage. Could not organize my thoughts.

But this morning I am ready to hike. We are out of camp by 7am (our official starting time.) Within the first mile, I see two wonderful views of Whitney which I will use to rewrite yesterday’s post. Here is the first one.

The photo shows the rounded Whitney with all its jagged companion peaks on the right

Here is the second one. On the left in the distance you can see the rounded valley you have to enter to get to Whitney. Whitney is just a gray sliver above the blue mountain in the center

There. Now I can quit talking about that mountain and focus on today.

The Plan

It’s a simple hike today. After a short climb out of Crabtree Meadow, we will go across Guyot Pass before descending down to Rock Creek for water and lunch.

At the creek we will load up with water to carry into camp for tonight. We will dry-camp at 10,900 feet. We chose that spot because it sets us up for a 9-mile walk into Horseshoe Meadows for our trail exit.

The Views

I can’t get enough of these mountain meadows. This is Crabtree Meadow in the morning.

Here is another view and one of my favorite photos of the trip

I also like this next photo. That’s Bob down there on the trail looking ahead. It captures perfectly that expectant feeling you have in the first hour of the day. It’s a little dark, but that is appropriate for the moment as well: the day is dark and still slightly unformed. It unfolds as you enter it.

For the record, at our last creek crossing Bob makes it across without falling in, so I guess he wins the medal for “Fewest Embarrassing Water Crossings” this trip. This development feels like a pretty major failure, and I am sure he will continue to bring it up at all possible opportunities.

Tree’s Company

The forests in this section are a showcase for these gnarly and beautiful red-barked trees. These high altitude behemoths thrive in these exclusive stony prairies where nothing else will grow. It’s as if these trees secrete a chemical that prohibits other plants or trees from growing there.

Bob mentions that this is his favorite kind of hiking – through these open forests. But check out the color of that sky – the intensity of that blue!

We walk through miles of these forests.

These forest cover all the mountains in this area.

Reflections

In the afternoon, I don my earbuds and listen to music. It’s something I rarely do, preferring to experience my hike raw and without enhancement. But today I want to amplify my feelings with music. I have several playlists. Today I choose the “Love” playlists. It’s all love songs. I feel love today. Yes, love for the trail, for the outdoors, for my companions, too. But being away from my family and community amplifies the love I feel for them.

Walking by myself for hundreds of hours has given me time to reflect on things. I have figured nothing out. I have reached no great conclusions. I have had no spiritual epiphanies. I have heard a lot of nothing. Literally. Hours and hours of nothing but the wind, my own heartbeat, my own breathing, an occasional animal cry or a bird, the rustle of my pack as I step over a log, the tapping of my poles on the trail, my footsteps on rocks/duff/puddles/twigs. Nothing that matters except what is right here in this moment. The result of all this emptiness is that the trail has entered me. It’s a silent spot in my soul.

Since I started hiking, people have said to me occasionally that I look sad. I am not sad. I am in that quiet space inside myself that the trail helped create. It is not a place of sadness, but one of love. It can be a lonely place, but the loneliness intensifies my feelings for others. And not just my friends, but for my enemies and people I don’t admire. It’s a back door into the commandment that Jesus gave to his disciples “ Love your enemies.” It’s a surprising revelation, here near the end of the my life, that the most precious thing can be no thing.

Why do I tell you this? Because this is what I want to tell everyone who asks me about my hike. But it would be weird if I did. So I just say “Great!” But what I mean is so much more.

Accomplishments

There is a certain satisfaction to completing a long hike. First, it is gratifying to become stronger, especially at an age when I feel like my body is not what it used to be. My aerobic capacity is better. My legs are stronger. I have lost some weight. It’s one of the reasons Bob hikes every year. He says it makes him feel younger. This is not a cosmetic thing. You feel lighter and springier. I like that feeling too

I like the fact that I am getting good at the planning and execution of these long hikes. My equipment and clothing are dialed in. I am eating enough of the right kinds of food. I know how to manage water.

I am stronger mentally. Having a hiking partner helps. But even before Bob joined me, I was managing my mental health better than in previous years. Experience helps one avoid anxiety. Understanding the difference between danger and discomfort also helps.

I enjoyed the physical exertion. Hard climbs and descents are part of the experience. I never felt overwhelmed by the effort, although there were times when I met my limits. And there were days near the end of the hike when I found myself craving the exertion.

I continue to love the PCT, even though I think the caretakers of the trail are not serious. I still get excited about the views.

Finally, I managed to still find time to write posts for my blog. Each year I tell myself that it’s OK to write less or not at all. But I don’t believe I am writing any less than I always did. Even though it is time-consuming, I enjoy writing, especially when I capture the essence of a moment or an encounter. It helps to have an audience. I try to do my best for you.

It’s the last night on the trail. At this altitude we are expecting very cold temperatures.

September 14, 2025