Day 42

(Originally written on Monday, June 15)

Some days you have it and other days you don't. Today I didn't. Some days of hiking seem to flow, and others don't. Today it didn't. It was really just kind of a very unremarkable day, except that I'm not 100% sure, but I think this was the first day I didn't see any other human. (I did see traffic though, but I certainly didn't interact with anyone!)

The day started out windy, as usual for this area. I slept in and started hiking at about 7. For the first several hours I just tackled the only major climb I had for the day--the initial ascent into the Tehachapi Mountains, the southernmost tip of the Sierras. Then I had a very easy trail in front of me--no big ups or downs to speak of. Wind turbines were everywhere. Just when I thought I finally got rid of them, there'd be another ridge in front of me covered with them. They get old real quick. The way they look but especially the way they sound. I felt as if I had hiked through a warehouse or factory all day!

But the crazy thing was that even though the hike wasn't that difficult, I felt like I was laboring for every step. It was quite odd but I think it is because my pack is pretty heavy right now due to all the food I'm carrying. I guess I'll have to eat my way out of this difficult situation.

Despite the lack of energy on my part and the lack of flow on the trail, I still managed to hammer out nearly 24 miles, which was more than I was aiming for. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.