Day 95

(Originally written Friday, August 7)

My bed felt so good this morning that it was harder than usual to get up. It seems to be more difficult each passing day. By the time I actually got on the trail it was 9 am. I couldn't believe it.

The trail wasn't that exciting or unique today. The terrain reminded me a lot of Southern California, actually. Lots of gullies and small canyons with the trail snaking through each one of them--slowly gaining or losing elevation in the process. There were two significant climbs today--the first about 1000' over a few miles and the second was 2000' over 7.5 miles. Both of them were actually kind of nice, believe it or not. The day was going very well right up until the very end. I knew the trail was going to have a long, drawn-out switchback, but this one was the Mother of all Switchbacks. If it were a movie, it would be a horror flick called Switchback: The Trail that didn't Switch. It felt like I was back on Fuller Ridge (my least favorite section of the trail) in SoCal. That part of the trail had neverending switchbacks that were both worthless and a pain. This one came close to matching it. Still, it was a good hike today despite my impatience.

Tomorrow I only have five miles to Interstate 5. It's weird to think I could head north and be at my parents' house 5-6 hours. But no, I'll be taking a longer, slower, and more indirect route.