Sleep. Don't take it for granted

Day 59

We woke up to snow. Enough said about that. Yes, the first official day of summer was about a week ago, but apparently the Sierras couldn't give two hoots. So we woke up to snow, dark clouds, and again, wind.

Luckily, about an hour after we started down trail, it began to clear up. Since we lost a lot of elevation, the trail was exposed again, and we were happily walking on a trail. Before we reached the PCT, we ran into a group of rangers doing some trail maintenance. They said they got helicoptered in a few days ago because the snow was too crazy too bring in all their supplies. Wish we had gotten that chance.

After about 2,500 feet of descent, we finally got back to our home -- the good ol PCT. Too bad it didn't welcome up warmly. Up ahead was about 3200 feet of incline over the next 7 miles. Not too strenuous, but constant and covered in snow. Luckily there was a group ahead of us that made some nice tracks for us so we didn't get lost too much. Still slow going though.

Due to the heavy winds racing past our tent all night, I got maybe an hour or two of consecutive sleep. I woke up this morning feeling the exact same way I did as I went to bed... tired. So the first part of the day was smooth sailing, but as soon as that uphill kicked in, it sucked every remaining ounce of strength I had left.

It's odd to think that only yesterday we were waking up in a bed, in a town that was 95 degrees, and now we sit on top of Mt. Muir resting up in a stone hut while it -- again -- snows. It was a nice time in Bishop, and I think that's what's made it more difficult to get back on the trail. That mixed with the tough weather and terrain have made it not the most pleasant of come backs. However, that being said, after hiking for 12 miles in the most remote part of the Sierras, with untouched beauty makes it more bearable. I'm sure in a day or two the 'hiker mentality' will set back in for me at least.

As I'm writing this, white-out conditions are starting to engulf the hut in which we have decided to camp. We are happy we didn't try to trek on, as we surely would have gotten lots in the white.

-- Ian