Is an expensive town, so once again I’m rushing away quickly. Unfortunately town food doesn’t seem to agree well with my body anymore, so maybe it’s for the best that I’m only here for the day and already on a bus ready to get back to trail. I’ll try and get to a library in Bridgeport to update you more on my adventures!

Written on June 12, when I was at my worst.

My body doesn’t do elevation well. I’m not quite sure what the highest elevation I’ve been at before this trip was, but I think it’s safe to assume it’s far lower than 10,000 feet because it’s never affected me this badly. I can’t eat; I know I should force myself to, but I’m sure I’d just vomit it right up if I tried.

I miss the desert. Sure, the Sierras are beautiful, sure it’s nice to have rivers and streams at regular intervals so I don’t have to carry water for 20+ miles. Sure it’s nice to not be dealing with the dangerous heat of the desert floor. But the thing is, those are all things I can deal with. The elevation? I feel so helpless. As I type this up on my phone it’s 8:30 am, far later than I’d usually be hiking. I’m still laying on my deflated sleeping pad because this position is the one and only way I feel somewhat ok. Getting up long enough to put my quilt in the sun to dry made my head spin, same with peeing. I took some ibuprofen for my head, and I forced down a granola bar. I need to get hiking because I do need more water eventually. Also I’d like to get to Crabtree before my friends get back down from Whitney because I don’t want them to worry about me (any more than they probably are worrying after seeing how I was yesterday and knowing I didn’t make it to Crabtree last night).

I’ve acclimated since the 12th, though I’ve still had trouble on a few mountain passes. The highest elevation I’ve now been at is 13,200 feet – Forester Pass on the PCT. And I did that on June 13. I have medicine for elevation sickness now in case I have more troubles, and I’ve had to use it, and I’ve been going much slower than I did in the desert, but I’m now enjoying the Sierras quite a lot.

www.patreon.com/posts/19475385

no time gotta run! Tell you more soon!

I’ve decided to hike through the Sierras with Enterprise, Paint-peeler, 4-Mil, and Two-Shakes. I met these guys and Bandylegs, the girl they were traveling with, back around mile 144 at a water cache I’d happened to camp at. They then bought me a birthday milkshake and I proceeded to camp with them for 3 of the following 4 evenings.

I know people a week up and down the trail in each direction, and I’ve had the option to join several different trail families, but I’ve settled on traveling with these guys. I was wanting to hike the Sierras with Aardvark (who is called Grace in the normal world, she’s the one I started Trail with back on April 15), but I heard she went down to a doctor in Bakersfield, so I was afraid she’d not get here in time. I came back to the General Store to plan out logistics with the trail family I’ve now chosen to hike with, but then found out she apparently had just gone over to Grumpy Bear’s to find me. I’m hoping she’s planning to hike out tomorrow because then I’ll for sure see her, and can potentially still hike with her. In the meantime, I’m also hiking with some really rad people who I was lucky enough to meet 550ish miles ago.