Oh what wonders a good night of sleep can work for you. Got up decently early and made good progress, 22.5 today. Legs felt pretty good despite some lingering issues from a heel blister and adjusted stride as a result. It was also the first day I started to really fantasize about food.
For some reason, in the heat of midday going uphill with a couple miles until a desperately needed water source (more on that in a minute) I was vividly remembering my Aunt Madeline’s red velvet cupcakes. While they are a truly transcendent treat, I probably haven’t thought about them in almost ten years. And today, out of nowhere, boom. I could practically taste the icing on my tongue. I made due with a cold soaked brick of top ramen and a couple slices of jerky.
So about that water source…. I decided to skip the one that was off trail. I had planned on going there but packed more water than I needed to get there. I also hiked my first 7 miles to the turnoff in the cool morning, so I didn’t drink as much as usual before getting there. I figured with almost two full liters, 9 more miles were doable and I would save myself a one mile, 600 vertical feet change trip each way to this water source.
Now, was that a bad choice? I think the real bad choice was giving myself the middling amount of water – I should have planned on the long carry in the first place and just taken an extra liter the night before. But I didn’t 💁♂️
If the hiking had stayed about the same as the first seven miles, it wouldn’t have been as bad. But almost as soon as I moved past the turnoff to that spring, I started going uphill in direct sunlight and pouring sweat. It wasn’t the toughest nine miles I’ve done on the trail, but they were certainly made more difficult by my constantly pressing thoughts of water. Tough to focus on the hiking when with every breath you’re thinking about how much moisture you’re losing to the air (thanking my love of Dune for that particular worry).
Rest assured, by the time I made it to the on-trail spring I promptly drank a liter and a half, then hung out in the shade for two and a half hours. Once I had sufficiently recovered, the last 6 miles were a piece of cake. Looking forward to another long carry tomorrow of 15 miles – going to be sure I carry enough water and probably an extra liter besides.
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