Hike Distance: 10.4 miles Yearly Hike Distance: 938.0 miles
Elevation Gain: 1246 feet Yearly Elevation Gain: 122092 feet
A much cooler day than expected but it was refreshing, and a jacket wasn’t needed. I thought the clouds would burn off but they never did, and that just added to the mood. I was just thankful to not have rain.
I’ve hiked this area many times before and really just wanted the solitude. I was fortunate to not see a single person the entire day. I was very quiet while walking and hoped to see some wildlife but that didn’t happen.
The flowers were beautiful and I spent some time trying to photograph them. The Irises were already past peak so I didn’t spend much time on them. However, the Foxglove and Daisies were in profusion. There were also many other flowers, which I didn’t know the name of, but took pictures.
On my way back to the car I noticed that my back wasn’t hurting at all! My SI joint, in the lower back, is usually painful at this point but I had NO pain whatsoever. I have no idea what I did or didn’t do that resulted in this. I did have a procedure yesterday, that I required anesthesia for, but I’m not sure how that would have helped. No pain killers were taken in the past 24 hours, so that’s not it. All I can say is that it made the quality of the hike so much better and I hope this experience continues, especially while I’m on the PCT!
