Mile: 704 to 716
In the morning, we took our time packing and even made coffee. I couldn't agree with Genie more: this is a good life. Getting back to the trail required wading through the river, and I felt in my element barefoot in the cool water. Memories of High Adventure with Girl Scouts and summers at Lemons Landing bobbed in my head. As my work anxiety has subsided, and a few conversations have taken place about our future, much of my thought space is now absorbed by shadowy and surprising memories that arise out of no where.
We only had to hike 12 miles, but I struggled the whole way. It was surprisingly hot and dry; apparently the desert doesn't come to a dead stop at Kennedy meadows. Not to mention, I probably didn't eat enough at Kennedy, and I felt calorie depleted and low on energy. Unfortunately I'm quite tired of most of our food, so while I knew I needed to eat I felt no enthusiasm about that task whatsoever.
Regardless, we made it to the idyllic river by midday. The water was perfectly clear and flowed peacefully under a bridge that connected one side of the PCT to the other. We spent the rest of the day swimming, washing clothes, and laughing with other members of Slow Magic, who arrived throughout the day. Eventually we elected to cowboy camp under the pink sunset.
[Single origin coffee and organic pop tarts- winning; a burned area of the trail starting to regrow; 2000 left... no big deal; big views; our spot on river; fantastic sunset]
