Mile: 716 to 741
"Everyone's packs are a perfect expression of their inner selves." - Spearhead
Clint woke us promptly at 5, and the sky was pink again - this time with sunrise. Our sleeping bags were stiff with ice. We shivered as we stuffed everything back into our packs (take the stuff out of the bag, put the stuff in the bag). This would be a long day; we were aiming to do 20 miles that included 5,000 feet of climbing.
As we hiked we realized that everything had changed. Scraggly brown sand mountains had given way to stony cliff faces and snow capped peaks. Even the climbing was different: much more pleasant in the cool atmosphere and delightful due to the wild grouse, marmots, and birds scampering about. Adios lizards and snizzles.
We passed a few patches of snow and beat the mosquitoes off our legs all day. Around 3:30pm we arrived at a small stream to find a note from Dayhike, Jetpack, and Genie from two hours prior letting us know that they were pushing on an additional five miles, meaning we would need to push on ten miles with 2,000 feet of climbing to catch up. We decided to give it a shot and see how we were feeling.
So we hiked into the night, spending the last five miles creating a Slow Magic rap. Upon arrival at the campsite in the dark we called out: "Slow Magiiiiiiiiic; 25 miles in a day/ ain't no problem cuz we're Boom and Fey/ We sure don't slay like our friend Hardwayyyyy/ but Boom and Fey are here to stay!" And yes, there are about five more verses after that. :)
[Morning view from the bridge; the mood in the morning; fantastic views of the mountains to come; more and more beautiful; all smiles in the afternoon]
That Sunset!
