Today was a good, short day. I only had to walk eight trail miles and then two and a half to get to town, meaning I made it to Idyllwild Pizza in time for lunch.
Yesterday and today I was climbing up the San Jacinto mountains. Today we almost reached 9,000 feet! There were fierce winds, beautiful vistas, and a giant cliff on my right all morning.
For most often life, I have been uncomfortable with my big booty. Properly fitting jeans are hard to find, those fashionable pencil skirts are not an option, and don't even get me started on swimsuit bottoms! However, yesterday I realized while my sizable behind can be inconvenient and has often made me self conscious, it is FABULOUS at climbing mountains. Just spectacular.
After I hiked the first eight trail miles, I sat down to take a break and prepare myself for the 2,500 foot, 2.5 mile descent into town. Another hiker, Goddamit, sat down next to me. After a few minutes, he looked over and said, "this may be a strange question, but how long has it been since you last showered?"
I smiled, did the math and replied, "oh, about a week." He went on to tell me that I was the best smelling thru-hiker he'd ever met! Figuring he must say this to all the girls, I laughed and mostly ignored the comment.
Later, I was walking down the trail to town with three other hikers, talking about the 5 levels of BO, when Starbucks, the older man I'd shared a campsite with the night before said, "Carrie, I noticed it last night, you are a good smelling hiker! You must be using something." This is strange because I hadn't taken as much as a bandana bath for 70 miles!
This story is especially funny when juxtaposed with the story a woman had tolde about myself two days earlier:
"Oh yeah! I heard a story about you! Someone was up at Third Gate Cache, when she heard a bush start talking. She walked around to see who it was only to did the dirtiest face you've ever seen poking out of the bush. It was so funny that I had to snap a picture."
To be fair, I did hang out under a bush for about three hours to get out of the sun. And while I know that I was dirty, I would hardly call me the dirtiest thing I've ever seen!!
Idyllwild has been great. Pizza and beer for lunch, fried food and root beer for dinner. I am sharing a hotel room with three other hikers (Goddamit, Thread, and Travis) who mostly just met, bonded together with the glue of a common goal (Cheap beds), a common need (showers), and of course the common desire for pizza and beer :)
I'll head out tomorrow evening, hoping to hit the gnarly climb out of town after it has cooled down a bit.
All my love,
Done-zo Washington
Yesterday and today I was climbing up the San Jacinto mountains. Today we almost reached 9,000 feet! There were fierce winds, beautiful vistas, and a giant cliff on my right all morning.
For most often life, I have been uncomfortable with my big booty. Properly fitting jeans are hard to find, those fashionable pencil skirts are not an option, and don't even get me started on swimsuit bottoms! However, yesterday I realized while my sizable behind can be inconvenient and has often made me self conscious, it is FABULOUS at climbing mountains. Just spectacular.
After I hiked the first eight trail miles, I sat down to take a break and prepare myself for the 2,500 foot, 2.5 mile descent into town. Another hiker, Goddamit, sat down next to me. After a few minutes, he looked over and said, "this may be a strange question, but how long has it been since you last showered?"
I smiled, did the math and replied, "oh, about a week." He went on to tell me that I was the best smelling thru-hiker he'd ever met! Figuring he must say this to all the girls, I laughed and mostly ignored the comment.
Later, I was walking down the trail to town with three other hikers, talking about the 5 levels of BO, when Starbucks, the older man I'd shared a campsite with the night before said, "Carrie, I noticed it last night, you are a good smelling hiker! You must be using something." This is strange because I hadn't taken as much as a bandana bath for 70 miles!
This story is especially funny when juxtaposed with the story a woman had tolde about myself two days earlier:
"Oh yeah! I heard a story about you! Someone was up at Third Gate Cache, when she heard a bush start talking. She walked around to see who it was only to did the dirtiest face you've ever seen poking out of the bush. It was so funny that I had to snap a picture."
To be fair, I did hang out under a bush for about three hours to get out of the sun. And while I know that I was dirty, I would hardly call me the dirtiest thing I've ever seen!!
Idyllwild has been great. Pizza and beer for lunch, fried food and root beer for dinner. I am sharing a hotel room with three other hikers (Goddamit, Thread, and Travis) who mostly just met, bonded together with the glue of a common goal (Cheap beds), a common need (showers), and of course the common desire for pizza and beer :)
I'll head out tomorrow evening, hoping to hit the gnarly climb out of town after it has cooled down a bit.
All my love,
Done-zo Washington
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