Feeling Blessed

9:41 AM

Chips—woke up in the middle of the night and was wide awake 😯.

Luckily I still managed to get a few hours of sleep, because I have to continue climbing. It’s muggy and there are some clouds, so I take it easy.

When I get tired, I put my backpack down and lie on my pad. A family of deer comes to visit; they get very close and are extremely curious. I’d already read that you shouldn’t take your eyes off them, because they’ll grab anything that smells even a little bit salty 🤣.

10:28 AM

11:05 AM

Not at the top yet, but this is the last water source on this side of the mountain. Not a proper spring, but better than nothing.

The views are getting beautiful again, and I finally feel like walking on. It was nearly two days of slogging uphill before there was anything to see. The whole way I had to push through brush or walk through gloomy trees.

12:11 PM

12:12 PM

1:12 PM

Someone actually built stairs here! 🤣🙏

1:17 PM

1:48 PM

Lunch—just in time I find a bit of shade on the pass.

Crickets are clattering their wings in the air. They try to alternate with each other and end up not flying very well. They bounce all over the place and make a lot of noise.

2:00 PM

And the steps just keep coming; I have to go higher and higher.

The views are becoming sublime, and thankfully the weather isn’t as hot as the past few days. It’s still 28 degrees, but that’s better than 38.

2:08 PM

The first pass is finally behind me. There’s a nice campsite here, but it’s still too early to stop.

2:46 PM

I have to keep climbing along narrow paths carved into the mountainside, toward the next pass.

I meet oncoming traffic: four large groups of heavily loaded horses. They’re a bit skittish and make a wide arc around me. The last horse is the most nervous and tries to overtake. I hear the lead rider shout that it’s not allowed, and the horse stops immediately.

The final group of horses is led by a small girl with her father—she’s probably about five years old. She sits upright on her horse, with another ten horses following behind her. She’s got that well under control.

4:37 PM

6:02 PM

Hehe, that was the highest point reached.

Now it’s time to descend a bit and turn toward a water source. I need to keep up the pace, because these days it’s already getting dark around 8:00 PM. I don’t feel like walking in the dark—especially not if I still have to filter water.