Melody:

On day 38, we climbed under the dominating mass of Mount Lyell, over Donoghue Pass
and out of Yosemite. What a beautiful stretch we had covered in Yosemite!

On the South side of Donoghue Pass, we saw a baby marmot. I’m pretty sure that baby
marmots are the cutest things in the world. OK, baby wombats are up there too. But
that little thing so pudgy and fuzzy, that I nearly passed out – or was it the
altitude?

Read more

Melody:
I’ve finally realized that my experience out here rests on my attitude. Today, I
decided to tweak my daily expectations and to try to resist the pain of all this
pounding. I guess without realizing it, I had expected less work and more play. Each
day on the PCT presents more challenges that are impossible to predict. I can never
guess what will make us suffer on any given day … the sharp pointy rocks, the
unforgiving heat, the incessant flies? But then, I could never really foresee what
makes each day so incredible either.

Read more

Melody:
Sitting here in the tent, bundled up in down and sil/nylon, the last few days seem a
blur of goodness. A great trip spent with my family back east and three more days
with Sati’s family in the Bay Area are still bringing up memories that make me
giggle out loud. And we’re both still glowing from our send-off at Mardi’s cozy, new
home. Good peeps saw us off and some guy with Goolie’s laugh crashed the party and
no one batted an eye.

Read more