Sleep was hard to come by last night. I fell asleep okay, but thereafter a toss and turn fest ensued. I'm coming to learn my shoulder really begins to ache by day 3 of sleeping on a spartan pad.
But I spun that restlessness into a good thing by forcing myself out of my cozy sleeping bag and down to the lake shore at 5am to set up a time lapse for Scott the Pot. It's just an iPhone, so of course I'm stuck with iPhone quality work, but it's a fun way to pass the time, and I'll defend my little side project until it ceases to keep me entertained.
I prodded Maddie awake around 6:30am, and despite temps well into the low 30s, we set about breaking camp with numb and throbbing fingers. Putting on socks was a particular strain of nightmare I would be happy not to repeat for a while. The cold slowed us down a bit, but after snapping a few pictures and choking down a few bites of food, we made our way back around the lake to meet the trail.
I haven't really discussed food much beyond the highlights. For the curious gourmets out there, our mainstays are probably disappointing. Yet, they never fail to deliver on palatability. And that's all we can ask for at this point. The unsung heroes of our diet (in no particular order, and belonging to either Maddie, myself, or both of us): Swedish Fish, apple sauce packets for babies (guess whose snack this is), cookies and cream Quest Bars, Exo cricket flour bars, Bobo's coconut oat bars, chocolate chip cookie Lara bars, blueberry fig bars, Justin's nut butter packets, tortillas, The New Primal beef jerky, Krave jerky, and rice crackers. The only question mark in the bunch, really, was the particular variety of tortillas we brought. Branded as "ancient grains" and with more protein than the others, I bought into the healthy marketing, only to bite into what I can only describe as a sour tortilla. I challenge you to pluck a more unappetizing word than "sour" out of the dictionary to describe your ideal tortilla. Yes, Maddie and I agreed. It was sour. BUT...while the tortilla by itself was revolting, paired with either sweet or savory flavor combinations, we were shocked to discover how delicious and successful they were at tying a snack together. Not sure if the manufacturer's intent was to create something so divisive and mysterious, but alas, here we are.
Lake Doris post-sunrise
It was only a short climb to Rockbound Pass, and we kept all of our warm layers on until we were well beyond the pass at Maud Lake. We passed an angry man screaming at his cowering canine companion and Maddie and I hustled past with broken hearts. It was not a pretty sight, and I could hear the machinations working in Maddie's head to somehow lure the pup and rescue it from its seemingly abusive owner.
The entire morning was relatively uneventful. The wind had disappeared from the previous afternoon, and we were left with clear skies and stark, peaceful silence the rest of our descent. I plugged in to a few podcasts here and there, we passed a few day hikers, and it wasn't long before I caught my first glimpse of windshields glinting through the trees.
Once back at the car, we stripped off our dirty clothes and into our swimwear, ready to plunge into the nearest body of water. It was a short drive down the road to Wrights Lake, where we were met with throngs of families populating the shoreline. Kayaks, SUPs, screaming babies, distinctly creepy men, and so many adorable dogs. Maddie was braver than me, opting to submerge her entire body in the icy water for the sake of cleanliness. Not me. I waded in to my knees, and wiped off my shins and feet, opting to bask in my filth for the remainder of our 5 hour slog through Labor Day traffic. She's a keeper, and I know that. Not sure if she could say the same about me at that point.
And now we're home. Home where horns blare and responsibility slaps us across the face the moment we walk through the door. But it's refreshing, this dichotomy. Sometimes it feels like we're living double lives, and in fact, I am incredibly grateful to be living where I am, doing what I do, and still seek out adventure on a moment's notice. And to share that with someone like Maddie is enough to bring me to tears, as it did this weekend.
It's getting to be a bit sappy at the end here, but it's hard not to be so effusive right now. So many memories. The highest of highs and lowest of lows. And every one of them has been with her by my side. My sore thumbs and fatigue-addled brain could never conjure the words to describe the overflowing emotions that have been stirring all weekend. All I know is that I'm happy. And that's all I can ask for.
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