The Wonderland Journal

Miles hiked: 17.7 Mile Marker: 1091.9 Today is the day!  I get to see my brother.  I remember sitting at a high table in Idyllwild with Dad, Rafiki, and Thomas, looking at the trees and feeling how the smell and look reminded me of Tahoe.  ‘I’ll be at Sam’s soon!’…

Miles hiked: 24.1 Mile marker: 1074.2 “My tent!” Luxy tells me as I huddle on a rock and stuff my face with an ultra-processed bear claw (which are filled with almond paste, if you didn’t know.) “My tent fell on me last night!” she continues. “A big gust of wind…

Miles hiked: 23 Mile marker: 1050.1 A groan escapes me as my alarm goes off.  I’m tired.  Maybe it will go away.  But as I throw my pack on, and we begin to push uphill, it doesn’t go away.  A pile of black rocks is to my right. It’s a…

Miles hiked: 8.9 Mile marker: 1027 I’m not sure you can fit five beds in this room, but someone made it work. I feel like I’m in a dormitory of children’s home as I look around and see all of my group curled up on their beds.  While the night…

Miles hiked: 8.3 Mile marker: 1018.1 My eyes flutter open. The cold hits me, but the mountains are before me. I look to my left and an orange sunrise is cast over the sky.  I feel like I’ve been dropped into a book, lying before a beautiful mountain scene. This…

Miles hiked: 21.7 Mile marker: 1009.8 It’s the Fourth of July today! The tall skinny trees on hill is reflected on the water as be begin to walk. The sky is a cool morning blue.  It soon grows bright. The crickets still sing and birds chirp as I stare out…

Miles hiked: 22.9 Mile marker: 988 “Where’s my toothbrush?” Rafiki wanders around. “I put it right here.” He points to a rock. “Tails, did you steal my toothbrush?” “No,” I say as I pack my bag.  “Something stole my toothbrush! Well. I guess the marmot with the whitest teeth is…

Miles hiked: 21.3 Mile marker: 965.1 It’s still morning when we reach a giant slab of rock where we can see mountains behind large chunks of trees. We’re all still wearing our fleeces — except Luxy — as we gaze at the iceberg of rock we stand on.  This giant…

Luxy and Voyager walk ahead to get a hit hitch, and Rafiki and I are right behind them. We stand outside for two hours trying to grab a hitch. It’s cold and I’ve put on all my rain gear.  We heard it was an easy hitch from here to Yosemite!…

Miles hiked: 12.9 Mile Marker: 944.3 It’s absolutely freezing this morning. Luxy again holds up her frozen underwear. We pull ice sheets off of our tents. It’s a gray morning and my hands sting with the cold of the ice. My tent is frozen. A sheet of ice is on…

Miles hiked: 19.3 Mile marker: 927.2 We grab breakfast at the restaurant again. This time I get a coffee, burrito, and French toast. Delicious. I’m packing out half of my food. We spend an hour looking at photos and showing them with one another.  The time comes too soon to…

Miles hiked: 3.7 Mile marker: 907.8 My hands are absolutely freezing. I’m rushing to get ready — I pressed the snooze a time or two — and now I’m in a frenzy trying to be ready at 6:15.  Fortunately the girls are running late too.  I wear my new gloves…