The Wonderland Journal

Miles hiked: 14

Mile marker: 815

I do not want to wake up. My air mattress is still inflated — thanks to Rafiki and Voyager (Savannah). My sleeping quilt is magic. So roomy to move around! I am so glad I upsized! Ultralight may be the way for some people, but not me. My big tent and big sleeping bag are luxuries I want to carry. 

I’m pretty sure I’m getting better at packing. At least I’m getting better at managing this bear can. It also may have something to do with my new gossamer gear 1/8 inch foam pad. 

We’re ready to go on the dot a 6:00. Oh, man, how I wish I’d gotten more sleep. 

We reach suspension bridge, which is a suspension bridge that wobbles when you walk on it. It’s held up by cables, and Bumper goes first with his phone out — he’s a vlogger. 

I follow him. The bridge is wobbling madly. I put my phone away and hang tight to my trekking poles. When I look back, Dad is calmly beckoning me off the bridge. I back up to the wooden platform and feel like I have sea legs. Dad points to a sign that reads:

ONE PERSON AT A TIME ON BRIDGE

Whoops. I should really read signs more often. 

My turn! I first walk over the river with one foot directly in front of the other. It’s a thin walkway that wobbles to a fro as soon as I relax my gait. I hold onto the railing as I walk, making sure to check on my trekking poles every so often. 

I always put my trekking poles between mg waist and pack strap when I walk. It looks like I sheath a sword when I do this. 

We aren’t walking for half an hour when Dad is paused at a river. 

This isn’t just any river. 

This is the ultimate water slide. 

It’s flat rock and the water is coming from the top and crashing down the rock. It follows certain groove lines and just bleeds to the sides from the extra water. 

There are big crevices in the rock slide that the water bounces off of. I would hate to hit that part on a tube! If I did, I’d go flying forward!

We continue on and reach a river. I step and balance across the rocks to get to the other side. 

The terrain turns green and I walk past the others who are collecting water. 

“Give me your trekking poles!” Rafiki says to Luxy. He pretends to hold his guns at his side until he slings out the finger guns like a wild gunslinger. “Give them to me!” he growls. 

“No,” Luxy says flatly. 

Welp. That didn’t work. Poor Rafiki’s trekking poles are useless again. He lost both tips of the poles and now is managing without them. 

The path turns rocky. We’re surrounded by mountains as we walk along the dirt path. The sun sparkles off of the lake that’s off in the distance. 

We climb up, up, up, and it’s not even the pass yet. I’m pretty tired from all the hills in the altitude. The slope around me is just boulders and rocks. We see marmots along the way, and spot a buck and doe as they eat some grass. They actually blend in with the brown-red rocks behind them. 

Rafiki and I walk together for a while. We pass through snowfields. I step in the provided steps as I move forward. 

Soon we’re joined by Luxy, who we were waiting for, and behind the ascent up Pinchot pass. We’re slow and steady, but we soon reach our other three people! They’ve been here for a while, but we sit and join them for a snack. Behind me are snowcapped mountains and blue lakes. W

As we make our way down, I spot marmots, which look something like fluffy rats but run like my fat house cat, which is a fast woddle. 

A beautiful lake is surrounded by green trees and slabs of broken rock. I find the group sitting for lunch and join them on a slope. It soon gets chilly, so I begin to move into the sun. 

I was hoping Dad would hang onto my bear can here while I shimmy off the slope, but instead his fingers sneak toward my snickers bar. I grab the snickers and drop it in the can. 

“I can help!” Dad says. “I can help you eat that snickers bar.”

No, thank you. 

We’re looking at the blue lake. I’d like to go swimming, but the breeze is showing through the ripples on the blue water. 

A group discussion is taking place. I miss part of it, but we’re thinking to go to town to get an extra day of food. That way we can slow down a bit. Otherwise we need to do another ten miles today. We’re a bit slow. At least I am. 

I also would like to slow down a bit in the sierras. The altitude slows me down here, so it’s hard to push myself to move faster. 

No swimming now. There will be other areas to swim at. 

But as we pass the lake, the perfect spot to lounge presents itself. 

We drop our things and slide into the water. 

It’s like slipping into ice. 

I make a few audible exclamations — screams, mainly, as I drop into the snow melt. 

This is FREEZING!

As soon as I’m out and laying down on my mat, Rafiki is saying something to me when Dad rings ice cold water from his shirt onto my back. 

“Ahh!” I yelp and jump up. “Rafiki! You distracted me!”

Out of spite, I run into the water and soak myself up to my shoulders. I crawl out like Gollum from Lord of the Rings on the rock. Rafiki is turned away from me, standing. I sprint toward him. As he turns around, I duck under his arm and wrap my arms around his waist. 

Thank you, jiu jitsu. 

He tries to push me off as everyone is laughing. 

“I didn’t even do it!” he shouts. “That was Journey!”

Dad? Playing a prank on me? It’s been a while. 

Sorry, Rafiki. 

I let go. After rinsing my clothes off in the water, I sneak over to Dad and ring my shirt into his back. 

“Oooh!” he groans. 

Payback. 

I lay out on my 1/8 inch mat and dry out, flipping over after a bit. We all quiet as we try to rest. 

Soon we have to move away from the glistening water. I pass several water sources that look far less cold than what we swam in. We pass over logs and rocks and rivers. I see several marmots. 

Dad helps Luxy and I on some precarious water crossings. We hike on for another few miles. I was on Dad’s heels for a bit, but soon I lose Dad uphill. 

Rafiki and I walk together for a bit. I’m feeling a bit overstimulated from the heat and mosquitos. I stop to put on some bug spray then continue on up the hill. 

Rafiki and I pause in some shade and wait for Luxy. We’re close to the campsite now. She joins us and we walk over another river crossing. 

At last we’re at the campsite! What a short day. I rinse off in the river, but I heard it was warm! This is cold! Apparently it was warm earlier. I wish I’d gotten in earlier to check it out. 

We eat dinner — I hot soaked some Mac n cheese — and find Barcelona (Russian guy who lives in Spain!) I haven’t seen him in a while!

Soon I’m in bed, after having been attacked by mosquitos. Oh, and I’m quite sunburned from laying out at the lake. 

I need to be better about sunscreen!