The Wonderland Journal

Miles hiked: 7.7 Mile Marker: 767.2 I woke up at midnight and again at around three or four. So when my alarm goes off at 5:00, I’m ready for it.  Electronics, clothes, sleep set: I feel like I’m becoming more efficient at packing, but I still manage to barely be…

Miles hiked: 21.7 Mile marker: 761.2 Dad says the Sierras are magical. It certainly seems as if I stepped into a story book after coming out of the desert. And so sudden too. The trees, creeks, rocks, everything is so different than the desert.  The biggest difference? This darn bear…

Dear devoted readers, I do apologize for my long absence. I have spent long days on trail that have exhausted me. Out here, the trail should always come first, so I needed to prioritize my rest. I will be posting consistently after today, so get ready for some more blogs!…

Miles hiked: 14.2 Mile marker: 717.6 5:00 AM hits and I’m scrambling around my tent to gather my explosion of things. I tried to organize a bit yesterday, but I still have my micro spike box, unopened water filter, cards from my supply box my mom sent me… these are…

Miles hiked: Zero Mile Marker: 703.4 *NOTE TO READERS* Thank you to everyone who reads my posts! I’m so grateful to have you all follow along this journey with me. This past week, we woke up at 11:00 pm to climb a mountain, and I got behind on my blogs.…

I came to the desert expecting to experience some mental shifts, philosophical changes. I was strong. Good cardio. I thought the heat would be my biggest challenge, followed by the hills.  I expected it would take me two weeks to settle into the life of a thru-hiker. A month to…

The desert shows no mercy.  The desert isn’t just hot. The desert isn’t just cold. The desert isn’t just windy. The desert isn’t just dry. She’s hot enough to singe the skin off of your back. Cold enough to break off your frozen fingers. Windy enough to push you around,…

Miles hiked: 15 Mile Marker: 703.4 That afternoon coffee was a bad idea. It’s 2:00 AM and I roll around and around on my sleeping pad. The black canvas above me holds a billion shimmering stars. The Milky Way is cast from one side of the sky to the other.…

Miles hiked: 22.1 Mile marker: 688.4 It’s 2:00 AM. The stars are shimmering in the sky and as plentiful as sand on the beach. The Milky Way is a hazy white stroke in the universe.  I’ve never seen it this clearly before.  A bonus? My sleeping bag is soaked. A…

Miles hiked: 21.3 Mile marker: 666.3 Last night I was terrorized by a ghost.  I knew I’d have to go to the bathroom because in my parched state last night, I drank so much water.  I put way too much seasoning in my dinner. This led to me drinking a…

Miles hiked: 25.5 Mile marker: 645 I woke up at 11:11 PM, groping for my pack in a panic that mice had gotten ahold of it. I pulled my fleece off and rolled around and around as I tried to go back to sleep.  The stars were exploded in the…

Miles hiked: 25.3 Mile marker: 619.5 I wake before my alarm and don’t want to get up.  Bumper groans! “I don’t wanna.” Like a teenager. I feel the same way.  I sit up and begin putting my electronics away into their ziploc bags. I have 45 minutes to get repacked,…