Day 47
PCT Mile Marker 1562.36 – 1578.57
Miles Hiked 16.21
I was walking on sacred ground. The mountains stretched over my head, requesting silence. The path made small curves here and there. Curves strategically placed to take every advantage of the views.
I stopped and stared up the mountain until I got a crick in my neck.
The birds whispered.
Little yellow teacup flowers backlit by the soft sun.
Boulders smudged red.
I felt the millions of prayers from people long passed.
Are you still supposed to pray after you die? If so, this is where you’d do it.
My soul was quiet.
Around the corner, grasshoppers bounced around, pretending to be rattlesnakes.
Down the other side it was hot. So hot.
I stuck my poor feet in a creek. So cold.
Herds of butterflies chased me around.
Poof-poof-poof said my shoes in the dust. Fine veils of it kicked up behind me and hung in the air, remembering me after I was gone.
I camped with three hikers who treated me as a fellow traveler and took me in.
We ate dinner in companionable silence, and sometimes companionable story-time.
The Devil On My Shoulder kept his mouth shut all day, and the Angel On The Other Side read a book.