Trout pond at the end of the rainbow

Tuesday, May 6
Mile 219, Whitewater Preserve

High on Fuller Ridge

Yesterday: absolutely high mountainous GORGEOUS morning—definitely a euphoric feeling cresting fuller ridge and its pines and alpine meadows. But I have this thing where when I have high mornings, I deflate by afternoon. I'm not entirely sure why this happens... But yesterday was definitely one of those times. Luckily I had Laugh Track with me, who is such a positive beam of light that I was able to stay mostly sane on our 20-mile downhill descent of Fuller Ridge. It was one of the only times I've felt actually pissed at the trail as it wound unnecessarily (I thought) all over the hot, exposed face.

By the bottom both Laugh Track and I were loopy with dehydration, but we filled up at a spigot and managed to strugglefest our way across the windy valley to Ziggy and the Bear, another trail angel hiker oasis. Gypsy town reunion, huge bowls of ice cream, and the best company.

This morning dawned lazy and blustery, and I took some true relaxation- not the kind where I'm running around town doing random errands, but the kind where my world shrinks to a fifty-square-foot backyard stocked with fruit, coffee, warmish showers, and carpets EVERYWHERE for our poor abused feet. And Ewok was there with his steel drum (which he packs around, an extra 25 pounds!), which was just magic. Moxa and I had a little duetting thing going on for a while where we faced each other and worked out rhythms together. Love!

Just a selfie with my idol. Nbd

And here's where I start to believe in the (sometimes eerily incredible) magic of this trail. I'm organizing my pack and a couple rolls in midmorning, calling themselves "Scott and Jenny —well, actually, El Vorado and Raven." After ten minutes of the kind of sideways conversation you have with someone while you're both half-occupied with something else, it suddenly clicked that I was talking to Scott Jurek, a vegan ultramarathoner whose book I devoured last year and found incredibly inspiring. This just added to my super blissed-out morning, and by the time Tuneboost, Magic Stick and Smooth Operator rolled in midday I was a happy puddle swaddled in my sleeping bag.

Gypsy town by the ornamental trout pond: Laugh Track, Tenacious Rainbow, Tuneboost, Magic Stick, Smooth Operator, Happy Pants, The Zone, and Itis.

And more eerily incredible magic: as we were pelted with rain on our hike out of the valley, just as I was feeling annoyed and down about the cold and damp, Smooth-O and I crested a ridge to see a full rainbow over the distant sun-dappled mountains. It was a beautiful bandaid to our cold hike. Now, we are nestled into a campground we're calling Narnia, because it has a trout pond, gazebo and inspirational quotes on boulders. Cuddle puddle in afore-mentioned gazebo now, with Ewok playing us to sleep with his dreamy drums. Pure perfect bliss.