Well, it wasn’t the best day, but it also wasn’t my worst.

I got up early to try and catch M&D – Jefé and I didn’t get too far last night, and without reception or any way of contacting them I really had no idea how far ahead they were.

With the rivers and the green grass, it’s starting to sink in that we’ve left the desert behind.

And I did catch my Swiss peeps at lunchtime by another river, but they had already been there a couple hours and were packing up as I rolled in. Instead of the chats and catch ups I had imagined, they walked on and I napped under the sun, in blissfully soft green grass. The sound of water running through a rocky creek bed just feet away from me, and sparrows circling overhead, lulled me quickly.

I took my daily happy snap after I was well rested and kept going, with a few others not too far behind.

We’d all planned on the same campsite for tonight to set us up for a climb tomorrow. It seemed like a good idea this morning, but it was a flipping hike and a half away.

I’m guessing M&D got in a few hours before me. The rest of the crew I found myself with were kind of on par with how I was feeling: we were all pretty done. Our packs are the heaviest they’ve been, our push into Kennedy Meadows was one of the hardest we’ve had, and the climbs are starting to do us in already. I guess starting off the Sierras, not feeling rested and ready to tackle it puts us on the back foot to begin with. It’s just not a nice feeling I’ve got going on, and it seems to be reflected amongst the others too.

I’m grateful for that.

Not because we all wallowing and plod along together – because we can lift each other up, encourage one another, cheer on those who look like they need it and collectively work together to raise morale.

We finally made it, after 10PM. We were tired and beat. Even with the river swim and birds and glorious green grass, today had me feeling a bit downcast. It was hard physically and mentally. But I got it done. So did the others. We did it together. I’m grateful to them, and I’m grateful to God for putting the right people in the right spots for me every time.

With all the love and support I have from back home, I knew this wouldn’t feel like a solo journey. It’s just extra nice to realise that I also have so much love and support right here beside me, in front of me, behind me, with me. This isn’t a solo journey at all.