Log: Day 115 - Mile 863.7

August 5, 2016

I said my goodbyes in the morning and set off. The first part of my day held a climb up to Silver Pass, a nice descent down along a valley, and a big climb up and over a volcanic knob. I stopped for my first break at 2:00pm, just on the other side of the knob. I was definitely back on the hiking grind.

I descended from the knob and immediately began the last climb up to Selden Pass. My plan had been to camp on the north side of the pass at one of the lakes. However, upon arriving at the first of these lakes I met a young man, Isaac, and began talking with him. He studied botany at Berkeley and knew a ton about the flora we walked through. I did not know, for instance, that the valleys of the high Sierras were a unique biome due to their altitude and geographic isolation and that there were a number of species found only here.

Isaac was also a great foil with which to reflect on my hiking style. A common problem with thruhikers is that they develop tunnel vision focusing only completing mileage. They may appreciate the scenery on either side of the trail, but they do not take the time to enjoy it. Isaac looked at each ridge and peak as a potential side trip. Each lake or cluster of plantlife was a chance to examine and marvel at the forces of nature at work. I like to consider myself above (or at least self-aware about) many of the thruhiker attributes I criticize, and yet here I was grinding out mileage through the most beautiful part of the trail. Sure, it was for a good reason, but I had chosen finishing the entire section quickly over coming back for it another time.

Isaac and I camped at a lake about a mile down the other side of Selden Pass. He had found a chicken mushroom earlier and had offered me some along with some of his gnocchi and miso packets. A delicious dinner treat. We ate at the edge of the lake and continued talking until after dark.