Day 17 - Still Going

I was determined today. It felt good to be back on the trail. My feet weren't used to it though. They complained, but I ignored them. It was my mouth I was more concerned about. I still can't quite open my mouth all the way, and I could actually feel my heartbeat in the tooth itself. I'm hoping that goes away soon.

Today was a good hiking day, regardless. The sun was out, it was warm, but there was enough of a breeze to keep it cool. My mouth though. It really hurt, and eating was still difficult. I was inspired by Forager's faith, and said a little prayer myself. I asked for help. I needed the pain to go away; I truly could not concentrate on anything else. After making some food at Van Dusen Canyon Road and sitting there feeling miserable, my prayer was answered. A truck pulls up and out jumps Boots. Boots has really strong vicodin and I pleaded my case (well, Don't Panic did). He, of course, willingly obliged and I was grateful. Miracles do happen.

The rest of the day was a breeze. I bit off a quarter of the vicodin (it was super strong and I needed to be able to walk), and I was good to go. We put in 19 miles, all the way through a closed section. We first started walking through the closed part, wondering why it was closed. The trail was very clear, and the forest looked healthy. Then we turned a corner on a ridge. Bam! Burned down forest. It was really sad. But there were still plenty of flowers and shrubs to make it a pleasant walk anyway.

We camped where we probably shouldn't have. It was at the Little Bear Springs Trail Camp, which was completely burned out. The only things left were one picnic table, some scraps of wood, and the base of the pit toilet. But we found a great place to stay out of the wind and on some really soft sand. I'm going to be comfy tonight!