Day 10

​Day 10 58.7-77.3 miles 
18.6 miles hiked 

Today was a very very hard day. Insanely hard day. Probably the hardest day so far. 
Let me tell you why.
Today I hiked the most miles I have in a day so far. My feet were in excruciating pain from the added miles and terrain. I had to soak them in a bucket of water I found near the only water source of the day. 

So today, what happened? Well to be honest I don't remember everything that happened now because I am writing this blog and many to come about 2 months later, going off of the small notes I made on this day.. note to self. I can't let these blogs get so far behind in the future because this is difficult. I don't want to forget anything and because day 10 was so difficult... I wrote one word sentences so "I could remember in the morning and write it all out better".Well clearly that didn't happen haha. 

I do recall that Dave was the only reason I made it through this day. His laugh and voice is soothing and makes me want to keep going. He helped me through this day more then he knows and he is truly an amazing human. Our conversations and getting to know each other really kept me hiking through the pain. 

Now while we weren't talking and just focusing on the terrain under our feet I had a lot of thoughts of my assaults. I cursed them, I cried inside (didn't want Dave to hear me) I had all the thoughts that a survivor has after an assault. But when I finally made it to Scissors Crossing, which was our destination of the day. I collapsed and cried. I cried for a long time. and I said fuck you to them. All of them. Because I just hiked 18.6 miles- 30 km's. That is amazing. I hiked 18.6 miles in the desert on the hottest day I've had since starting the PCT. With only 1 water source during that time. I've hiked 77.3 miles to the date now. and they wouldn't be able to do that. So i said a big fuck you to them. Because I am healing and doing something amazing to support other survivors. I am grateful I have built the tenacity to do the PCT. To go from not being able to leave my bed for almost 2 years, to now being a badass and hiking from Mexico to Canada. and Dave got me through this today. 

Some fun moments of the day (okay maybe not fun at the time... it was pretty scary at first to be honest) Dave and I came across my first rattle snake. I think it might have been his too. 
Let me explain that I have never been so scared at a moment on a trail and at the same time almost die laughing (to myself) at seeing a 71 year old man get air time jumping from the scare of a rattle next to him on trail. Yes Dave... It was hilarious. 
This laughter was short lived when I realized that a snake was between Dave and myself... and I had to get to the other side of the snake... oh crap.
Our tactic was simple, Dave would distract the danger noodle while I hike up the side of the mountain a ways to give the snake room and go around him and end up on the other side of Dave. Mission accomplished. 

The majority of the day I don't remember, only the highlights which were both incredible, terrifying, hilarious, and trauma filled. 
When we arrived to scissors crossing during my meltdown I had a hiker come up to me and ask if i was alright. I explained why I was crying and she listened. Her trail name is mudslide... thanks for listening girl.

Morgan and Honey were thankfully at scissors crossing and Morgan cupped my feet arches to relieve some of the pain I was experiencing. She also cupped Dave's back as it was hurting him throughout the last couple days. 
(after my meltdown) I saw Orion again and he was juicing lemons a trail angel had left for hikers... He made me some damn good lemonade. Thanks Orion. 

Near the end of the night we made a group of hikers under the underpass and ate our dinners and talked about the trail. It was so windy that some people opted to cowboy camp instead of setting up their tents. I set mine up because I'm still too scared to try cowboy camping. 
The windy night required me to put rocks on my tent stakes for the first time... I needed a little help, but that's okay. We are all learning out here.