Well, the best made plans can change, and that’s exactly what happened.

I’ve been planning for 6 months, along with two other friends, to hike the John Muir Trail which runs from Yosemite Valley to Mt. Whitney. In order to hike this trail you must obtain a permit and while that sounds simple, its not an easy task. Many, many people apply each year and don’t get permitted. A lottery system is used to select who gets in and who doesn’t. And…guess what? My friends and I won the lottery this year and were chosen to hike the JMT.

We’ve been so excited (no–we’ve been ecstatic) about this for 6 months. Well…….2017 was the worst winter in history in the Sierras and on the trail. Wouldn’t you know it—the year we won the lottery Mother Nature has to show her fanny. ❄️🌊💦💨☔️☃️🔥🌫. We anxiously watched and waited. Rivers flooded, lakes remained frozen, trails and resupply places were either buried by 10 feet of snow or flooded. The trail became treacherous and has claimed several lives. We thought for sure that by our start date, August 6, it would have improved enough to be a challenge maybe, but no longer dangerous. But, that’s not the case. We had to make a decision as to whether we would attempt it or not before mailing our food. All information and people closely monitoring the situation advised “DON’T DO IT”. As hard as it was, the three of us agreed that we’d be better off being safe instead of sorry. I know it was the right decision, but I’m very disappointed. We will, though, try again next year.

They always say, “The trail will always be there. It isn’t going anywhere.” However, now I wonder if that’s true. It almost washed away this year. Lol

Okay. Now on to what’s up next.

I’ve decided that since I was prepared for a three week hike, I will hike The Long Trail. This trail runs from the MA/VT border to the Canadian border. It’s 273 miles of rugged terrain. I’ve already hiked the first 100 miles of it before because it coincides with the AT for that 100 miles. I will, however, re-hike that 100 miles in order to make it a thru-hike. It should take me close to 3 weeks. My good friend from New Mexico that I met on the trail in VA back in 2013 will be hiking with me. She’s a good friend, a good hiker, and a good trail buddy.

Our plan is to fly out on August 10 and meet and hit the trail on the 11th and hike till we’re done.

The cell service will be spotty on the trail, but I plan to type in notes each night and post when I have service, so I may be posting several days of delayed posts all on the same day.

I’ll try to do a better job with descriptions and pictures. We’ll see. I always want to write and post but I’m usually so ready for bed at the end of the day that I hurriedly just jot a quick note and turn in.

I would love to have you follow along and send me comments from time to time. It’s always good to hear from home.

Bear with me and excuse any posts or pics that might not make sense. I’m having to re-learn this program. It’s been quite a while. 😬

Speck