Hannah the hiker

Day 87 started off great. I woke up at 5:45 and left my campsite by 6:45. It was about 35 degrees out when I got up so I was wearing all of my warm clothes as I started hiking for the day. In the mornings my nose is pretty stuffed up so I have to blow it a couple times before I can breathe easy. While I was blowing my nose I heard some noise behind me. I turned around and saw a guy on his horse, while I was still blowing my nose. Definitely not the prettiest sight of me. The guy was out hunting which seemed like it would be a lot of fun on that part of the trail, and on a horse! The trail was very exposed and you could see the sun shining on the mountains. We talked about the weather in the sierras and how far I’ve walked on the trail. His horse was white with light blonde hair. It looked strong which makes sense if it’s carrying him while he’s hunting. I let them pass by me because they were going quicker than me.

The first 7 miles of the day were ridge walking and so beautiful. The sun was just coming up so it made the peaks look orange. There was snow on the trail in some parts too which was interesting. I think it was leftover from the recent storm.

The high point for the day was 10,850 feet!

I walked by a trail junction and from here I could see huge switchbacks going downhill. Actually, for most of the morning I could see the trail stretched out before me. It was cool to see where I would be walking in a mile or so.

I stopped and had lunch at Kennedy Creek which was the 10 mile mark for the day.

At this point in the day my hips were really starting to bother me. I was trying to walk normal but found it hurt just raising my left leg up to walk. I tried stretching but it didn’t really do much. While I was sitting down or stopped the pain went away but as soon as I tried to do anything involving my left hip it hurt. So, at lunch I took some ibuprofen hoping it would kick in by the time I started hiking again. I left around 12:30 to start hiking again. I decided that if my hip didn’t feel better in the next two hours then I would only walk 20 miles for the day. The ibuprofen worked a little but it still felt uncomfortable to walk. Plus, my feet started to hurt again! So I just trudged on to finish up 20 miles. I walked by some nice lakes and streams and climbed up to Dorothy Lake Pass. At this pass I officially entered Yosemite National park!

I am excited to see the different landscapes this park has. I took a quick break and then walked another mile to Dorothy Lake. This was another great Alpine lake tucked between mountains. There were some small sandy beaches and nice campsites among trees. I picked a spot where I could soak my feet and see the sunrise in the morning. The water was super cold so soaking my feet didn’t work out. It was more of a quick dip. Regardless it helped soothe the irritated skin under my feet.

I had some ramen for dinner and read “Call of the wild” on my phone. I finished “Tracks” a couple days ago so now I only have some books on my phone. It felt really great to get to set up camp early at 5:30. I felt a little bad because I only walked 20 miles for the day. But I reminded myself that I need to give my feet and hip a rest. Plus the lake was really beautiful and I’m supposed to be enjoying these views not rushing past them trying to push for more miles.

Day 88 was a long day. I slept in a little bit and didn’t leave camp til 7:45. I thought that maybe my hip was feeling better because I didn’t notice any pain when I first woke up. But as soon as I started walking I knew it wasn’t gone.

I messaged my parents on my garmin to let them know my hip was hurting and that I would probably be getting into the next town later than expected. Then I realized I would be crossing a highway before my “next” town and could get off of the trail there to get a ride to Mammoth Lakes. My mom told me there was a hospital there so I decided that i would get off the trail and see if I could get some help with my hip. Although I felt better knowing I could get help and had a plan, I felt a lot of worry start to come on. I started worrying about every single possible outcome. I told myself to not worry because I don’t know anything yet and all it does is slow me down.

I stopped around 12 after only hiking 7 miles to have lunch. It was a nice spot with a big creek and large rocks in the sun. I ate and then took a nap to calm myself down. I did feel better after that. I decided to only go 6 ish more miles and take it easy that day. I had about 1,300 feet of uphill which was surprisingly a little easier on my hips then going straight or downhill. I got to my campsite at 5:15 which had some great clear views of the mountains I walked around that day. I was really tired from being stressed out and all and was happy to be at camp early. It sucks having to walk so slow and be in pain. Ibuprofen can only do so much.

Days 89 through 91 were really tough days. Day 89 I walked 14.7 miles, day 90 20.2 miles, day 91 5.8 miles. I gained at least 4,000 feet on days 89 and 90 and lost close to 3,000 feet as I went over mountain passes. I woke up and left camp around 7:30 on each day and walked all day just to get to 14 miles before setting up camp. There were amazing meadows I walked through and lakes I walked by. I tried to enjoy the scenery as much as possible. It was chilly in the mornings and I could hear the crunching of the frost on the ground underneath my feet when I walked. I liked having to bundle up in the morning because it made getting out of my sleeping bag a little easier. By 10 on those mornings it was warm enough to take my layers off and it would stay in the 70s for most of the day. It was great hiking weather in my opinion.

Even though the trail was beautiful and the weather was great I was pretty miserable. It was getting more painful to walk each day and to lift my left leg. I had to kind of swing my legs/hips to walk so I wouldn’t have to lift my leg straight up. I relied heavily on my trekking poles to walk as well and I was happy that I brought them along. Each day through this section was pretty mentally draining, more so than any other part of the trail I’ve been on. I was crying because of the pain and stress that something might be really wrong with my hip. And I had to just keep walking because there was no bail out point sooner than highway 120. And I only had 5 days of food. I didn’t have any cell service just my garmin. I knew that if things got really desperate I could press the SOS button but thankfully it didn’t get that bad. So I just told myself to keep walking because no one else could do it for me, and to not cry until I got into my tent at the end of the day because it only really slows me down. I didn’t see many other hikers through this part either.

I was about a mile from the highway when I saw Jenna and Ian! I was wondering when they would catch up to me since I wasn’t able to hike many miles. They were headed to Yosemite Valley and offered an open seat for me. I was really happy because I had originally planned to go into the valley and since I couldn’t keep walking in the trail this was perfect timing. A trail angel drove us to the valley and it was amazing. I saw El Capitan, half dome, and camp four! I’ve watched so many movies/YouTube videos about climbing and all that so it was thrilling to see these giants in real life. I felt really happy and lucky to be there. I hung out at the village center and saw the Ansel Adams gallery before getting on the YARTS bus to Mammoth Lakes.

A lot of people noticed my limp and big backpack and asked if I fell and whatnot. It was nice that people cared but it just became frustrating and upsetting having to explain the story over and over again. I got on the bus at 5 and didn’t get to Mammoth lakes until 8. Thankfully Whisky and Nine Beers had a room already booked for the night and they let me split it with them.

We caught up and hung out while they packed their backpacks. They left the next day to get back on the trail while I switched rooms to stay at the bed and breakfast a couple more nights.

I went to the emergency room to have someone look at my hip that day. I was a total mess. I had to take the bus and walk a little bit to the hospital which was not only painful but humiliating. It took me a while to go up the bus steps and sit down and to walk around in general with my trekking pole in hand. I felt so frustrated because I couldn’t simply walk. I got to the ER and was crying a lot just because of the whole ordeal. The nurses and doctors were helpful and kind and didn’t seem to be phased by my crying. Which makes sense.

They did an x ray and didnt see anything wrong with my hip. The doctor told me that I most likely have overworked my hip flexor and just need to rest for a couple of days. He also said that if I had some sort of tear in the muscle that wouldn’t show up on an x ray. They set me up with a physical therapist to see the next day as well.

For the rest of that day I bought some snacks and hung out in my hotel room. I don’t normally just lay around eating snacks outside of the trail so this was a change. I will admit that it felt nice not having to wake up, pack all my gear, and walk all day. But I still missed the trail. I also picked up my resupply box and a box that a friends family sent me from home. My resupply box had the usual plus some nice treats. My dad sent me chocolate and caramel popcorn and two of my aunts had handwritten notes in there as well. That cheered me up. The box I got from my friends family also lifted my spirits. They sent me some amazing new socks, nutella snacks, peanut butter, and homemade honey! All of my favorite things! I felt so fortunate to get such nice treats, and that they came at a time where I needed the boost of support.

On Friday I went to the physical therapist who told me that I have overworked my hip flexor and need to rest for a while. She gave me some stretches and exercises to do twice a day that would help. Some of them were painful to do but others actually felt good on my hip. She was hopeful that I needed to rest and would get better soon.

After that I went to the library and was able to get a guest library card. I checked out a collection of poems by Mary Oliver and “The Mountain” written by Ed Viesturs and David Roberts. I also did my laundry before heading back to my room.

My limp and visible pain got a lot of attention from people around the town.

I just read in the hotel room for the rest of the day.

Saturday was a hectic day. I thought I had the hotel room booked until Sunday night so I asked one of the employees if I could extend it to Monday. They let me know that I did not in fact have the room for Saturday or Sunday night. Apparently the woman I had confirmed the stay with thought that I was going to “reconfirm” with her before staying and that they didn’t have any openings for the rest of the week. I found that out at 9 am and check out was at 10. Needless to say I was upset and rushed to pack my room and find a place to stay. All of the hotels in Mammoth Lakes were either booked or stupid expensive. I was able to swing a room at Motel 6 with the help of my parents but was not happy. My mom made some phone calls to see if any family or friends in California would be able to let me stay with them. A family friend said they could pick me up Sunday afternoon so luckily I didn’t have to keep staying in hotel rooms. My aunt Therese was also on standby in case anything happened which was helpful for me. It was really special that I had people o could call who would drop what they were doing to help me out. I’m thankful!

For the rest of Saturday I just slept and read. I was just tired and not feeling great about the whole situation. Also, my hip was not feeling any better. The pain is pretty deep inside my hip and if I move it it causes a sharp pain that feels like my leg could just collapse underneath me. It feels okay when I am sitting or laying down. I know people say that thru hiking ruins your body but I never thought I would age practically 40 years in 3 months!

On Sunday I ran into another SOBO going to the same coffee shop as me. We had breakfast with a trail angel and they also bought me an ice cream cone. It’s crazy, there are ice cream stands in rite aids! They also sell wine, beer, and liquor in rite aids and grocery stores. Normally those have to be in different buildings in New York.

I got picked up at 3 and we headed to Reno. We stayed in a hotel at this casino since it was getting late when we were driving. I had my first real taste of sushi which was amazing! I felt pretty spoiled since I’ve just been eating instant and convenient food on the trail.

On Monday we drove back to their house. I got a coconut cream pie from the Black Bear Diner, finally! I also tried in-N-out for the first time!

Im taking the rest of the week off before deciding if I can get back on the trail.

It feels nice to relax after working hard for the past couple months but it’s a little nerve wracking for me. I feel like my hip is not getting any better and that I might have to make a really tough decision. I do not want to call it quits on the trail. But I also can’t walk anywhere without using my trekking poles, and can’t even lift my left leg up without a lot of pain.

So that’s where I’m at with the trail. Before I got off I was at mile 1,711. I’ve made it a pretty long way before getting injured.

I can’t complain much about my situation though. Luckily I have family and friends in California that can help me out when I’m in need and I am so thankful for them. It makes me feel a lot less helpless and alone out here. I was still able to walk and get help from the highway. I still got to see Yosemite Valley. I have food and clean clothes and books to read. And I finally got a piece of coconut cream pie. I’m also starting to look into potential work for when I get home, since that might come sooner than I expected.

Obviously I’d rather be on the trail but I’m trying to make the most out of this situation. And that also goes along with what I’ve learned since starting the hike. I have a lot to be thankful for and there is no use worrying about anything except what is happening in the present moment. Also, it’s not the end of the world if plans change. If I have to go home because of my hip then there is no reason why I can’t come back next year or some other time to finish the last of the trail. Since I’ve been out here I’ve realized that I want hiking and adventuring and being active in general to be part of the rest of my life. So, if it ends up that I need a lot of time to recover that is fine with me as long as I can do these things for the rest of my life. I really am lucky that I can be on the trail at all.