Purgatory

Written at mile 832 – Bishop

I have been in Bishop for 11 days. The infected wound has had its ups and downs. I’ve been to the clinic 4 times. Each time we came up with a different plan and set of actions. I have finally been cleared to leave Bishop, tomorrow. I am on the first bus out of town and can’t be happier. 

This whole ordeal has made me feel like I was in purgatory. Most of my trail brain has vanished and I have (somewhat) gotten used to life in Bishop.

Once on the trail, I am concerned I may have softened too much in Bishop. While I know that is a reality, it won’t matter, because I am doing the trail. I will simply adjust my hiking to accommodate the altitude, the extreme up and downs, and the fact that my bubble is gone. 

My bubble is at least a week ahead of me. That’s fine. I like hiking alone. I like meeting new people. I like being surprised when I do catch up to my bubble. 

This up coming stint of hiking is one of the most difficult the trail has to offer. High mountain passes, river crossings up to my waist, and steep ascent and descents are all awaiting me above. If you are familiar with it, this is the portion that crosses paths with the John Muir Trail (JMT) and includes the following passes: Glen, Pinchot, Mather, Muir, Selden, and Silver.

While I will once again be abusing my body, I’m not 100% healed. My abscess is still secreting puss and may do so over the next three weeks. I am to clean it each night, and dress it with a large bandaid. If I ever feel pain at the site, I’m to get off trail and have someone look at it. That becomes significantly easier once I get to the next town, which is about 10-14 trail days away. 

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To hype my brain up, I’m posting pictures of the early Sierra mountains. The portion I’ve actually completed. I can’t wait to add more photos to this collection.

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While in town, I’ve had the opportunity to feast on more Pepperidge Farm cookies. Updated list:

1. Manatauk – delicious chocolate chip cookie. Standard issue. 
2. Nantucket – the Manatauk, with “strong” sea salt. My favorite of the two. 
3. Milano – lemon and white chocolate. While I do like these, I feel the white chocolate takes away and mutes the lemon. Though the white chocolate brings a bit of moisture. I would prefer a standard lemon cookie. 
4. Tahoe – white chocolate macadamia – I love this cookie. It’s not overwhelming, which means it asks me to eat more. 
5. Chessman – butter – I love these as well. I’m drawn to the designs in each, while they are obviously a wonderful way to get my daily butter intake.
6. Santa Cruz – on par with Manatauk, but as oatmeal raisin. It’s exactly what I would expect for oatmeal raisin. I like that it’s nothing special or wild. 
7. Dublin – I’m a sucker for shortbread. Yet, I would give the edge to Chessman. 
8. Gingerman – I love that these aren’t strong. They keep me wanting to eat more. That seems to be a theme across all Pepperidge Farms. 
9. Milano – strawberry and white chocolate. SPOT ON! This is what I thought the lemon version would be like. Martha was right. Very well balanced and yummy. 
10. Ojai – these are what I wanted when I at the lemon version of the Milano’s. These are perfect lemon cookies. Soft, lemony, and just the right amount of crystallized sugar. Brilliant. 
11. Verona – apricot and raspberry. These are interesting. They slowly grow on me. They are not overly sweet, which appeals to me. Like all the other cookies they release, having less sweetness results in wanting to eat more.
12. Maggie’s Apple Pie – limited edition. Phenomenal. They married a Verona with a sandwich of thin shortbread. If you can find these in your area, I highly recommend them. Brilliant. 
13. Farmhouse – toffee milk chocolate. I enjoy these very much. Again, not too much emphasis on the toffee. Smart.