Trail Magic, 100 Miles, & Full Moon Rising
- Cassandra Smith
- Sep 1, 2023
- 2 min read
April 5, 2023- Day 5
mile 83.4 to 103.6 (20.2 miles)
Stayed in the tent extra long this morning to wait until the sun rose over the hills because everything was frosty and so so cold. I spread my food out on my sleeping pad before packing up, realizing that I had panicked at the grocery store in Patagonia and bought too little food. I hated resupplying without a list and that was exactly what I did, meaning I had bought almost an entire day short.
Right after leaving camp as we crossed the dirt road, we saw a couple coming towards us with 3 pups. They owned the huge RV that was parked along the road and invited us to pull up some of their camp chairs while they brewed coffee. Our first AZT trail magic!
They also passed around a huge bowl of gingersnaps. Grateful for the extra calories I ate about 15 and the resulting caffeine and sugar boost fueled me for a good many miles after. Ashley stayed behind at the dirt road since that was where her shuttle was picking her up. Wonder still had another day and a half to hike before having to get back to work so she continued on with Hambone and I and I was so grateful. I want to keep her out here with us as long as possible. Wonder and I hiked together most of the day, chatting about random things, taking pictures of each other and the beautiful scenery.
The three of us took a lunch break at a cow trough water source. Bees buzzed all around the trough, some drowning themselves in an attempt to get water. Wonder decided to leave before Hambone and I so she could push to the campsite we'd decided on for the night which would require a good bit of night hiking. Hambone and I passed the 100 mile marker together, had a lil celebration kissy and then continued on. Golden hour was once again spectacular. We raced to catch up to Wonder to tell her we didn't have to push as far as we had decided. Neither of us wanted to night hike that long and knew Wonder would be happy to camp earlier with us.
We caught her right at sunset at possibly one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen. We screamed and squealed and squeezed each other as the set set in beautiful pinks and purples and the full moon rose huge over the mountain ranges. It was something I will never, ever forget.
We night hiked only until we could find a flat spot big enough for all 3 of us to cowboy camp together and excitedly dumped our gear when we finally found one. We all laid out our Tyvek ground sheets and began stripping down, pulling on nighttime layers and boiling water for dinner. I read my book for awhile as Hambone and Wonder's breathing slowed on either side of me. I could tell they'd both fallen right to sleep and wished I could, but I wasn't sleepy yet. Instead I tucked my book away, wrapped the quilt tight around me and watched the moon travel across the sky for a good hour.
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