Day 2 – Second Day Sads

I woke up as well rested as I could be using a Zpad and not a lovely Big Agnes air mattress. The cold woke me a few times but it was mostly needing to shift on my Zpad…which is basically a yoga mat. I also missed the luxury of my camp chair but it’s just something I’ll have to get used to. The weight of the chair and air mattress were just too much for my already full pack. I knew this discomfort would happen and aside from that I physically felt alright. My back and legs were not suffering too much from the big climb yesterday. However, I was surprised at how incredibly bummed out I felt when I woke up. It was as if the excitement of my first day took all my happy energy and now all I had left was sadness and despondency.

I got up, ate breakfast and knew the only thing for it was to just get going. Hiking heals everything right? Twinkle Toes was feeling beat from the first day so I let him know my plan for the day and headed out. The trail was mostly downhill and I started moving. My legs and feet felt good and my bag was a little lighter as I started digging into my food bag. I was moving well but still felt like a weight was resting on me. I did everything I could…put music on, stopped at beautiful views but I was on autopilot and just was trying to get to my next camp spot. It was as if I was trying to outrun my sadness.

Unfortunately I did get slightly off trail a few times and had to backtrack. The AZT doesn’t blaze the way the Appalachian Trail does so I am getting accustomed to pulling out Far Out app and checking my position on trail. This app definitely gave me the confidence to do a solo hike.

I made it to a small creek where I would camp for the night. I met Screaming Bob and started to up my tent. It’s definitely different having a 2 person tent to myself. I have so much extra room I can put anything anywhere, whereas on the AT everything had to have it’s specific spot in order to fit it all in. Red and Twinkle toes arrived and set up, water always draws campers. I have a feeling having the luxury of a stream nearby will not be common on this trail. While water wasn’t an issue for me today, it isn’t plentiful the way it usually is on the AT. Again the Far Out app is an excellent way of communicating where to find water and I appreciate all the hikers who continue to update with comments on water levels.

My night was quiet as the sads still plagued me. Luckily it’ll be a warmer night and my tent spot doesn’t have too many rocks. I’ll try to perfect my Zpad and sleeping set up to be a bit more comfortable.