June 23, 2008 Pacific Crest Trail

Destination: 4 Miles Above VVR Landing
Miles: 16

Adrian:
The unexpected surprise of cell phone service at our evening campsite was quite welcome. I called my Mom because it had been over two weeks since we last spoke. It was nice to hear her voice and get a short update on things back home. The battery on the phone was low so we had to cut it short. I miss my family back home and think a lot about them on the trail. It's pretty raw on the trail and not uncommon to openly show emotions like crying or laughing or whatever.

Kirsten:
I have discovered Adrian's kryptonite. It's the mosquito. And it's quickly becoming mine as well.

The Sierras are filled with water, which I love. The plentiful water supply also means an abundance of mosquitoes. Sometimes they are so thick that it's impossible to walk fast enough to avoid their bites. And forget about stopping. If we do stop the break usually evolves quickly into a frenzied swatting session, hasty pack up of our stuff and before five minutes has passed we're back on the road. Sometimes during these breaks or when we set up camp for the night the mosquitoes swarm Adrian. This is when my normally happy and mellow husband becomes a harried, impatient freakshow. This was sort of funny to watch until recently when the mosquitoes discovered me. Now they surround me as much if not more than Adrian. Damn karma.