The morning started off great. I slept all through the night last night. I might even go as far to say that I got 10 hours. Needless to say I still wasn't moving that quickly. We didn't leave camp until 8:15 am which was only 15 minutes behind Gravy. The first few miles we followed the hoof prints of cattle who we heard clanging around last night as we were falling asleep. Gravy actually saw the cows unlike us.
Our hiking pace quickly turned to a stroll once we entered the "Bad Lands." Sage brush, wild flowers blazing in reds, yellows, greens and purples, and huge cathedral peaks took our attention away from the trail sending us both into a bit of a zen state. The water levels today quickly sent us back onto the trail. The terrain was desert like with temperatures almost as bad. Our skin glistened in the morning sun and began to turn even darker brown as the time headed towards noon. We climbed higher and higher over the rolling meadows, past the tall peaks, and snaking around the U shaped twists and turns of the sandy mountain tops. At one point Replay and I were actually standing face to face with about a 100 meter canyon between us! It was fun to say hello and shout words of encouragement at one another.
By lunchtime we had hiked 8 miles! With so many miles already done for the day we decided an afternoon nap by Pleasant Creek was more than necessary it was required. Actually Replay passed out from the Hershey Bar at lunch and I dipped my feet in the creek before snoozing.
Hell was the word for the afternoon. We had all been lulled into a state of ultimate hiking bliss until we came to the path towards the "Nipple." All of the sudden the creeks were gone, water was nowhere close or accessible and the trail just seemed to be climbing higher and higher without an end in sight. 
Hunger started to become the constant thought versus the incredible scenery below which I can only say now after eating dinner. It was almost like we were Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Flowers lined the fields, but our only thought was about home.
Hunger started to become the constant thought versus the incredible scenery below which I can only say now after eating dinner. It was almost like we were Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Flowers lined the fields, but our only thought was about home. All of the sudden Replay shouted "the lake. I can see the lake. Lets run." For some reason we both took off at a trot. My legs no longer felt heavy as a jogged over the path's rubble, switching back and forth along the trail as I made the descent. The moment we saw Lost Lake we dumped our bags and jumped in for a swim.
Gosh 20 mile days are tough. How will I fare for day 3 of this?
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