Tom, Field, and Willey

It's been a week. I can't believe just last weekend we were hiking up Camel's Hump. Though the weather was nearly the same (totally clear, chilly, gorgeous), it feels of another time. For instance, I didn't think twice about asking a couple at the summit of Camel's Hump to take our photo, and to take theirs on their phone. Today, the thought of touching someone else's phone seems reckless. Last weekend, we stopped for breakfast en route to the trail and for tacos and ice cream for good measure on the way home. This time the only stop we made was to fill up on gas. I feel incredibly fortunate that our form of self-isolation can include epic days in the mountains as we live in our own house (no public spaces to pass through just to get outdoors), we have a car, and we live close enough to the mountains to avoid stopping for food or accommodations as part of our weekend hike. But it's all starting to get to me anyway.

We went for the safe-for-windy-days option of Tom, Field, and Willey (and Avalon). The whole way to the trail we were discussing the virus and ethics surrounding it which somehow morphed into philosophy and ended both of us in a funky mood. By the time we hit the trail I felt so anxious and sad that it made it hard to enjoy hiking at all, which felt particularly annoying since the views were amazing and there were so many other stoked hikers on the trail. Instead, it was one of those days where I trudged along checking off the peaks from my mental list and did my best not to dampen the moods of the hikers we passed along the way.

After bagging all our peaks for the day, I stopped and turned to Cody on our way back up to Field in a spot with a clear view past the dead trees (and cold winds). "Try not to cry; it's so cold," he said as a few tears bubbled up. We hugged it out and talked long enough to get cold and then headed onward in higher spirits.

We had a nice time running down the steep trails to Mount Avalon where we were treated to the best views yet with a break from the wind and the warm sun on our faces. Then we ran down some very steep sections that gradually got less steep until we were back at the train station. In lieu of our normal post-hike meal, we finished up all the bags of chips we had laying around the house. Not as nice, but such are the times we're living in.