The final 16 1/2 miles into Pine were definitely easier. I started walking by about 530 AM and reached Pine by 3 PM. This easier walking gave me time to contemplate a number of things.

I was still seeing a number of snakes on an almost daily basis and while some were not rattlesnakes, some of them definitely were. But I no longer jumped back or let out a yelp when I saw and heard them on the side of the trail. In fact, I would take the time to look and notice that I was seeing a number of different kinds of rattlesnakes. Some had black stripes near the tail while some did not, and others were more green. I realized that I was becoming acclimated to them.

This got me thinking about how we can become used to almost anything in life. In some ways this is a good survival mechanism but other times it can be dangerous. We can get so used to things that we become numb to sexual abuse, school, shootings, racism and meanness. On the other extreme we can become acclimated to beauty and kindness, which while it sounds better comes with its own pitfalls. As an example, sometimes hikers become acclimated to expecting trail angels to do things for them. I don’t see it on this trail, but on other trails, I’ve seen hikers become annoyed when trail angels didn’t do what they expected should be done for them. When I first started hiking, trail angels did not exist in the form they do today and I’m glad because it helps me live by a motto about trail angels which is “expect nothing, appreciate everything.”

As some of the final miles heading into Pine once again became steeper I thought about how the way I look at something impacts my feelings about it. As an example, I used to look at climbs by the amount of elevation I had to gain. And then as I climbed, every time the trail dropped I would think “oh no that’s just more elevation I have to gain again..” Now I look at the climb in miles and think “I’ve got 3 miles until I reach the highpoint” and every time the trail dips down I think “this is nice to have a few feet of downhill reprieve to break up the climb.

I’ve also learned to look at things from all sides. For example, when I set up my tent at night I sometimes walk around in a circle a few times to figure out what the best orientation is and where to put my head. Or on a steep downhill, rather than going straight forward, I often turn my body sideways and zigzag down the trail viewing the trail in short little pieces rather than one long downhill. And on the tougher climbs, I try to just look at the trail in short pieces and rather than being overwhelmed by one long climb I tell myself to get up to that rock. Then I say, ” OK now get up to that next rock,” and by breaking it into smaller climbs, it’s less overwhelming.

I had to weave through a detour before hitting Pine because of a logging operation on the trail. But it was clearly marked and before long, I was walking the road towards town. Imagine my delight when coming towards me were three hikers and one of them was Chaps. Since I planned to do at least one zero if not two in Pine I was pretty certain this would be the last time I would see her, but I’m definitely learning out here to keep the door open to anything.