Day 62 – 6/28/11 – 15 miles (893)

Today we crossed Silver Pass, lost trail several times, and did a lot of slogging. But we will surely get into Mammoth tomorrow!
I’ve had food on the brain nonstop for days now. When we weighed ourselves in a restaurant lobby in Bishop, I was the only one to not have lost weight. In fact, I’d done the thru-hiker impossible: I had gained weight.

Seven days, 100 miles, and five passes later my pants are a size too big.
I’m of course limited in how much food I can carry, more by volume than by weight. In the Sierra, hikers are required to carry an approved bear resistant food storage canister. It’s basically a 2.5 pound cylindrical pain in the butt. Leaving Bishop, I had 8 days of food perfectly Tetrised in, no extra space. Today, I added up the caloric content of my daily rations.

Breakfast: Clif bar = 230,
2nd breakfast: another bar (balance, Larabar, etc) = 200
Midmorning snack: Poptarts = 400
Lunch: 2 tortillas = 300; tuna = 90; cheese = 140
Snack: lance crackers = 200
Another Snack: candy bar = 280
Supper: Lipton sides, instant potatoes, etc = 400
Dessert: Rice Krispy Treat = 90

daily total = 2330 calories

No wonder I’m so hungry all the time! Thankfully, the next leg will be shorter, so I can carry more food per day. And of course I will gorge in town.

Lake just north of Silver Pass