Smoke lends its mystery to the map

Playing peek-a-boo with peaks and pines

I breathe in burning Yosemite

Tonight I sleep at 9,000 feet.

I follow the shadow of Freel Peak

Bikers push their load up, up, up, up

I rollercoaster to Big Meadow

Humid. Heat. Hail. Hurry to Round Lake.

Meandering meadows, morning dew

Mountain lion, marmots, golden bear

I plummet down the granite goat path

Toes scraping, bones aching — I feel it.

Echo, Aloha, Heather, Susie–

The lakes sing like sirens as I pass

I submerge to escape the sharp sun

Hour after dark, the ground is still hot.

Who ascends faster — me or the sun?

Aglow on Dick’s Pass I surrender

I leave behind crowds and wilderness

Too many miles to Richardson Lake.

Sweat constellations become rivers

Granite Chief Wilderness demands it

I sit almost naked in Ward Creek

Being chilled never felt so damn good.

“The climb out of town isn’t so bad.”

That’s what they said to me, but they lied

No water — exposed rock — not a drop

What am I doing here?! I wonder.

I drink strawberry-flavored pond scum

Angels left pure gallons at a road

I’m so happy I could cry — I gulp

Water makes all the difference in life.

Rest is just as important as drink

I climb into Nevada mountains

I descend to frigid, calm Gray Lake

I need to do nothing else at all.

Wind tries to shove me off Relay Peak

I’m over 10,000 feet tall here

But happiness and sunshine come soon —

Gray Ghost meets me at Tahoe Meadows.

Giant boulders wait like dragon eggs

Neon lichen drapes the pines in silk

Pale green mules ears carpet the brown ground

Who knew Nevada has such magic?

I trace my footsteps around the lake

My eyes remember each peak, each pass

Smoke is gone, replaced by nostalgia

How do I have only ten miles left?

A falling star welcomes my last day

As the miles go down, so does the path

What stops me from circling forever?

I wonder, then turn down the spur trail.