Day 168, September 18, 2012

I woke up pretty early. My knees were tight and locked. Sometimes I will go to sleep with something under them to keep them slightly bent, but I was so tired the night before that I honestly didn't remember to. I woke up on my back and my knees were burning from being locked straight.
I unzipped my sleeping bag and stretched out right away while still laying on my back. Stretching my IT band really seems to make my knees feel better quickly. So I stretched them out for a good 15 minutes and just worked my knees back and forth a few minutes to loosen them up. They felt much better.

Day 167, September 17, 2012

I woke up pretty early. I was between a dumpster and a fence behind a jack in the box. I didn't sleep very well but I felt very rested just knowing I was going to take a day to rest. I had just went through one of the toughest weeks in my life and through the unexpected toughest stretch of my trip. It was a very emotional and spiritual experience. I was ready to have a day to just soak in what I could. Plus rest. I was excited to rest!
I got up and my eyes were heavy. It was a nice day and I felt good! My knees felt a little weak and sore so I wanted to get some ice on them throughout the
day. I packed my things up from off the dirt there and packed my cart in. I slipped my shoes on but didn't tie them. It was gonna be a lazy day ahead.

Day 166, September 16, 2012

I woke up hearing something creek. I opened my eyes and instantly was relieved that I was around something. It wasn't just sand for as far as I could see. There were objects of society around and it felt good to see that.

The creek I heard was coming from the tank next to where I slept. It sounded like a valve or pipe was making the sound. Maybe someone turned on the water or something. I'm not sure.

Right when I woke up I grabbed a full bottle of water and downed it. Man that felt good. I sighed after I finished and grinned as I was thankful for that. I ate some of the Mexican donut that I was given from the day before. Today was my birthday and the first day of being 26. It was a good day as I would see 29 palms at some point.

Day 165, September 15, 2012

      I woke up and had slept pretty decent. I was still feeling good and right away thinking I only had one more full day of bare desert as long as everything went smooth. 
I got up with a positive attitude and was ready to tackle another day and meet my goal. I wanted to cover another 15-17 miles today. I was mostly guesstimating the miles at this point and was also using mile markers to do the math. My mind was so blurry that I hadn't been paying to close of attention the last few days, but I was getting more on track as I was getting closer. 

Day 164, September 14, 2012

  It was pretty early and the sun was just up when I opened my eyes. I still felt really good and was extremely relieved at that. I was so thankful that my mind was still good and I really think the breakdown I had the day before helped me a lot. Plus all the people who brought me hope kept me stable.
       I stood up and tested my knees again. They were feeling pretty rough today and I felt like they did a fair amount of work yesterday for the condition they were in. They hurt a fair amount and felt a little weak. I was now feeling closer to 29 palms. I guessed I had maybe 49 miles or so to go. I decided to try and get around 15-17 miles in for the day.

Day 163, September 13, 2012

 I woke up feeling the heat. I was exhausted! I slept on and off and never too solid, but I slept for such a long time I thought that the time I was asleep would provide more of a recovered feeling than this. I felt so tired I felt sick. I opened my eyes and just laid there.
My body felt sucked in and I had not eaten nearly enough food in the last few days. I didn't want to move. Just thinking about sitting up sounded like a major chore. My hope was slipping again.
I now realized I am going in and out. I still felt a slight feeling of hallucinating. When I moved my eyes there seemed to be a blurry delay. What is causing this? Maybe exhaustion and starvation? I didn't feel like I was that much worse now than I have been in past days. Is it just what the massive desert can do. It seems as if the bare land all around me is collectively draining my spirits. I felt a glimpse of hope the day before and thought it would rise from here. But it now seems to be lost again.