Forester Pass
With my mattress. Before I gave it to some hiker who needed it more than me. I regretted my decision to give away my whole mattress every night afterwards. Many times I am so excited to help others that I forget about me.
Next time I am in a similar situation where somebody needs a mattress on the trail, I will cut my mattress in half and keep half for me. It's very rough and cold to sleep directly on the ground especially when sleeping on wet or rocky land above 10,000 ft. A small part of that mattress would have helped me protect my back and my organs, keep them warm and get some sleep. I can sleep with the legs in the backpack and the head on the towel. It sounds funny but this is what I did. I rolled the small towel, put it in a bag and it looked like a pillow.
The positive side of the story: the fact that my nights were unbearably cold and uncomfortable made me walk more and faster every day and night and that's why I walked the 222 miles (375 km) in only 9 days. I was eager to be in my bed and have a hot bath. Every night I was dreaming about it. But every day I was happy to be there! Every morning I would instantly forget how hard the night was and was smiling and enjoying being there.
John Muir Trail 2021
Forester Pass
With my mattress. Before I gave it to some hiker who needed it more than me. I regretted my decision to give away my whole mattress every night afterwards. Many times I am so excited to help others that I forget about me.
Next time I am in a similar situation where somebody needs a mattress on the trail, I will cut my mattress in half and keep half for me. It's very rough and cold to sleep directly on the ground especially when sleeping on wet or rocky land above 10,000 ft. A small part of that mattress would have helped me protect my back and my organs, keep them warm and get some sleep. I can sleep with the legs in the backpack and the head on the towel. It sounds funny but this is what I did. I rolled the small towel, put it in a bag and it looked like a pillow.
The positive side of the story: the fact that my nights were unbearably cold and uncomfortable made me walk more and faster every day and night and that's why I walked the 222 miles (375 km) in only 9 days. I was eager to be in my bed and have a hot bath. Every night I was dreaming about it. But every day I was happy to be there! Every morning I would instantly forget how hard the night was and was smiling and enjoying being there.
John Muir Trail 2021