It is very easy to lose track of the days when thru-hiking. Almost every day has the same pattern: wake up, eat, hike, eat, hike, eat, sleep. This tendency can have a meditative effect as you lose yourself in the trail, but can also lead to trouble when you have shipped a box of food ahead to a small-town post office, end up getting there at 5:01 pm on a Friday and are then stuck waiting until it opens again Monday morning to retrieve your box.
Thankfully I never had this issue, but as we approached Garnet and Thousand Island Lakes on the JMT we started seeing inordinate numbers of backpackers, many fresh-faced and with dogs in tow. As I happily watched the dogs rollick around in the snow, I wondered aloud, “Wow, there really seem to be a lot of people on the trail today.” Duh, of course, it must be the weekend! On this sunny Saturday in late July the trail was filled with weekenders, out on two-to-three day treks to enjoy the alpine lakes.
They chose a good spot to visit. We sat down at the narrow end of Thousand Island Lake to eat lunch, gazing across the serene blue water to the granite islands and snowy peaks on the other side. A few fishing lines broke the surface, as intrepid hikers cast about looking for mountain trout. Lying down on the grass in the warm sun, I dozed off in alpine paradise.
Russell on the Road 