Where toilet paper is like gold

I know I haven't written in awhile. Don't worry. I wasn't lost in the wilderness. Close. I was backpacking in the western Sierra with my mom and sister.

We met at the Kennedy Meadow cabins, where we went out to dinner at a funky little restaurant up there to celebrate Amanda's birthday, which was Sunday.

Friday morning, well okay, Friday at almost noon, we left Kennedy Meadow for Emigrant Lake.

Each day we hiked about six or seven miles, up and over hills, passes and through canyons and meadows. When we arrived each afternoon or early evening, we would swim in the nearest lake or river to clean up and then make dinner.

It was gorgeous where we were. Large redwoods dominated the canyons, with granite rising on all sides of us.

I won't lie. It was hard. As I was hauling about 30 to 35 pounds for four hours at a time, everything hurt — my neck, my back, my hips, my knees, especially my feet. There were times I wondered, "Now, why do I like this?"

I made the mistake of wearing a pair of running shoes I bought about two years ago. I've always backpacked in running shoes and never had any problems. I guess I just didn't think about how old these particular shoes were. I ended up with blisters that seemed to multiply every day. By the third one, I started naming them. By the fifth, it wasn't funny anymore.

That said, I do like backpacking. Not everyone gets to see what we saw this weekend. I'd probably write this blog differently in a couple days, when the soreness wears off.

On Sunday, we celebrated Amanda's birthday, again. Mom packed in a tiara Amanda was required to wear the whole day. We spent Saturday night at Emigrant Lake, so we left Sunday morning to get back to our first camp by late afternoon. We spent a few hours lounging by a pool fed by a waterfall.

Today, we arrived back at Kennedy Meadow in time to take a swim in the river at, head down for showers and have dinner and Margaritas at a local Mexican place. I have it admit, it's nice to be home. Backpacking does make you appreciate modern amenities like showers, toilets and hot water.

Lesson learned: I need new running shoes.