(06/25/12) Late Night Reading

12:39 AM. I just finished off the last pages of Wild by Cheryl Strayed; stayed up late because I was *this* close to the end. An autobiographical account of her 1,000+ mile hike on the Pacific Coast Trail, this book made me laugh and think, but also made me itch. I cannot wait to get out on the trail and do a big hike. Also, so glad I did not read this in January, as the big hikes would have been months off and I would have torn out my hair with impatience.
Picked it up not because it was part of Oprah's Book Club, but because it was on my county library supervisor's reading list on GoodReads. For those of you that don't know, GoodReads is like facebook for bibliophiles (what you read, liked and didn't like, friend other readers, etc.) but it has been great for me to find books that I would not otherwise have stumbled upon.

While we are stopping at Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the Badlands, our first big hike (in my mind) will be up Avalanche Peak in Yellowstone. Avalanche peak rises 10,568 feet up into the Wyoming sky. Anchoring the eastern border of the park, the 4ish hour round-trip hike offers some of the best views in the park, particularly of Lake Yellowstone. We are hoping for good weather and a clear day so we can see the Tetons in the distance.
Off to bed, with visions of snow-capped peaks in my dreams! That's right, in July, the mountains are still spotted in places with snow!