This was a labor of love, I hope it inspires more women to try these sorts of things!
Along the way I saw three snakes, two were certainly rattlers, one big black shiny beetle, shimmering like satin, at least the size of my thumb, and crossed over 5 waterfalls. I listened to the tinny din of cicadas, smelled the deep wine of mulch, saw the rim of the mountains circling me up above and felt the soft piled pine beneath my feet. I came upon a fork in the trail and took the fork to the right. It was wrong, and I kind camper pointed me back tot the right way but along the detour I saw a deer.
The final scramble up to Sapphire left me totally drained, and I had to do some sketchy climbing to get to fresh flowing water. There is a lot I would do differently if I tried this again, #1 would be bringing a filter and a friend.