Counting Sheep

I am laboring beneath a very heavy backpack.

We have been underway for three hours already. The only thing I can afford to think about, however, are the huge, sharp rocks underfoot. They are unstable and treacherous. A person could slip and fall at any moment.

My fellow traveler, the biologist Mikhail Bondar, seems not the least bit tired. He is carrying two backpacks tied together with a strong rope. Together they weigh in at more than 40 kilos [88 pounds]. Aside from his personal effects, the gas stove and pot, he is carrying a tripod and 70x spotting scope. I wonder at his endurance and do all I can not to show that I am on my last legs.