The Extra Day Paid Off

My husband and I headed out to the road to hitch to Pioneer Mail. After a short while a young man stopped and picked us up. He had never given anyone a hitch before. I explained hiker culture and told him I was hiking to Canada. He could not believe what I was attempting to do. The young man reminded me of my son. After we arrived at the picnic area we unloaded his car, offered him money, which he refused, and started our hike north. The trail was in good condition after the snowstorm that happened on Thursday, we only encountered a few patches of snow. I’m glad I took an extra day off to let the snow melt. We hiked 11 miles and camped with others next to the water for the night.

Another Storm is Brewing

We woke up and hit the trail, we hiked 12.6 miles to Scissors Crossing. We hitched back to Julian to have lunch and get my husbands’s car before he headed back home. Our hitch was an adorable family with their two small children in a van. There was talk of another storm coming that would bring high winds with gusts of 70 mph. So, I made the decision to take another zero in Julian. I’m never going to get to Canada if it doesn’t stop snowing and storming.

A True Day of Rest

I took a day off and really did nothing. I watched TV, called my mom, took a bath, and had dinner with another hiker.  Often times zeros are spent doing many chores, it was great to just relax and let my body rest. I laughed at how many nights I stayed in Julian and how many pieces of pie I had. I’m never gonna get out!!

Let’s Get Moving

I arranged a ride from a Trail Angel back to Scissors and started my 14 mile hike to the 3rd gate water cache. This was my first day on the trail without my girlfriend and without my husband. It felt good to be on my own schedule. I knew there was limited camping so I hiked like a crazy woman to only arrive at camp first. Ha! I got water, set up camp, and watched the mass arrival of hikers.

Hurry Up! There’s Trail Magic Ahead

I got on the trail to hike 10 miles to Barrel Springs. I had two friends coming to join me with some magic. I arrived around noon and they arrived right after with beer and tacos!! Yes!! After feeding all the hikers around, my friends took me to Montezuma Market to get a few things and then to Mountain Valley Retreat, where I was staying for the night. There were only 4 hikers staying there for the night. I was able to take a shower, do laundry, and have a home-cooked meal.

Oh What an Emotional Day

I woke up and headed off to hiker yoga. It felt good to stretch and my sore Achilles felt great. At the end of class, I felt my emotions get the best of me, I had tears running down my face. The other hikers in class gave me a hug and I cried uncontrollably.  I had not cried in a while and the emotions of missing my son built up.  I felt better, but still felt the emotions.  We headed off to breakfast and then to the trail to hike to Eagle Rock and then to Warner Springs. This just happened to be a hike I did with my son.  I remember him taking a picture with the cows and giving a PCT hiker an hitch with him. How I miss our talks we used to have. Once I arrived in Warner Springs I took the detour to the Post Office to grab a frozen burrito, ice cream, and Michelada from the gas station market. Then, I headed the final couple miles to camp, where my husband would join me again while he’s on his spring break.

Party at Mike’s Place

My husband and I woke up and headed up the mountain to Mike’s Place. We had 6 water crossings that got our feet wet. It was warm in the desert and the 14.5-mile hike felt long. We arrived at Mike’s, set up camp, and my Trail Angel Friends arrived with more magic!! We had tacos, beer, margaritas, oranges, dessert, and 30 happy hikers. It was a great night of eating, drinking, and having a great time.