Black people are better with friends

Great admirer of Nero. I woke up this morning very well rested.

I walked with Bug and Straight Up to the coffee shop for a latte and a bagel before returning to the market one last time for a couple of items I missed on my list. From the market, Bug and Straight Up had a problem while I returned to the Airbnb to organize my things and wait for my friends.

I’ve said it many times but I really do have the best friends. Three of my closest friends decided to join me on a small stretch of the trail. It also turned out that my friend was able to bring me my new pair of shoes. It’s crazy how much almost 400 miles can flatten the cushion of your soles. I put on the new ones and felt like I was walking on clouds.

We returned to the inspiration point and hiked the trail together for about 4 miles to Vincent Gap. It was so much fun catching up on the latest climbing gym news and telling them all the details of life on the trail. They brought me great snacks, great company, and great vibes that boosted my morale before the next big climb.

At Vincent Gap we said our tearful goodbyes and moved on. I had a mountain to climb. Mount Baden Powell sits at 9,406 feet with approximately 2,650 feet of gain over 4 miles of switchbacks. Although the summit is not technically on the PCT, it is just a short detour that makes it a must-see stop.

The entire way I played a little game with myself to greet all the hikers coming down from the summit. It turns out that simply saying hello can go a long way. I was chatting to a couple who said they’d met Penguin at the summit, so I know he’s not far ahead. I was also offered nerd groups (my favorite), but I had too many snacks to accept. I also met another couple who casually asked me where I was going with my backpack. When I said “Canada” they were surprised! And a little confused. I told them about the trail and they asked to take a photo.

I took my photo with the summit sign and began the descent, walking alone in the afternoon. At some point on the descent I met a hiker named Tortuga. We walked for a while together, talking about life. Turtle is a peculiar guy. He camps as a cowboy and only eats this protein food supplement, which makes his backpack incredibly small. He also walks in flip flops and carries a blue ukulele.

Just before Jimmy Springs we ran into Bug! I thought she would be way ahead of me and I wouldn’t see her for a while. She and Straight Up decided to go a few miles past Little Jimmy Campground. When I saw the large group at the camp, I decided to move on as well. There is a norovirus outbreak around Wrightwood. Someone was airlifted from Baden Powell yesterday due to serious symptoms. I’m trying to be extra cautious by washing my hands with soap and water much more frequently and avoiding places where you can get infected, like all the pit toilets on Highway 2. I also packed disinfectant wipes and have chemical treatment tablets to treat the water twice. You can’t be too careful when it comes to noro.

Tonight we will camp in a parking lot at the beginning of a trail. Since the road is closed there is no traffic making this a nice quiet place to camp. We have a long way to go tomorrow.

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