Miles traveled: 21.3
Mile marker: 112.5
Cowboy Camp, while offering beautiful stargazing, also features a very bright moon. I woke up before midnight and a few more times after. Maybe it had something to do with the slope that made my head slightly higher than my feet.
The morning is a cold blue: the shadow of dawn. Dad wears his fleece, so I wear mine too. The monkey sees, the monkey does. But this monkey needs to stop that because many of the processes here (and in the normal world) must be down to individual preference and practicality.
I get a little cold when I open the valve on my sleeping bag and let it deflate. Since cowboy camping, I try to modestly change my shirt just to successfully tie a knot. It takes me a couple of minutes to figure this out until I decide to hide under my sleeping bag.
The plan was to cold soak the oats, but time is running out. I settle for a lemon poppy seed protein cookie and my morning drink: hot chocolate, essential breakfast chocolate, and instant coffee.
That’s one of my favorite treats on the road so far.
We begin the trail as the sun makes its morning debut. Our hike dips into warm areas, which feels a little like entering 80 degrees, and then back into the cool morning.
We reach the ridge again. There are trees in the distance and there are low bushes on either side of us with a steep drop off just beyond the bushes to our right.
«Hey, Kate, did you see the cave?» Dad is stopped a few meters behind me. My head was lowered and I didn’t even see the cave hidden in the flat space of the giant hill we are on! It’s just a small space and it’s about eight feet deep.
We took photos and our backpacks to leave. «Looks like there’s a note there,» I say. I take off my backpack and use my trekking pole to retrieve it. Just a sweet feeling. Thanks to CrossFit, I can crouch down and go into the cave to save and get the note.
Thank you, Coach Rich!
We continue our walk to reach Rafiki. Unfortunately, Dad accidentally surpassed his 100 mile marker, which is a big deal, the last time he hiked the trail. Pausing here, we raised our hands to take some photos.
100 miles! My longest backpacking trip ever!
Two miles later, we are at a waterhole where other hikers are lying. Their feet are elevated, supported on trunks or trees, so that the swelling in their feet goes down.
Pastor is here, the man who walks in Chacos and who has already walked the trail two and a half times. He and Dad talk about losing his toenails, since Dad is missing one and Shepherd is missing two toenails that never grew back.
Oh.
The American Kevin, whom we met yesterday, is an artist who will take his work home and recreate it in his oil paintings. He showed us his work and WOW! I don’t think anyone expected his work to be as colorful, detailed and skillful as it is!
The next four miles will be very exposed. I eat a cliff bar, a meat stick and start with a chocolate chip cookie dough protein bar. There is no time for lunch if we want to beat this sun.
We hit the road and, for the first time on my bike, we followed the angels!
These are people who give PCT hikers free food, drinks, and anything else they can offer us! One Way Mike and Kathy provide us with Gatorade, bananas, oranges, apples, cherry tomatoes and many cracker options. Finishing my protein bar, I have a banana and a Gatorade.
It was very nice of them to offer us food, and it was a great spread! Thank you One Way Mike and Kathy for your generosity!!
The next four miles fly by. Using my umbrella, I try to block the sun. It works, but I can’t see the landscape. I end up just returning it.
We enter the meadows. It’s amazing here. We are walking along a path in the middle of yellow grass that looks like wheat. The great hills are seen in the distance and the grass shines in the wind. It looks alive, like it’s dancing with the wind and changing color from tan to mustard.
Rafiki flies in front of us. Really enjoyed this section and it really was a little piece of magic in the desert.
We soon came to a cold, refreshing stream. I sit on the rock next to Rafiki and let my feet fall into the water. Wow, it’s cold! The water flows over my feet, stinging them until they get used to it after a few minutes. Here we have lunch and rinse our dirty socks. Dust on socks can cause blisters!
My clothes are very salty, so I try to rinse the dirt off my shirt. Did that work? Hey. At least when I put it on, it gave me a fresh layer to walk through the magical meadows again!
We walk to Eagle Rock when we are greeted by a man named Hamburger Helper. Another trail angel! He accompanies us to the rock, where there is a tarp placed in the shade. They give us wipes to clean our hands and offer us soft drinks. I got a cola, but they also had ginger ale and beer. We showered ourselves with pretzels, PBJ tortillas, snickers, Oreo cookies, fake mustaches (Connor and I both sported them), sunscreen, which was PERFECT because I ran out of spray sunscreen about a year ago.
Hamburger Helper is helped by his wife Emmy and his friends Victor, the toilet paper king (whatever that means, but he told me to say it) and Cindy. We signed their log book, of which we have signed about five since we started the tour. People often keep them as diaries to mark who we are and where we come from.
Hamburger Helper reads us a poem he wrote: for us! It brings him great joy just to help us. He also shares a log with us so that if we reach a future part of the journey, we will think of it in memory of his sister.
It’s so nice that people help us, and specifically, it’s special that helping us brings them so much joy!
By the way, Eagle Rock? Shaped fair like an eagle Take a look.
Hamburger Helper concludes our time with him giving us a hug. Each hiker receives one before leaving. How special is that!
Our next stop is the Warner Springs Community Center. This is an easy, exposed, brush-lined walk. My feet hurt a little, but the repetition of walking on smooth ground makes a big difference.
«Oh!» Rafiki says as we walk through the meadow. His little finger is bleeding and blood is dripping down his hand. The sharp blade of yellow grass we walked on cut his finger.
“Do you need a band-aid?” asked.
«It’s okay now. It’s freezing.» Rafiki holds his soles, contemplating whether or not he should use his trekking poles with his bloody hand.
At this point I can’t stop laughing. I don’t know why, but the thought of someone cutting their finger on weed makes me laugh.
The community center allows us to refill water and use the bathrooms. We sign a register again as we enter the small store that sells all kinds of snacks and items a hiker might need.
Another layer of sunscreen to protect the skin and we reached our last stop. Camp!
My feet are pretty tired right now. The bottoms of my feet hurt, the pointy part of my ankles has been hitting my shoes a little hard, and the blister on my left heel has spread beyond the Leuko tape, while I have a new baby blister on the tip of my other toe.
The road is easy, but dad is tired, I’m singing a song with no melody and Rafiki tries to listen to what I’m saying only for me to respond, «I’m talking to myself.»
The camp is a welcoming place. We traveled a little further to get some water from the creek and decided to stay at the campsite we just passed rather than continue on.
Camp is set up and my tent is the best I’ve set up yet! The only help I had? Dad put a rock on a stake for me. Thanks, dad.
Mosquitoes are the unwanted visitors here. Dad and I sit around Rafiki, joking that I bring the mosquitoes and Dad the mice, when American Kevin joins us.
“What bug are you bringing me?” Rafiki asks.
«Oh, the coyote! I saw one on my way here!» Kevin answers.
«The cuddling puppy!» Rafiki says.
There are more hikers around us and soon, Hummingbird (she’s super fun) joins us to socialize. His friends arrive soon and just as I’m preparing the inside of my tent, Shepherd joins the group.
I’m making my cold soak oats for tomorrow. It’s already dark and everyone is in their tents. On my way to mine after going to the bathroom every night, I hear something crunching on the grass.
My headlamp illuminates a large front, the size of my hand! He jumps again and I see a stream of urine coming out of him.
Sorry, little frog! I didn’t mean to scare you! Believe.
Disrupting nature is not on my list of things to do here.
I’m finally in bed, wondering if that distant scream was a coyote. Today was my best day so far. I have a feeling it has something to do with that smooth terrain. Those rocky paths are not my chosen terrain.
Now I’m going to sleep. It’s been a fun few days that have flown by, but I’m exhausted!
