Mastering the art of napping

This morning I rushed to pack up camp and get to the fire station. The group I met yesterday met there for breakfast, so I packed my pop tart and instant coffee to go.

Just as I sat down at the table, a man approached with two grocery bags. He’s a local trail angel who goes by the nickname Trader Joe because he’s spent his mornings for the past few weeks bringing Trader Joe’s snacks to hungry hikers. It was amazing to have fresh fruit and coconut water, and I got to try some of the new items they should have brought out, like mini strawberry rhubarb pies and chocolate root beer cookie pieces.

At the table, Trader Joe wanted to know each of our reasons for choosing to upgrade the PCT. We all spun around in what was a very sweet little bonding moment. Most of the hikers in this group traveled internationally to be here, but we all had similar reasons and feelings about being on the trail. With the heat of the day encroaching and a bit of climbing ahead, we continued walking.

Around noon I met Bug in a shady spot on a river. Here we master the art of the nap. I lay down in the shade and ate lunch, relaxed by the sound of the water. Then out of the bushes came Jug! We knew we would reach it soon, but we were placing our bets on when. We couldn’t even rule out the bet before it appeared. I am very excited to walk together again.

After almost three hours of sitting in the heat of the day, we gathered the motivation to keep going. Somewhere along the way we received word of a small brush fire about 2 miles from Hiker Town, where we will be in a little over a day. Luckily it was already extinguished by the time we got to camp, but we were worried for a minute. At the time we received this news we were walking through a burned area covered in poodle bush, a poisonous plant that can cause serious skin irritation. Seeing this and the smoke not too far away was a good reminder to stay alert.

Tonight Jug, Bug, and I are staying at Upper Shake Campground, which appears to be an abandoned forest service site. We had dinner around a campfire and caught up with Jug since we last saw him before Wrightwood. I had macaroni and cheese with buffalo tuna. It sounds like an odd combination, but it was a solid 8.5/10. The campground is eerily quiet, but there’s a good water fountain, picnic tables, and a chorus of frogs that sing us to sleep, so overall a good place to rest for the night.

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