Surprise! – The walk

I’m happy to report that my first night of cowboy camping was a success. It was warm and cozy and my Garmin watch reported an excellent sleep score. I may have been snoring a little after walking around all day yesterday through clouds of pollen…sorry everyone.

As I walked, Straight Up jokingly asked me if I had seen my share of snakes for the day referring to yesterday’s rattlesnake showdowns. Maybe a minute or two later I was stopped in my tracks by another snake lying across the road. He cursed him. This time we were able to calmly let him know we were there and pass safely after he slipped away. Much better than yesterday.

Today’s highlight was the famous Golden Arches of Cajon Pass. We had a nice easy 12 miles to get to the turnoff for McDonald’s and the convenience store. Penguin and Floki were camping behind us last night, but they woke up early to bypass us and get there at breakfast time. So once we arrived at noon, the entire group was there with trays of food.

I ordered an iced coffee, a spicy chicken sandwich, fries, and made sure to get some random sauces that would pair well with the food I have to take with me to Wrightwood. Speaking of getting to Wrightwood, the conversation at McDonald’s turned to logistics for the next day. Water sources are non-existent. I wanted to take some time to re-evaluate my food situation and water capacity, so the moment someone mentioned staying at the nearby motel, I jumped on it. I needed time and space to plan the next step.

While checking into the motel, I received a surprise text from one of my best friends from home. She was on a work trip that took her from Palm Springs to Mojave, driving over Cajon Pass. She asked me where I was and with this unexpected night at the motel, it gave her the opportunity to come say hello! I was so excited that I immediately cried ugly tears at the thought of seeing a friend from home.

At the beginning of the tour I had given him my location and on a hunch I was hoping things would align to surprise me. He packed some awesome snacks from places I don’t have access to along the way, like World Market and Trader Joe’s, and even stopped to pick up dinner for me and the kids at a place that wasn’t McDonald’s. I have absolutely the best friends. I was so caught up in the moment and so excited to catch up with her that I didn’t take a single photo tonight. Sign of a good time!

Turns out she and a couple of other friends are coming to visit me in Wrightwood! She was able to take the various random foods in my bag to reduce the load for tomorrow’s climb/heavy water load, and bring them back to me in a few days. I wasn’t expecting to spend this night at the hotel, but it turned out so good that it was worth it. I feel very grateful and much more confident for tomorrow.

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