Today was an excellent day. We woke up early to a very light mist. We could hardly believe it! We'd all been complaining about feeling sticky before going to bed last night but didn't think it could actually be humid....way too rare down here! Rather than risk getting soaked, we packed up and hit the trail bound for Agua Dulce.
During the night, the dry stream we were camped by in Maddox Canyon started flowing strongly. I'd never seen anything like this before. The canyon wasn't narrow and the mist was light, but it was a live reminder of how a flash flood could start. In the right environment, it definitely wouldn't take much precipitation. Definitely made me think of the movie 129 Hours which I watched recently.
The hike was wonderful...beautiful clouds, cool temps, and gently rolling terrain. I'm not sure why, but I almost felt like I was in Hawaii. The walking went quickly and I cruised the 14 miles into town by about 10. Gotta love the light pack on town day!
The PCT runs through the center of Agua Dulce. My very first stop was at the grocery where I grabbed a chocolate milk, yogurt, tons of fruit, and a bar. I'd walked into town on empty having eaten my "emergency" mashed potato packet about 10 miles out.
After leaving the grocery, I started making my way towards the Saufley's house. However, I didn't get far. About a block down the road, I ran into Histo parked outside the bakery with a ham, egg, and cheese croissant. I certainly couldn't miss out on that fun so I quickly purchased my own and joined him outside. It definitely hit the spot.
Once satisfied, Histo and I continued along to the Saufley's house, aka Hiker Heaven. The Saufleys are some amazing trail angels who put hikers up in bunks and provide foot baths, bikes to get around town, and so much more. We'd been really looking forward to meeting them. However, by the time we showed up, they were full for the night. We thought we were going to wind up at a campground outside of town, but a new angel came out of the woodwork! Believe it or not, a neighbor named Laurie showed up on the scene, and invited us to stay on her farm. We couldn't believe our luck! We gathered our packages we'd had sent to the Saufleys (for me, it was a new trekking pole from BD, a filter and cookies from my parents, and an awesome card and goodies from Kirsten - thank you SO MUCH!) and headed to Laurie's place.
The farm is wonderful. We were given a complete tour and even got to watch the goat milking. We've had hot showers, and the food keeps coming. There is a van for us to use, and we just got back from town where we had pizza and ice cream. I'm currently sitting outside next to a fire. Life is good.
Tomorrow, the plan is to take care of laundry, resupplying, and other town chores. A trip to REI in a neighboring town may also be in order. (I need new socks, and my new trekking pole came with the wrong kind of tip). Otherwise, I'll just be kicking back and moving over to the Saufleys for tomorrow night.
Hi, Kristy,
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great experience out there on the trail.
take care,
Patrice Conner