Today was another great day. The 5 miles down to I-5 were super cruiser. The hitch into Shasta wound up being a little trickier than we'd hoped. Thee were 8 of us trying to get rides. Nugs and I decided to try hitching from the interstate itself so more drivers would see us, while the rest waited at the bottom of the ramp in hopes of getting a lift from someone getting on the highway right there. Four of us were able to get a ride, but Tourist, Shameless, Nugs, and I finally gave up after standing in the sun for way too long. It's frustrating when empty cars just keep whizzing by. We wound up calling a taxi and got a $40 ride into town. It was worth the money at that point!
Once we made it to town, we hit up the Black Bear Diner for breakfast. I went for some delicious cinnamon french toast, though I was still a bit hungry when I finished. After breakfast, I hit B of A, the two gear shops in town and the laundromat. I needed a new Sawyer pouch and wasn't able to find one, but the second gear shop I stopped at gave me a new Platypus bladder for free. So nice! Thru-hikers get a lot of perks!
After doing laundry, I hit the motel room that Tourist, Nugs, Fall Risk, and Mud Flap are splitting. The hotel managers are super strict about their four guests per room policy, but Shameless and I talked them into letting us shower for $5.00 each. The two of us are planning to crash behind one of the gear shops tonight.
Post shower, I walked to the grocery to resupply, hit Rite Aide, and then meet the rest of my posse for a 5:10 showing of Batman. Batman was awesome, and it was great to zone out and totally forget about the trail for a few hours. Couldn't argue with a little A/C either! Needless to say, we all looked like a bunch of senior citizens when we stood up at the end of the show. We did dinner at a bar after the movie, grabbed ice cream at the grocery, and are now hunkered down in Nips and Wildflowers' room watching the Olympics.
There is a big fire in the area. We're hoping to make it back to the trail tomorrow but I-5 is currently closed. There seem to be a lot of folks stuck in Mt. Shasta. Gas stations are out of fuel, restaurants are low on food, and hotels are totally booked. We have power but have heard that it is out in surrounding areas. We're definitely crossing our fingers that we don't have problems tomorrow.
I want to give a shout out to all my friends in Seattle who are going to be adventuring around the passes this summer. Believe it or not, PCT-ers are already hitting Washington. Many hikers got really early starts this year due to the low Sierra snowpack. Please keep am eye out for us trying to hitch down from the passes or back up to the trail from nearby communities. Most of us will be resupplying from White, Snoqualmie, and Stevens Passes and will REALLY appreciate a ride. We may be filthy and smelly, but we'll all have stories to share and most of us are more than willing to chip in for gas. Thank you in advance! If all goes as planned, I should cross into Washington at Cascade Locks Labor Day weekend or just a tad sooner. Still lots of miles to go, but I'm already looking forward to it.
More hiking tomorrow! Have a great night!
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