Hiker-Heaven

I was the first to wake up, after a solid nights sleep. It being a week day, and still quite early, I figured I’d make use of the luxury of having access to a hot shower once more. Great way to start the day! Not long after I got to hiking. 10 miles on the books for the day. On towards Hiker heaven. It was very clouded in the valley, which  made for great hiking-weather. To not be roasted for a change was a breath of fresh air, and I really notice the difference on my body; the hiking came a whole lot easier.

I finished the last of my snacks leaving me with an empty food-bag, today being resupply-day. During the second half of the morning the sun did break through the clouds, and it started heating up a bit, but with a light pack and the knowledge that we’d arrive in the town of Aqua Dulce soon, it was all very manageable. As the skies cleared, the landscape changed. The trail led through some impressive geological formations, which made for great views. Nearing town, we actually passed through a passage which was marked as the Geology Trail.

Around lunch time I hiked into the tiny town-center and since I was famished, I ordered Huevos Rancheros at the Mexican restaurant, which were great. After being happily fed, I got my next 3-day resupply sorted at the local grocery store. Because many, many thru-hikers pass through this town, the shelves were pretty bare of the items popular among hikers. There was no  cous cous left. I did stuff a ton of cous-cous in my resupply box to Hiker-Town, some 60 miles away, so I will have to survive on ramen and mashed potatoes till then.
After the resupply I headed towards Hiker-heaven. The Saufley’s are a family of trail-angels who have got an amazing set-up going on. Their back-yard is filled with futuristic looking, iglo-shaped tents, in which they have everything needed to cater to the classic thru-hiker; washing, cold drinks, sewing-machines, computers, a resupply packaging area, a complete wardrobe of spare clothes (for when you’re dirty stuff is being washed), an outdoor shower and tons of space to set up your tent. They have several and a bunch of chickens running around, and there’s hikers chilling everywhere. On top of all that, there’s a hiker-common room with a kitchen, lounge chairs, flat-screen tv, and a bunch of guitars. And they provide shuttles into town throughout the day. Absolutely amazing! The place reminded me of a desert-scene from Star Wars. I got my laundry done, took (another) shower, and spend the rest of the day just hanging around. Because there’s only hikers here, scattered around the big yard, all taking it real easy, the atmosphere reminded me a lot of summer-camp. Summer-camp for adults. Good times!

At the end of the day we played some tunes with the guitar, sang some songs and had a very enjoyable evening.

Unfortunately there’s been another fire-closure, which means we have to by-pass another chunk of the PCT. We’ll be missing out on 20-somewhat miles. Instead of doing a very long and unattractive road-walk, we’ll probably share an Uber to the next trail-angel-family. This place, called Casa de Luna is also a very popular stop among hikers. Apparently you need to do a dance in order to receive your class of 2018 bandana & Hawaii shirt. Should be interesting enough. So half a day hiking today, and probably zero miles tomorrow, it almost feels like weekend. Exciting times ahead though; after Casa de Luna, we’re heading into an outskirt of the Mojave desert; supposedly very exposed and very, very hot. The blistering heat of the sand-box awaits…

She moves like beams of light
Straight through this universe in my head
Where I get peace of mind
Free from the stupid things that I said
She’s all in my head

Did I get lost while I was gone
I traveled space for much too long
But there’s a planet I have found
And you are far away for now

Space travel – Yellowcard