Woke up with a lot of frost on our stuff, but it warmed up fast and we hiked into Warner Springs by 8:30. We picked up our packages at the P.O. and sat down at the gas station for a bit. We met a few other hikers there who were looking for rides to the Kick-off, a big gathering of PCT hikers at Morena Lake.
Casey came over from the resort across the street and offered us showers and to do a load of laundry with him, which we eagerly accepted. A hiker from Ireland named Irish got everyone cups of tea. I got a vanilla soda and it hit the spot. It felt really good to shower and scrub off -- I'd been doing my best to sort of wash up with a bandana every night before getting into my sleeping bag, but ya kinda get this layer of desert filth that just won't come off without a good hot soapy scrubbing.
Clean & fresh, with clean laundry, we went back to the gas station to wait for Yogi, the woman who gave us a ride to the Kick-off. She also authored a guidebook that most hikers refer to for water and town info along the trail. Found out from one of the local firemen that the black & white striped snake we saw was a California King snake, which is non-venomous and eats rattlers. We got a package of really yummy "fruit and energy" bars from the hiker box in the P.O. and attached to it was a note with a song and a number to call to have the woman, Rudy, sing it for you and I called and left a message thanking her for the treats.
Our ride arrived and our crew piled in -- Sly, Hiker Bill, Joanne, myself, and a guy named Joaquin, and Casey. We stopped in Julian and picked up a few groceries. Casey and I secretly bought apple pie and wine for Joanne's birthday. We stopped again at Mt. Lagune general store and I got an ice cream sandwich and a V-8. Joanne scored a bunch of random crap from the hiker box, including a bag of "vitamins" -- whic her and Casey and Sly took. I abstained due to a fear they could contain nut products and also some wariness at taking pills found in a plastic bag.
We arrived at the Kick-off and set up our tent amongst many other tents. Through Casey, we found a ride to the REI in San Diego (to return my uncomfortable pack) with a girl named Gazelle. He had stayed at her house for a few days before beginning the hike. We slept in comfy beds at ther house, ate some homemade chili and cornbread, and watched an episode of "Good Eats" about pomegranates. I turned my phone on so that Joanne could call her friend Caitlyn in Joahua Tree, and that lady Rudy called right then and sang the song for us. which was sweet. I think I'll send it to Stephen, since it was an old fashioned-folky type song. Gazelle's cat slept with me for part of the night, which was nice.
Casey came over from the resort across the street and offered us showers and to do a load of laundry with him, which we eagerly accepted. A hiker from Ireland named Irish got everyone cups of tea. I got a vanilla soda and it hit the spot. It felt really good to shower and scrub off -- I'd been doing my best to sort of wash up with a bandana every night before getting into my sleeping bag, but ya kinda get this layer of desert filth that just won't come off without a good hot soapy scrubbing.
Clean & fresh, with clean laundry, we went back to the gas station to wait for Yogi, the woman who gave us a ride to the Kick-off. She also authored a guidebook that most hikers refer to for water and town info along the trail. Found out from one of the local firemen that the black & white striped snake we saw was a California King snake, which is non-venomous and eats rattlers. We got a package of really yummy "fruit and energy" bars from the hiker box in the P.O. and attached to it was a note with a song and a number to call to have the woman, Rudy, sing it for you and I called and left a message thanking her for the treats.
Our ride arrived and our crew piled in -- Sly, Hiker Bill, Joanne, myself, and a guy named Joaquin, and Casey. We stopped in Julian and picked up a few groceries. Casey and I secretly bought apple pie and wine for Joanne's birthday. We stopped again at Mt. Lagune general store and I got an ice cream sandwich and a V-8. Joanne scored a bunch of random crap from the hiker box, including a bag of "vitamins" -- whic her and Casey and Sly took. I abstained due to a fear they could contain nut products and also some wariness at taking pills found in a plastic bag.
We arrived at the Kick-off and set up our tent amongst many other tents. Through Casey, we found a ride to the REI in San Diego (to return my uncomfortable pack) with a girl named Gazelle. He had stayed at her house for a few days before beginning the hike. We slept in comfy beds at ther house, ate some homemade chili and cornbread, and watched an episode of "Good Eats" about pomegranates. I turned my phone on so that Joanne could call her friend Caitlyn in Joahua Tree, and that lady Rudy called right then and sang the song for us. which was sweet. I think I'll send it to Stephen, since it was an old fashioned-folky type song. Gazelle's cat slept with me for part of the night, which was nice.
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