Trail Angels

A trail angel is someone on or close to the trail for a PCT hiker. They usually provide a hot meal, a cold drink, a ride somewhere, etc. Today during my afternoon break I had the privilege of being invited to join a family Mother's Day outing with the Danielson's from San Diego! They didn't know I was going to be resting at this particular picnic area, and they didn't even know me, but they invited me over to join them for hot dogs, potato salad, chips, and cold sodas--it was awesome! So thank you to the Danielson's for hooking me up with some good grub and cold drinks in the afternoon heat! Happy Mother's Day to each of you (that the title applies to). :)

This morning's hike was definitely a productive one and I got 10 miles under my belt before it got too hot. I'm still enjoying the shade of a tree in the picnic area and will likely head down the road in another hour or so. My feet held up decently, but not perfectly. But with a much lighter load on my back, I think I'll be okay for the next couple of days until I get my shoes mailed from home. The ones that I'm wearing aren't being kind to my still swollen feet so I'm going to wear a bigger pair of lighter running shoes until I head into the Sierras in a few weeks. In the more near-term, if my feet cooperate, I'll be in Warner Springs in three days and Idyllwild in six days. I'm planning to take a day off in Idyllwild because I hear it is a very hiker-friendly town (plus I'll need it!).

In other news, I learned what a gopher snake is today because one was lying in the middle of the trail and refused to budge, even after I threw rocks at it! (I didn't yet know it wasn't a rattlesnake.) I literally had to pick it up with a long stick and move him off the trail!