First off, Happy Birthday to my sister Andrea today! (Sorry I couldn't call you...I was in a town that prides itself in its reclusiveness.)
After finally getting a shower last night, I crawled into bed which consisted of my sleeping bag on a hotel floor. And by hotel floor I mean that really thin carpet that is about a quarter-inch thick that they lay directly on concrete. I put two mattress pads down and it was still uncomfortable. Consequently, I didn't sleep well, which is becoming all too common with the recent dip in nighttime temperatures.
Nevertheless, I found the motivation to get up pretty early: a good, HOT breakfast. A breakfast burrito and three slices of French toast later and I was a happy hiker.
Since I wasn't able to do much of anything related to my resupply the night before, I had a full morning in front of me. The laundromat consisted of one washer and one dryer and there was a person in front of me. So that took awhile. By the time I got my load in the dryer, it was about time for the post office to open. So I went there and picked up my resupply box (thanks Mom!). By the time I had everything ready to go, I had missed the 11:15 am shuttle bus back to the trailhead by about 20 minutes. I consoled myself by having a burger at the restaurant. However, I would have preferred to get out on that shuttle because four other hikers were leaving on that one, too. And with the weather being what it is, some hiking company would have been nice! But they are probably two hours ahead of me and it is unlikely that I'll catch up before the end.
But speaking of weather, it's time for me to provide the latest on-the-ground weather update. Weather watching has become an all-consuming project recently. Right now, shortly before 9 pm, the rain seems to be dying down. The shower didn't last too long, thankfully. I have no idea what to expect for the rest of tonight and anytime in the future. Nobody does. It was nicer this morning when I awoke than it was when I went to bed so I was encouraged. Then, literally as I was getting on the 2 pm shuttle, I saw (and felt) my very first raindrops for the day. When I got to the trailhead 10 miles west, it was sprinkling, but nothing major. Regardless, I put my pack cover on just in case. Turns out I really didn't need it. When I made camp 11.5 miles later, I thought I felt something, looked up, and got hit right in the eye by a raindrop. I was already about halfway done setting up my tent so I quickly finished the job and got everything inside before it could get very wet. So I sort of dodged a bullet there.
Anyway, as it stands now, I'm at Mile 2585.5 tonight and I'm hoping to do about 23 tomorrow. If I can, and the weather holds out, then I'll have back-to-back even 20's, then about 15 on Saturday. I'm just really, really hoping for dry weather for the next couple of days. It would be so nice to end this trail on a high note!
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