Campsite(361.7) to Wrightwood(369.3) 7.6 Miles
Today was my best morning on the trail so far. I didn't get the best nights sleep last night. I pitched my tent on a very big slope. As a result I kept sliding off of my sleeping pad and hit the front door of my tent. There were better places to set up, but I wanted the best vantage point for the sunrise. I do not regret my decision. As soon as I opened my eyes this morning the sun was beginning to peak above the surrounding mountains.
I took my time packing up. We had less than 10 miles to hike before getting into town. I was on the fence about spending another day in town. Today was pretty interesting. For almost the entire hike we went around and through a ski resort area. After spending a winter in Telluride I had to laugh at what they considered to be blue runs.
I couldn't see where we had hiked yesterday. As we left camp we started walking in a different mountain range. We are now in the San Gabriel mountains. They are very beautiful, cold, and have a steeper elevation gain. For a good portion of the morning I could see the moon. It made for some great pictures.
After hiking a short day I found myself at Highway 2. Wrightwood was 5.5 miles down the road, but it was a very easy hitch. Spaceman and I got down to the road crossing and immediately we were offered a ride into town. We didn't even have to stick our thumbs out. We got a ride to the local hardware store. They had a great selection for thru-hikers and were very hiker friendly. Next we went to the market/gas station. They had free hotdogs for us. Score!
Of course our next stop was to get real food. We went to a local cafe for breakfast. The portions were huge and the food was really good. The place was packed with hikers and locals alike.
I was absolutely stuffed after breakfast, but I still managed to find room for a milkshake. I've been dreaming of one for weeks now.
Since I was so full it was the perfect time to do my resupply shopping. If I go into a store with my full blown hiker hunger I buy way too much food. This time I think I got it just right. While we were doing our town chores we met back up with Outro. She had secured a place for us to stay at a trail angels house.
Kathy and her daughter Scout host a few hikers every night during hiker season. They graciously agreed to host all six of us. We stayed in a camper in their driveway. It was a tight fit with all six of us, but we made it work. We did laundry again and took showers. We got pizza and brought it back to the house. We sat in the driveway and hungout way too late. Uturn took advantage of the kitchen privileges and cooked peach cobbler. All in all it was a very relaxing early day.
Cozy AccommodationsRobert Macfarlane, Mountains of the Mind: Adventures in Reaching the Summit
Awesome sunrise!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog posts, pics and musings Yoda! Thanks for sharing. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteWow you were up late according to the time on this post. Miss you here in FL
ReplyDeleteThe trail angels really blow me away with their generosity- ud never get anything like that support in the UK!
ReplyDeleteRead a really sad report of a mature lady that got lost on the AT in2013 that had just been found dead - have a tear in my eye now thinking about it. Stay safe and enjoy......
Your sunrise pictures are breathtaking! Love the stories of trail angels too. It kind of restores your faith in humanity.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely stunning to see those sunrises - God's promise of a new day!
ReplyDeleteWaking up to that view is definitely better than Folgers!! Life is good. The trail Angels are amazing. Hike on.LY
ReplyDeleteGorgeous wake up view and on trail pictures....
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