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Thursday, November 13, 2014

An unplanned detour and magic!

Day 133 10/23
Mileage 16.6
Camped at Blue Ridge CG

Finally, I got to see a sunrise from the trail! I got on trail around 6:45 and was met right away by a big ol' hill. Pushing myself forward, I stared at the ground as I climbed, stopping to watch the mountains changing with the growing daylight. Too focused on the ground was I, and I (apparently) blew by a trail junction, finding myself on highway 2 several miles west of the PCT. This bummed me out, since it meant that I missed the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell, which I had been anticipating. It also meant another several miles of road walk, so I was in a bad mood most of the morning. From there, it was all uphill (see what I did there?). I arrived at the trailhead parking area (with pit toilet) just in time for some stuff that needed to happen immediately. There was a nice national forest employee there who was working on fitting locks on the doors "so the ladies can have some privacy". From there, the trail turned sharply upward. It meandered just below a ridge for a while, and descended a tad to the final crossing (of 9) of hwy 2. There were very few cars while I was road walking so I was nervous about the hitch into Wrightwood, my next resupply. I pictured myself low on water, alone on the side of the highway, and felt sorry for myself in advance. At that very moment, I saw a large group of people taking a break on the side of the trail. We got to talking, and they said they were headed into town, and offered me a ride! Turns out one person had cancelled on their hike and they had just one spot left in their car. Fate, perhaps? People say "the trail provides" and it's true. Everything may not always go as planned, but you get everything you really need. I followed them to the parking lot, and we set off to Wrightwood. I left a window open, very conscious of my stank. They dropped me off at the post office and said I could join them for lunch! I picked up my packages and headed across the street. Lunch was very nice, and we chatted for a while about the trail. I got the "hiker special" ice cream sundae, which was massive and wonderful. Keith and Linda even picked me up some water at the store for the 28-mile dry stretch I had before me. And they gave me a ride to the trailhead! Thanks, guys! Today got me feeling stoked. I'm adjusting to being alone. The freedom and flexibility is certainly nice. I can hike however I want! Cajon pass McDonald's tomorrow! Yee yee!

Desert sunrise, somewhere near where I got lost

Desert sunset, back on track

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