Day 29: mile 353.9 to mile 369.3 to Wrightwood
5.14.15. 15.4 miles.
Woke up again to so much condensation! We had another later start and thankfully the sun was shining so I got my quilt dry and tent almost dry.
The climbing did not stop today. We still had over 4,000 ft to gain total on our way to Wrightwood. We were earning our zero day, for sure! I was really slow this morning, the climb was much more steep than yesterday’s portion of the climb. Thankfully I had music & podcasts to keep me entertained. The good thing though was that the views were absolutely spectacular! So at least when I stopped to take a break I had a beautiful view. We took smaller breaks every 5 miles instead of a longer break midday bc we just wanted to get to town. These were probably the hardest 15 PCT miles I’ve done so far. It didn’t help that I had so much leftover food from the section & extra water from the carry to lug around.
My squishy blister flared up again- but it’s not the fluid that’s hurting, it’s the loose skin rubbing. I also got another shin splint on my right leg going steeply downhill that needs rest.
Once we got to highway 2, we had our longest wait for a hitch. Probably took 20-30 minutes to get a ride, so not too bad. A nice couple who live in the area who were out on a short day hike gave us a lift into town. They were super nice!
We got to town & the others got some snacks at the grocery store while I had pack duty outside & looked like legit hiker trash (super dirty legs, puffy jacket, toe socks + camp sandals) while sitting on the sidewalk eating stale cheeze-it’s. The locals were friendly though! One lady came up and wanted to know how the hiking had been.
We then went to the Mountain Hardware store to pick up my packages (thanks Mom & grandma) and Kristie called places to try to get accommodations. We ended up walking over to a motel that others were staying at and getting a room for me, Kristie, Helen, and Angie to share. The place is pretty cute but I feel like I can’t touch anything in the room for fear of breaking it (our towel rack fell apart by literally just trying to take a towel off of it). But it’s a fine place for the price. They also did our laundry for us which was great, and for the second time I accidentally washed my apple headphones (but they’re still working!!)
Once we got our laundry back we could finally go to dinner - and we went to a local dive bar (the Yodeler) where they had $1.50 tacos and other cheap food. My $3.50 quesadilla was incredibly large and filling. After eating & socializing with other hikers, it was getting late (8:30 pm!) and we headed back to the motel. I FaceTimed with the Smerdels and it was so nice to see their faces! I need to call them again when I have more time to chat (love you all!).
watching Angie dig in to her huge taco salad