PCT Day 12-13

Day 12-

Miles: NONE

After blogging last night I decided to take a second shower. The shower turned into a bath and the bath turned into a very wet nap.

This morning Sug, Lingo, Rocket and I went to Jan's Red Kettle for breakfast. It's apparently the place to go in Idyllwild for breakfast. I had a breakfast burrito the size of my head and it was delicious.

After breakfast we sat on the back deck of the motel lobby while the innkeeper washed our clothes. I'm still so surprised at how generous people are to us PCT hikers. Businesses all over the town have giant signs that say, "Welcome PCT Hikers." The health food store is giving us free granola and most businesses give us a hiker discount.

Waiting for our laundry we played cards and practiced our dance moves. Here is Sug practicing her Rocket Llama dance.

Totally out of the blue, I got a text this afternoon from Nightgown! She was eating at the Paradise Cafe and asked how far ahead we were. A few hours later we were reunited! Yaaaaaaay! Can you see the shock and excitement on my face?

Rocket and Nightgown convinced me to stay in town for one more day and we all crashed in a motel room rented by Lingo's mom. Once back at the room, Nightgown told us what happened after I left her in Warner Springs. 

After I waved goodbye, she hitched a ride into town with a guy covered in snake tattoos looking for a medical clinic that accepted Medi-Cal. She found a clinic, had an x-Ray and learned that she has no break or sprain. The doctor thinks she aggrivated an old dancing injury and gave her two very large ankle braces. She loves the ankle braces and made some big mileage days to catch up to us. On the way, she fell in with another large hiking group (including Chance from Lake Morena, who is now called Cash). They gave her a new trail name- Teddy Rose! Look at T. Rose's feet! Yikes!

We ended the night with more pizza before bed.

Day 13-
Miles: NONE

I'm enjoying Idyllwild so much and my crew is finally reunited, so I have been convinced to stay in town just one more night. Mama Lingo sealed the deal when she offered to make something for dinner called "cheese bake" that involves toasted bread, cheese, tomato, red onion, bean sprouts and avocado.

I'm starting to understand the town vortex. Once you're in town and comfortable it becomes difficult to leave.

Once I start hiking again tomorrow you might notice that I'm skipping 20 miles of the trail in the San Jacintos. There was a fire near Idyllwild last year and, unfortunately, they haven't reopened the trail yet in this area. Some hikers are taking a road walk around the closure, but it's on a really dangerous highway with no shoulder and the PCT Association is recommending that hikers hitch into Idyllwild and not attempt to walk the highway.

I'm not a purist and I agree with people who say that thru-hiking means hiking the trail as it is when you're there, even if that means hitching past closures... but I still feel a bit guilty. I don't want to skip trail miles, but I don't feel like I have any other options at the moment. Maybe I'll reevaluate once I'm In Big Bear; If the PCTA approves an alternate, I may go back and hike the miles. (152-179).

Anyway, today consisted of relaxing, walking around town, and being spoiled by Lingo's mom

I even took a nap in the middle of the day and watched a little 13 Going on 30 on cable tv.

Thru-hiking is a rough life.