Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Miles: 24.5 miles
Gain/Loss: 1801’/2769′
I was up at 5:25am and out by 6am. There was maybe 5 gallons of water at the cache once I got there, but I’d already carried enough water to get to the next source. Though I did take half a liter and was glad of the extra. After a few hours of hiking, I met Stitch (a Quebecois hiker who has hiked with Sparkles) and Chill, and then a bit later, Macarena.
There were a lot of ups and downs, then a bunch of sandy wash walking. I saw my trip’s only snake (a basic gaiter snake). I filtered up 2L at a cow tank and then carried another 1L unfiltered, since I wasn’t sure how long my road walk would be. If I walked the entire highway to town, it would be 15 miles. The asphalt was very hot and the shoulder was only about 12″ wide. There were washed out areas quite often, with a 6-12″ drop-off from the pavement, which made walking really challenging. I walked on the busy highway for maybe an hour before getting picked up by a trail angel and Stitch, Chill, and Macarena. I was happy to accept the ride – there was no experience I wanted that I’d be missing.
The trail angel Susie (Smith class of ’78) brought me to the local grocery store, and I resupplied while the other three hikers bought snacks for their upcoming zero day. I was overwhelmed in the grocery store and forgot my phone in the trail angel’s car but I made it work. Susie kindly dropped me off at the hotel right around 3pm. I checked into my room, did laundry, ate a burger and fries, and got ice cream (taro and black sesame). I did my town chores, showered, charged my items, and then went to bed. I decided to try and sleep in a bit the next day, since I had no other town stays until the end of my trip.
Transcending Mountains 