We slept in, or at least Nick did.  I woke up at 5:00 per usual and attempted to continue sleeping, but I wasn’t able to since my air mattress was nearly deflated and I had to pee.  Still, it was a very relaxing morning all things considered.  While we ate breakfast, we actually talked about non-hiking related things and packing up was a leisurely experience.  

The hike to Monarch Lodge was mostly downhill, and when it wasn’t wet and muddy it was rather rocky.  Needless to say, I took it slow and easy.  The last 1.5 miles was off-trail (which I hate) but it was a nice walk because I was able to catch up on messages from friends and family as I made my way down the hill.

Monarch Lodge was not at all what we expected/hoped for.  Their website says they have laundry, early check in, and a restaurant serving all the meals.  In reality, they are terribly understaffed.  We couldn’t check in early because nobody was at the front desk and we couldn’t eat because the restaurant is closed.  To make matters worse, the laundry is broken.  Nick called the number posted at the front desk to see if we could at least get our resupply package, but the guy he talked to said he was off-duty and that we’d either have to wait until 3 or find a housekeeper who may or may not help us.  

Nick was livid and wanted to say screw it, let’s hitch to Salida after all.  We considered it, but then a really nice housekeeper walked by and he very kindly retrieved our package.  Sorting through the resupply in the lobby kept us busy for a while.  Mary sent more of Cindy’s muffins in the box, which was a godsend because we were both starving.  We devoured the muffins instantly.  Thanks again, Cindy!

Pig Pen joined us in the lobby (he stayed here last night) and then Puddles and Sunny D walked in.  We all lamented the lack of a restaurant (or any place to eat within walking distance for that matter) and not being able to check in.  Still, it wasn’t the end of the world - at least they let us hang out in the lobby (well, nobody was there to tell us to go away) and there was WIFI.

Puddles had the idea to order pizza from Dominos, which cemented our resolve to stick with our plan and stay at the lodge.  We added to her order (it ended up being almost $100) and continued to take care of business while we waited for the delivery - I used the time to send in blog updates; Nick used the time to figure out where we will be staying in the upcoming resupply towns.  

By 1pm, I was getting really hungry.  Puddles checked the status of our pizza delivery on the app and it was still in process control, where it had been for the last hour.  And then she exclaimed, “oh crap!”

Our order status has been changed to cancelled.  

Noooooooo!

She called them and found out they won’t deliver to Monarch Lodge because it’s too far away (too bad this wasn’t identified when she placed the order online).  We were all devastated.  Now what were we going to eat?

Once again, Nick wanted to say screw it, let’s hitch to Salida after all.  

We didn’t end up going to Salida.  Even though we’d love to eat some ‘real’ food, we knew it didn’t make sense to go through the trouble of getting there.  I considered calling the trail angel I met yesterday, but decided against it.

In the end, the guy Nick had talked to earlier about checking in early finally came down and started his shift.  Nick’s impression over the phone was that he was a guy who didn’t give a shit, but he ended up being a nice guy.  He was very apologetic about the lack of a restaurant and laundry, but Nick was still a little hesitant to warm up to him because of how he had been treated on the phone.  When I asked about what we could do for food, he opened their little store, where we purchased some sandwiches and fruit cups.  It will do.  There are also some frozen microwaveable hamburgers down there for dinner.  Yum?

Finally in our room, I took possibly the best shower I’ve had yet - the water was hot and the pressure was very strong and it felt heavenly to wash all the dirt away.

After Nick showered, we washed our clothes in the bathtub (we were able to purchase detergent from the little store).  The laundry water was so disgusting, even after I pre-rinsed our socks.

Now we are just relaxing in the room - hopefully our clothes will be dry by the time we decide to hike out tomorrow morning.

The microwaved cheeseburger was… well, it was calories, although not nearly enough to satiate me.  I’m definitely craving fresh food, too.  At least we only have a few days until the next town, I suppose I can survive until then.  

Along the trail: