Like last night, I’m writing this to the sound of thunder in the distance and rain on the tent.  It’s lovely.  I love falling asleep to the sound of a thunderstorm and to have this privilege two nights in a row is most excellent.

Another most excellent thing is that we saw Gump and Juniper on the trail this afternoon!  Nick and I had been talking about how we haven’t seen another NOBO since we returned El Flaco’s bandana to him in the Winds.  While it has been nice to seemingly have the trail to ourselves, it also felt a little strange not to see anyone for so long.  

The feeling of being alone on the trail ended just as we were finishing dinner, when we heard talking on the trail behind us.  We waited in anticipation to see who would come around the bend, and when it was Gump and Juniper we were stoked.   So were they - they said they had JUST been talking about us, wondering where we were.  ((Seems to me that something is in the air- be careful about what you think about as it just might show up in front of you, like the mountain lion did to me the other day.))

It’s a good thing we saw Gump and Juniper because I wasn’t sure what I was going to write about today.  It was another blur of trail and trees with very little views, particularly since it was overcast and foggy most of the day.  While I was sad about not seeing what few views were available, the cooler weather was perfect for hiking so I was fine with it.

As we chatted excitedly with Gump and Juniper and Grasshopper (their hiking friend and fellow NOBO), we mentioned the trail magic 5 miles ahead that a section hiking SOBO told us about while we were eating dinner.  They had also been informed of the trail magic and we all decided to camp there together (we heard there were pancakes in the morning!).  It took me a while to get there (my ankle wasn’t handling the rocky downhill too well and I had already taken my limit of Ibuprofen for the day); however, knowing I had trail friends and trail magic waiting for me kept me in good spirits.

The trail magic is courtesy of Guru, who had been hiking NOBO but decided he had enough hiking for the summer after he finished Yellowstone.  When we finally made our way there, Guru had grilled cheese sandwiches waiting for us and Gump had a campfire going.  As an extra bonus, there was thunder and a bit of a lightning off in the distance.   We all sat around the fire for a while, sharing stories, catching up, and enjoying the lightning show.  It was a fine way to spend the evening.  

Besides seeing Gump and Juniper and the trail magic, the only other excitement we had today was when Nick and I both took a wrong turn.  We weren’t hiking together so it was definitely a confusing intersection (we found out later that Grasshopper made the same mistake), but at least we both made the mistake because it meant we were together.  Rather than bushwhack our way uphill to get back to the trail, we risked it and stayed on the wrong trail, hoping it would eventually link back to the CDT.  It came pretty close - we had to walk through a marshy area AND backtrack a quarter mile to get back to where we were supposed to be, but overall I think it was better than bushwhacking up a steep hill.  

Now, like I said, I get to fall asleep to the sound of distant thunder and rain hitting the tent for the second night in a row.  It’s only 12.5 miles to MacDonald Pass, where our friend Laurie will be picking us up in the afternoon - this means we get to sleep in tomorrow morning, take our time, and enjoy some pancakes for breakfast.  All good things.

Along the trail:

Camp: