Even though I would have loved to hang out with Laurie another day, the trail beckoned.  Before we left, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of hashbrowns, chorizo, red pepper, cheese, and avocado that Laurie kindly prepared for us while we each showered one last time and packed up.  We also enjoyed more of her pour over coffee - I definitely can’t leave that out.  It was a great start to the day.

Laurie drove us back to where she picked us up - it was difficult to say goodbye, but, as I said, the trail beckoned.

Besides a few annoying blowdowns, the hiking was great- the weather was absolutely beautiful and so was the trail.  I’m sure my good spirits were also helped along by the care package from my BB ohana and from all the quality time we spent with Laurie.  As Dave Grohl writes in The Storyteller, “There was a certain joy that you can only feel when reunited with someone from your past, like some kind of reassurance that life really happened.”  

Water sources weren’t plentiful, but there was a water cache about 5 miles in and a slightly off-trail piped spring cattle trough 14 miles after that.  I did have to scare a black bear away from the cattle trough before I could get water, though.  Bears be everywhere out here.

Despite just seeing a bear there, we boiled water at the piped spring and got our meals rehydrating before walking a little further.  By this time it was pretty cold.  From 4pm on I had been so chilled from the cold wind that I hiked in my alpaca hoody; by the time we stopped to eat dinner it was so cold that I also had to put on my rain jacket and some gloves.  My hands were completely gone by the time we found a decent campsite - good thing I have Nick to help me unclip things.  :/

Now we are warm and cozy in the tent and my hands have finally returned to normal.  I love this little tent and my quilt (and my husband).  :)

Oh!  We met Kansas Express, who was going SOBO and trying for a calendar year triple crown.  I’m struggling to finish just one trail and this guy already completed two and is on his last one.  I cannot even imagine.  

Along the trail :

Camp: