Sleeping in was amazing, and so were the pancakes Guru made for breakfast. We didn’t wake up until 7:30 and the extra rest made me feel like I was already in town, enjoying a day off. Add in the pancakes Guru made for us and I really felt like I was already in town.
Since it rained last night, we took our time getting packed up so the tent could dry out. It was 9am before we started hiking! I felt like I was behind (we usually have at least 6 miles hiked by 9) and I had to remind myself that it was only a ‘short’ 12.5 miles to the road and that it was all ok.
The 12.5 miles to MacDonald pass were mostly uneventful. Nick did spot a huge black bear about 30 feet from me, though - his yelling, “Beth! Bear!” scared it away. I didn’t see it at all - I had been focused on the rocky terrain, trying to step in just the right places to keep my ankle happy. I DID start yelling out more frequently after that, though.
We both thought there was another bear in the bushes next to a long boardwalk, but it turned out to just be a cow. Two cows, actually. Phew.
With only 0.5 miles to go, I came upon a van and saw Gump, Juniper, Grasshopper, Feel Good, and Caddyshack just hanging out and relaxing. I was surprised to see Gump and Juniper because they had gotten up early and were long gone by the time Nick and I woke up (Caddyshack and Feel Good had just recently passed us so they weren’t a surprise). It turns out that Gump and Juniper had gotten there at 10 and had been chilling with their friend, Golden (who owned the van and who was giving them a ride to town). I hung out with them while I waited for Nick to hike up the hill.
I was just starting to worry about Nick - he seemed to be taking a very long time getting up the hill - when he called me, saying he took a different path to the road and was waiting for me there. It was a good excuse for me to leave the group - even though it was a lot of fun to sit and chat with hikers after going so long without seeing any, our friend Laurie Chipps was picking us up at the pass and I didn’t want to keep her waiting.
We haven’t seen Laurie since we graduated high school together 25 years ago and I’ve been looking forward to seeing her ever since she messaged me saying she could pick us up from the trail and give us a place to stay. I always admired her from afar in high school - she was grounded, uniquely free-spirited, didn’t seem to care what people thought, and always carried herself with a confidence beyond her years. She was cool then and she is even cooler now - we spent a fantastic afternoon talking and catching up and I’m SO UNBELIEVABLY GRATEFUL the trail has given us a reason to reconnect. (By the way, Laurie is a huge reason I’m out here at all. In 2015, Laurie quit her job and biked across the states, which I thought was incredibly cool. Following her journey is what gave me the courage to quit my job and hike the PCT in 2016… and the rest is history.)
After showers and laundry at Laurie’s house, we all walked downtown for dinner followed by ice cream. Dinner at The Hopper was great and the homemade ice cream from Big Dipper was delicious. As we were sitting on a bench, enjoying the ice cream, Gump, Juniper, Feel Good, Golden, and Dallas walked by. Of COURSE we all stood around chatting for a while. :)
The walk back to Laurie’s was fun - I love the architecture of all the old buildings in this town and can’t wait to explore a little tomorrow (provided I don’t sleep all day).
Despite being very tired, it was tough to get myself to bed because I wanted to stay up all night talking with Laurie. However, as I’m on a comfy futon with pillows, I should probably take advantage of it.
Along the trail:
