Start: 0700 - near PCT mile 262
End: 1900 - Doble Spring
Miles (today): 6
Miles (cumulative): 286.5 (212 PCT, 69.5 alternate, 5 off)

Today was an easy 3.5 mile hike to highway 18 in Big Bear.  There, Trail Angel Mountain Mama picked us up and took us her to her house, where she lives with Papa Smurf.  Similar to the Angels Ziggy and the Bear, Mountain Mama and Papa Smurf feed you, let you shower and do laundry, give you a place to stay, and accept your resupply packages (great for us since we got here on Sunday and having to wait for the post office to open would be annoying).  They even shuttle you around - in addition to picking us up from the trail, MM also took us to a few stores - a sports store (Nick is still looking for new shoes) and the grocery store.  It's incredible how generous they are!

Nick finally got his fried chicken fix (he found it at the grocery store) so he's happy about that; I was able to satisfy my yearning for celery and bananas.  :) :) :)

We've been meeting more hikers and it's so fun! At the house we met Mike, Squirrel, Listen, Memento, and Matthew.  While coming back from the store we met two more hikers when MM picked up Katie and Silty, who were hitchhiking back to the trail.  Katie looked a lot like one of my best friends (also named Katie!), which really made me really miss seeing my girls.  Silty was the hiker I saw the day we left Scissors Crossing - at that time she was struggling and hiking back to Julian - so it made me happy to see she's back on the trail again.  Shotgun and Forest were at the house, too.  

We ate some of Mountain Mama's delicious pancakes, organized our food, did laundry, and even took showers.  Even though I had just showered two days ago and didn't feel dirty (this is all relatively speaking, of course) I've learned to never pass up an opportunity to take a shower.  On that note, I've also learned that I enjoy using deodorant every day and have decided carrying the extra weight is worth it.  People say putting it on doesn't make a difference but I don't care -  deodorant makes me feel better about myself.  The same goes with shaving my legs and armpits - I've decided to shave when I get the opportunity.  Who knows, maybe after a few hundred more miles I'll change my mind, but for now my plan is to wear deodorant daily and shave when I can. Stay tuned. 

After we finished tending to our needs,  a fellow hiker at the house, Mike, offered to bring us back to the trail in the afternoon (he had rented a car to get from Ziggys to Big Bear - he chose not to walk the alternate - and couldn't return the car until Monday.) Before we could resume our hike, though, Nick and I had some more unpleasant house business to deal with (frustrating!) 

Once we were ready to start hiking I was pleasantly surprised to hear Sara's voice - she and Smiles had just gotten a ride back to the trail, too.  It was so good to see her and catch up.  We all hiked a few miles to the next water source and decided camp here since it is so late.  There are a lot of other hikers here, too, including Cyclops!! OMG, I love seeing him! He's continuing to recover from the stroke - he said his right hand is regaining strength. I think the trail is helping him heal.  Cyclops, you rock. :)

Someone started a campfire - it's the first one I've seen on this trip.  It was so nice to sit by the fire, eat dinner, and chat with other hikers.  New faces: Josh and a threesome from the Czech Republic, Lucy, Richard, and ?.