Start: 0745 - Kangaroo Spring
End: 2100 - less than 1 mile from Oregon
Miles (today): 24.5
Miles (cumulative): 1733 (1571 PCT, 94 alternate, 68 off)
It's ridiculous - the border is 0.9 miles away and yet here we are, camping for one more night in California.
Our plan was to meet at Donomore Creek (1.1 miles from the border), see what time it was, and decide on where to camp from there.
Well.
The thought of getting to the border had me giddy. My ankle felt pretty good. The scenery was great. The weather was perfect. I hiked pretty much non-stop all-day, only stopping for water in the morning, for a quick lunch with Ripper, Prancer, and Cliffhanger, and for water in the afternoon (not counting quick bathroom stops and picture opportunities). There was an amazing flow to the day and I felt so happy to be out here. And, well, the border was so close!
Shasta is still in view - we're walking around it so we'll see it for a while
By 1830, I was sitting on a log by Donomore Creek. Earlier than I thought, even with a suspect ankle! We definitely had time to get to the border! Certain that Nick was right behind me, I quickly purified water. Then I had a snack. Then I used my hiking poles as massage sticks. Then I put on my jacket (the wind made it cold when I wasn't moving).
After an hour, Cliffhanger walked up - she sat and chatted with me while she waited for her trail family. Thirty minutes later, Riper walked up, followed by Prancer. Still no Nick, although they all said they saw him at some point in the day.
Movement on the trail- was this Nick? Nope. It was Bushwhack, looking much better than he had the past few days. The four of them discussed crossing the border together as I sat there on the log, hoping Nick would walk up so we could cross the border, too.
Bushwhack warned me that Nick told him during a shared break that he wasn't planning to cross until tomorrow, but I really thought I'd be able to convince him otherwise (as long as it wasn't too late in the day). As the four of them prepared to walk to the border, Bushwhack hesitated, saying he felt horrible leaving me there. I told him not to worry, that I'd be fine and that I'd make it to the border eventually.
Just as I was rummaging through my pack for my puffy gloves (sitting for so long without the warm sun on my face made me really, really cold), Nick walked up. He was not keen on walking to the border as there was no guarantee we'd have a place to camp there. Sadly, I was freezing by this point, which diminished my powers of persuasion because part of me just wanted to get into the tent ASAP.
We found a campsite 0.2 miles from the creek, and just as Nick started to put up the tent we heard some whooping and hollering- obviously Bushwhack et al. made it to the border. I was so jazzed and excited about the thought of celebrating with them that Nick almost gave in... But then a cold gust of wind blew on me and I conceded that crossing the border in the morning would be fine.
About 30 minutes later, just as I was cleaning up and putting on my sleeping clothes, Nick said someone was walking southbound on the trail. That someone yelled out, "I know you aren't camping here when I have trail magic up ahead." I recognized the voice instantly- it was Jedi!!! OMG!!! The last time I saw Jedi was in the desert!
It turns out that Jedi, Sith, and Gopher are all off-trail due to various injuries and are doing trail magic at the road just past the border (a mere 1.3 miles from here). When they heard Bushwhack et al whooping it up, Jedi paid them a visit to let them know of the trail magic just ahead. Apparently Bushwhack yelled out, "Apples! Man Hands!", trying to get us to come up there (I didn't hear that). When Jedi heard him yell our names and when be learned we were just down the trail, he came to visit us. :)
If we didn't already have the tent up and our packs unloaded and dinner re-hydrating, we would have walked back with him. We chatted a bit and learned they weren't planning to leave until the late morning, so you can bet that I'll be getting up early tomorrow to hang out with them for a bit. I can't wait to see Jedi, Sith, and Gopher! I can't wait to cross the border! Tomorrow morning can't come fast enough! (well, I do need my sleep - how else is my body supposed to repair?)
Along the trail:
i loved this trail marker! Candee, it made me think of you. :)
