Stormtrooper and I get up before the rest of the crew and pack up. We head out around 6:30. He and I hike together for most of the day trading stories and talking about the folks we met at the beginning of the hike during that Campo to Idylwild stretch that we did together. Gourmet has been busy partying and chasing tail for most of the hike. He is still back in Northern California. His town days are a bit long.

Storm tells me about a group of 20-30 hikers who stick together. They call themselves the “hord”. They try to camp together but since most of the time there isn’t room for tents, they just all cowboy camp all squished together. They call it the “Cuddle Puddle”. Funny Kids.

The mosquitoes are really bad on this stretch. I turn the corner and see this group lounging around in mosquito hell.

They are walking a part of the trail with llamas. I didn’t stop due to the bugs. Would have liked to talk to them. Around that time I also run into Patches. He got his new mobile phone and is back in comission. We talk for a bit then his voice kind of drifts off behind me. I’m keeping a fast pace due to the bugs. Wish I was more tolerent. I HATE this f#$%ing things.

Then I take a wrong turn. I’m pushing my pace and not keeping my head up. I walk almost a mile the wrong way until the trail starts going to hell. It gets narrower, more overgrown, and finally I check my location on the gps. Yup, lost.

I have to double-time it back to the PCT. By now Storm is far in front of me and probably wondering what’s going on. Through my satellite messanger, I ask Alice to text him to let him know what’s up. I pass Patches (again) and pick up another hiker named Nico while for the afternoon. We hike together until I find Stormy sitting on top of a pass eating lunch sitting in a swarm of mosquitoes. I mean, seriously there are a hundred bugs flying around him which he ignores. He tells me they are even worse in Wisconsin somedays. Ugh.

I wolf down a bagel and spray deet all over me between bites. I don’t think I’ll ever adapt to the bug menance.

I’m picking up my pace now that I’m with Stormtrooper. That boy can really hike. His “easy” pace is 3 mile/hr uphill, downhill doesn’t matter. I’ll have to take a video of him sometime.

We make it to a primo tent site on Dewey Lake at 2321. Beautiful spot with a somewhat sandy shore. Stormtrooper walks out into the lake and washes off. He looks pretty cold to me. Did about 25 today + a 2 mile detour. Feeling pretty good.