Checked out at 6 ish in the morning and hung outside a cafe until 7 so I could get a mega-breakfast.    It came on two large plates: 4 biscuits and gravy, 3 eggs, 2 sausages, half a plate of hash browns.  Should have taken a picture.  Ate it all.  Can’t believe how hungry I am these days.

Took 10 minutes to thumb a ride.   Folks are so nice here.  Picked up David along the way.   He and I would hike together for most of the day.   Started trail at 7,300 feet (mile 369).  

Ran into this gal along the way.  

She rescued a kitten in Wrightwood and is now hiking with the thing.   The kitten is wearing a Darn Tough sock with 2 holes poked in it.   He rides in a little box the gal wears around her neck.   Wonder how cute that cat will be in 2 months when he weighs 5 pounds and start shredding her equipment.  

 

Consensus among the more cynical, male members of my hiking group is…..well, I won’t bother.   For those who know me, I’m sure you can imagine my thoughts on the topic.   Pretty sure that cat will soon be in a box being shipped to her not-so-happy parents soon.

It was a bunch of ups and downs until 375, then a grueling 2k foot climb over 2 miles to the summit of Baden-Powell.  

We started running into snow around 8.5k.  It got pretty thick in some segments.   Several hikers, Dave, and I bushwacked up several segments to avoid some of the sketchier parts.

David and I switched off on leading up.   I’m a little slower, but last longer.   David hauls, but stops longer.   Our styles are pretty compatible.   David is 60, about 6’3″, and in great shape.   He’s a semi-retired engineer, who spent last 15 or so in software (supply chain mgmt stuff).    Ran some sales/service groups so we had a lot to chat about.         

Finally made the spur to the summit (mile 377).   I was thinking about skipping, but some other hikers + David convinced me to go up.  Glad I did, it was fun.

After lunch, David and I picked up another companion.  Hollywood who is from Seattle.   This guy is a real character.   Mid to Late 20’s, college degree, done a bunch of different things from bartending, chef, medical work.   The funny parallel is that he assisted in researching how crows recognize faces of humans.    I remember reading the study.   I’m sure Quark would be interested in this guy.   They could do some bird bonding.  

Don’t have the heart to tell these guys I spent much of my youth shooting crows from the tractor :p. 

Next objective was 6 miles to get water from Little Jimmy Spring (Mile 384).   It was mostly downhill, but in typical PCT fashion there are plenty of little climbs along the way.  

I have my filter setup inline with my platypus bag, so at any stop I just dump my bag in the water, fill up any bottles, and leave.   Most folks spend another 15 to 30 minutes squeezing water through filters, etc.   

Since I was done early, I headed off to check out the campground.   It was an awesome setup….too good to pass up.   When David and Hollywood turned up, it didn’t take much to convince them to stay.   Bunch of others showed up, we Hollywood and I built a fire, had a good time socializing.   Even the cat lady showed up later in the evening. 

Only 15 or so miles today, but one of the best days on the trail.   Hopefully tomorrow is more of the same.