Day 27,   25.5 miles

Last night, after finishing dinner, I was about to climb into my tent for the night.  A hiker I’d never met came up the trail.  He was sweaty, wearing a large heavy macremae necklace made of rope, carved wooden beads, shells, and nick-nacs.  He had big, black hair and a wild black beard.  His trail name is “Russian Ketchup”

It was getting dark.  I point out another small sandy tent site near mine.  But he had to go.  His hiking partner was ahead on the trail and he was “rushing t’catch up”

After coffee,  granola with dried blueberries and bananas, I was on the trail at 6:45 am.   It was going to be 12 hours before I was to be finished hiking today.

I hiked 12 miles to mile 478, another fire closure.  Then walked the mile and half to a Trail Angel’s house where I got a ride around the closure.  I could have walked the 15+ mile detour, but (a) heavy pack plus pavement equals Achilles tendinitis for me and (b) more importantly, a lone female hiker walking a remote highway is just plain not sensible in my mind.

There was a steep 2 mile trail that led me back up to the PCT mile 493.   The mist, rain, wind, and cold reminded me of BC.  I did not see any other hikers the rest of the day.  I camped alone on a flat spot beside the trail at over 6000 feet.