Mile 369 to 372.8

I woke up well rested after spending a night at Canyon Creek Inn with Burnout, Valdy, and Bedazzled. The joy of a mattress and running water should never be underestimated.

Today was a lazy nero (near zero miles) and we took our time getting up. Our first stop was the Evergreen Cafe for a big breakfast. I enjoyed a veggie omelet, home fries, and biscuits and gravy. Next stop was the hardware store to get a backup washer for my Sawyer Squeeze water filter. Bedazzled gave me the shock cord from her old backpack and Burnout helped me fasten it to the back of my backpack. Now  I can attach my Z-lite sleeping pad to the back of my pack rather than on top, which was a bit awkward. I love the new modification.

We ate our left over Mexican food and then went to Jenson’s (the local supermarket) and got some sweet tea and cans of beer, which we drank in the parking lot  (real classy) and then scored a hitch back to the trailhead 5.5 miles up the road.

When we got out, we were at about 7,400 feet and there was a sea of clouds in the valley below. I wish I was here for sunrise!!

We set off and did a relaxed 3.8 miles and found some flat spots among the pines. The forest floor was covered in pine needles ensuring we would have some plush sleep tonight.

Since we were setup by 3:00, everyone sat out in the sun and I explored some side trails in the area. It was nice to be out here but not constantly walking. I really enjoyed listening to the breeze and watching the clouds float by.

We discussed helping Evil Goat, a farmer, with his garlic harvest, which is coming up, and sent him a text. We don’t know details, but would consider helping him out for a week since we don’t want to get to Kennedy Medows to early. We’ll see what he says.

At the end of the day, we helped Bedazzled glue Herr shoes, which are starting to fall apart.

Wildlife: Chipmunk, Squirrel, Raven