Day 106
August 2
mile 1699.2-1726.6
27.4 miles

I got up and ate some breakfast as a couple of birds flitted around me, hoping for some crumbs. Wight walked by before I packed up. As I headed out of the woods and climbed 1,000 feet onto a ridge, clouds once again hung in the air below the tips of the mountains in the distance. It was an incredibly peaceful scene and a nice way to start my journey into the state of Oregon.

I passed Wight as he took a break near Sheep Camp Spring and continued on my way. I saw no traces of Sky Eyes or Band Leader. They get up much earlier than I do!
When I began to tire, I sat along the edge of the trail and found the “Energy Bomb” bar that Tanya had sent me. It tasted much better than I imagined it would and really did seem to boost my energy! I decided to eat the Kind bar she had also given me. I heard a loud insect buzz close to me and wanted to shoo it away before I realized it was a humming bird! It was curious about me and flew near me a couple of times before landing in a tree. I hoped it was a sign of good luck!

The trail descended and then climbed another thousand feet.

I decided to take my next break on a rock on which I had a view of the winding trail ahead of me and flowers in the grass in between. Oregon was a pretty state so far! I had reception here and received a text from my friend, Amanda, asking me where I now was. I got to send her my Oregon border photo! She had just written a post on facebook about all of the wonderful things that had happened in her life over the past 8 or 9 months- things she had never imagined possible, and this both made me happy for her, and gave me hope for myself. For now, I was content walking the path in front of me.

I encountered a couple of day hikers ahead. One man asked me where I was headed. “Canada!” I said. He sated at me dumbfoundedly. “Canada is that way” he said pointing in the direction I had come from.
“No it’s not. It’s that way,” I confidently stated.

Later, I encountered two women who were excited about what I was doing and wanted to ask me some questions. The first was if I was carrying all six pairs of shoes that I would go through on me! They wished me well and we headed on our separate ways.
When I arrived at a beautiful cascade of water, I had to take a break. It was too good of a source to pass up. All around it were beautiful wildflowers. A man came jogging past on the trail.

The trail descended to the Mt. Ashland Inn, where two excited dogs greeted me. A nice man pointed out a water spicket and picnic table that he had set out for the hikers. He and his grandson were working on a wood project and were both very welcoming! I hadn’t planned on taking a break here, but decided to take advantage of the table. One of the nice dogs came over to keep me company.

As I headed out again, I saw an older man with a huge backpack ahead of me. He didn’t seem to hear me approaching and I think I ended up startling him when I said hello. We chatted for a few minutes and I learned that he had just started his section hike of Oregon and had camped near Slack last night. He wanted to know if I knew him. I asked him if he was planning on hiking to Callahan’s and he said he thought it was too far to get to tonight. I encouraged him to try if he felt like it. There was a side path that lead down to it and he asked how he would know where it was. I told him he would see a sign. I got moving, feeling strong and energetic.
I found the side trail which emptied out onto some railroad tracks and then got totally confused. I wished I hadn’t packed my guidebook pages away! I decided to head across them and after checking out the area, only saw a wide dirt road to take. It kept going and going. I could see the highway below me, and then the Callahan’s sign, but this path was taking me further down the highway. I finally gave up, realizing this was the wrong way. Now, I was tired and had just lost a lot of time! I was hoping to make it there by 6 or so, not knowing when dinner was served.
As I neared the railroad tracks again, I saw my new friend, Phil! He had made it after all! We looked around for the path leading down to the highway, but neither of us saw anything! He finally got out his phone and I found the number for Callahan’s. The staff didn’t seem to offer any help, however. I went to look again and waved Phil over after I realized where it was. I walked ahead of him, but didn’t want to walk too fast… Then, I crossed the highway, headed under the overpass and finally reached our destination! I was tired!
We had to pay $50 for a shower, dinner, breakfast (excluding tips), and camping out in the backyard. I also had to pay $3 for each of my boxes that were shipped there. (Last year, it was free).
The lady took us out to a garage-like building with a single shower and said we could have dinner after we washed up. Phil said I could go first while he set up his tent.
I decided to cowboy camp on the lawn and after I set up my sleeping bag, went up to the deck and found a table. Phil joined me after his shower. It was nice to have company. I wasn’t able to eat much of my spaghetti because my stomach started hurting. How frustrating! It got pretty cold out so we ended up taking our meal inside to finish.
A couple seated by the door asked me about my hike when I couldn’t figure out how to open the door! They invited me to sit down with them and before I went back outside, gave me their contact info in case I ran into trouble along the way, as they knew several people in Washington that might be able to help me out if I needed it. I thought that was very kind of them!
I headed down to my spot in the grass while the patrons returned to their rooms and hunkered down for the night.

Day 103
July 30
mile 1625-1651.4
26.4 miles

I heard someone walk by at 6:00 and wondered who it was as I closed my eyes again. I was too tired and didn’t get up until 6:38. While I ate my breakfast, the section hiker who started at the Etna trail head with us walked by. I was now the last of this group!

At 7:50, I started walking. It didn’t take me long to overtake the section hiker.

By 11:00, I came across Rabbit Stix sitting in the middle of the trail, eating a snack. I had to step around him to get by.
I later found a spot to sit along the trail for my ice coffee, snickers, and almond butter break. All of a sudden, I heard some extremely loud voices that startled me! I had no idea where they were coming from. After a couple of minutes, I finally saw a couple of men headed toward me, but they barely acknowledged me. It was so jarring to hear people speaking so loudly out here!
Nearly two hours later, I noticed SunDog, Giggles, and Elk sitting just above the trail, enjoying their lunch. They invited me to join them, but I had already eaten and wanted to keep moving. Giggles mentioned the long descent into Seiad Valley coming up, and I told her I was not looking forward to that! Fred had told me that it was a killer on the shins!

I grew more and more tired as the day wore on and had to stop often to take little breaks. Fortunately, the afternoon miles still seemed to pass by more quickly than the slower morning ones! And the downhill turned out to be not nearly as bad as I was expecting! There were lots of little uphills within the well-graded descent.

I caught up to Cookie and we hiked a similar pace for awhile. Soon after, Giggles and SunDog caught up and passed us. SunDog kept stopping to pick thimbleberries. I had never seen or tasted this kind of berry before, so I tried to stop at the same places that he had to look for them. Cookie and I both found some and stopped a couple of times to taste these red berries.
There was very little possibility for camping along this stretch and my goal was to make it to the third bridge, where Yogi had written that she had slept on both of her hikes. Cookie peeled off the trail to cook dinner and I continued alone, growing more and more tired. By the time I reached the second bridge, I had to stop, sit down and eat a snack. I felt exhausted! SunDog and Giggles came along and asked about the camping situation. They decided to check out the woods by the bridge to see if there were any possibilities there. They came back, still unsure. SunDog opened up a bag of Fritos and offered some to me. They were the first ones I had tasted on this hike and were so good! I told them I wanted to move on in order of having a chance of making it the Seiad Valley Cafe for breakfast, even though I didn’t know how early I was going to be able to get up. They decided to set up camp there. Before I left, I asked them which places in Oregon and Washington were good places for zero days, as they had hiked the trail before. It was interesting to hear their impressions of what was coming up.
It was now starting to grow dark, so I headed out and let them set up their camp. The taste of the Fritos lingered in my mouth and helped me get through the next couple of miles. At last, I arrived at the bridge, dropped my pack, and walked down the bank to collect water. I cooked my dinner and took out the toffee that Tanya had given to me to enjoy for dessert. I felt extremely grateful for these special treats. I almost felt undeserving of them, but as I thought about my life and lack of love, I started to change my mind. Above me, dark clouds covered the sky. It was an unusual sight.

While, I ate, Cookie walked by. I had told her about my plan to sleep on the bridge and she seemed to want to do the same thing, but I guess she had changed her mind. The next section supposedly contained a lot of poison oak and it didn’t seem like there were any camping options. As darkness descended, I hoped no one else would cross the bridge. It wasn’t the most comfortable of places to stay, but I told myself that everything would be okay.

Before I got into my sleeping bag, I heard thumping at the other end of the bridge. It was Runs with Elk, arriving here at 9. I told her I didn’t think there was anyplace to camp ahead. She asked if she could could join me on the bridge and set up at the opposite end. It didn’t feel as scary with someone else now around.

Day 102
July 29
mile 1606.4-1625
18.5 miles

My spot on the back lawn of Alderbrook Manor was probably the most peaceful and beautiful place that I had camped on the PCT. It would have been nice to sleep in a bit, but I had to go the bathroom, and I didn’t know what time FunSize was getting up and wanted to go to breakfast. I headed over to the bunkhouse, past all of the sleeping hikers, and was surprised to find Braveheart still in bed and FunSize asleep! Why was I the other person up? I sat down in a chair inside the bunkhouse and started to compose a small update to post while I waited. When FunSize woke up, he looked down at me and said, “Good morning, Wendy!” with a big smile. After he showered, the three of us got on bikes to head downtown. Two mountain biking guests were getting ready for their long ride. We all started out around the same time and I soon found myself trying to match their pace! My competitive spirit was already coming back on my second attempt at riding a bike! I was the first to arrive at the diner, where I had another omelet, toast, and fruit.
On the way back, I saw Veggie relaxing outside a coffee shop, reading the newspaper. I wished I could have stayed another day here, but my schedule was too tight to do so. Having arrived on a Sunday, I did not get to visit the old fashioned soda counter or swim in the pool, as they were both closed. Back at the Manor, I was enlisted to find out about a ride back to the trail. Dave wanted to give Fred some time, so we agreed on 10:00. I went to pack up my things and took two minutes to lie in the hammock, which felt amazing! I decided that I want one of my own some day.

Lots of hikers congregated in the front yard, anxious to get back to the trail. I filled my water bottles as Cookie and Braveheart played with the dog, and Shyshinka took photographs of everyone. Braveheart then decided he might as well make use of the waiting time by eating a giant bowl of Lucky Charms. When Fred’s truck pulled up, FunSize started feeling sad about us all leaving. He told Shyshinka and I that seeing us makes him feel happy! Shyshinka was planning on doing 30 miles today in order to make it to Ashland before the post office closed on Friday, and FunSize worried that he would never see him again. “Don’t say that!” I said. I knew that would not be the case. (And if it were, it would be too sad!).

We threw our packs in the back, found a spot in the truck, and waved goodbye to FunSize.
When we arrived back at the Etna Summit trailhead, there was a feeling of excitement and happiness in the air. No one was in a rush to get hiking. I kept thinking, “This is so much fun!”. Sometimes, the right mix of people come together and the energy of a place is really positive. Etna turned out to be one such stop.

I took the lead until I had to pee. Since everyone was fairly close together, I had to wait for them all to pass by.

I kept my mind amused with things that happened in Etna, such as Shyshinka’s story about taping up his ripped shorts, which led FunSize to stand up on the couch and impersonate Michael Jackson and me to start screaming with laughter. In a couple of miles, there was a trail register and I waited for Cookie and Elk to sign it before sitting down to read through it.

I later collected water at a cow-infested stream to make myself an ice coffee and chat with Elk. The water was not cold enough for it, though. My intestines were still problematic, but my mood was good. Elk started hiking before me.

I later caught up to her at a pond. I took the lead and, towards evening, when I reached the last stream of the day, sat down to collect and filter water and eat a snack.

Elk came along, hoping to get in five more miles to camp where Cookie was planning on getting to. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hike that far before dark.
The trail climbed and I met two section hikers headed south. They planned on hiking to Sierra City.

As the sun went down, I found a nice flat spot that was perfect for one person alongside the trail. Everything was well. Today, I loved the PCT and didn’t want this hike to end!

Day 100
July 27
mile 1575-1602.8
27.8 miles

I was so tired in the morning and on top of that, my stomach was really hurting. When I sat up at 6:24, I just wanted to lie back down! I took some ibruprofen with my breakfast, hoping that would help with the pain. Although I didn’t have to rush out of my sleeping bag, there was still no evidence of improvement in my intestines. When I took off my thermal bottoms, I noticed a big red rash on my upper thighs! I guess it wasn’t the best idea to go to sleep in wet clothes! All I could do was hope that it would fade!

At 7:39, I finally got walking. The day started with a small climb and then descent to the saddle that Braveheart had pointed out on the map.

There did turn out to be a flat spot for camping there as he had thought, and I imagined that he had camped there. I wondered how he had coped with the storm. As I continued on, I heard the clanging of metal cow bells and soon came across an entire herd standing on the trail. When they saw me, they immediately ran down the mountain slope with great clamor, kicking up mounds of dust! Funny animals…

During my descent through the forest to South Fork Scott River, I listened to some music. Having forgotten to transfer the songs that I was hoping to have for my hike, I didn’t have a lot to choose from. Most of my songs were ones that I used for my yoga classes, and today, the ones that played all seemed to have come from one of my main yoga teachers. I thought I would miss my teachers and yoga classes a lot while I was out here, but that turned out not to be the case. I was simply too consumed with hiking the miles that I needed to hike in order to finish. However, when I heard David’s songs, I started to miss him. I also missed myself in his classes. He always makes me laugh and I think that is the best form of healing someone can offer. When you are laughing, you are completely content and nothing else matters.
I made it to the river and treated myself with an ice coffee and snacks. My intestines were not doing well at all, unfortunately. It was another extremely warm and humid day and I had a lot of climbing ahead of me.
I reached a parking lot, where I found a helicopter landing pad and then crossed a road to resume climbing. I hadn’t seen a single human being since Braveheart and I parted yesterday afternoon, and I wondered if today might be my first morning until night alone! I thought about what Kermit had talked about yesterday and wondered about doing seasonal work in Alaska in the winter.

I continued to climb and kept an eye out for the next spring, which was off the trail. Somehow, I ended up missing it. My energy began to fade and I needed to sit down. I decided to have another ice (moderate temp?) coffee to boost my energy for the last 10 miles, realizing this was not starting a good pattern…
It did get me on my way, however. At 4:08, I ran into a southbounder. So much for my day of solitude! When I told him that he was the first person I had seen today, he apologized, which I thought was nice. He was a school teacher from Florida, finishing up a 650 mile section, and was the first person to congratulate me on almost making it to Oregon! He told me about Etna and highly recommended staying at the Hikers Hut. He also told me to keep looking up toward my right, as I was going to pass a neat rock formation. He asked me if there were any camping spots around the river and then we parted ways.

I listened to more music to help me along as I walked. When I came to a little stream, I decided to dip my hand in the water to help cool me down a bit. Somehow, my iphone dropped into the water as I did so! It was now sitting in a pool of water, completely submerged! My mouth dropped open as my brain started to panic. I didn’t have time to soak it in a bowl of rice for two days!! What did I just do?!
Fortunately, it still seemed to work…

I reached the last definite place to camp as evening approached. It was a well-used site, in the woods, and beside a creek. I dropped my pack, looked around, and thought about whether I really wanted to stop here for the night. It would mean that I would have nearly 10 miles to hike down to the road to hitch into Etna tomorrow. I decided that I didn’t feel so comfortable here. I don’t like being near water that drowns out all other sounds and I prefer not to camp in mosquito infested woods. I put my pack back on and kept walking, not knowing what I would find ahead.
In just under three and a half miles, I reached the last water source before the road and stopped to collect and filter water. I could hear campers nearby and smelled the smoke from their fire. I felt under pressure to move as quickly as possible due to the dimming light. As I started the next climb, two teenage boys hiked down, presumably to join the group at the lake. I hiked onwards, hoping a little spot would appear somewhere. However, the ridge I was walking on offered no such places!
The trail re-entered a wooded section. I heard a noise and all of a sudden, saw a cute little bear happily foraging in the trees just off the trail in front of me! He did not yet see me and started making its way in my direction! For a second, I wondered what was going to happen. It seemed like he was going to run right into me, but then he finally noticed me and quickly turned around and headed down the slope. I could see a second bear further down!

It was now 7:49! The sun was setting, I was now in the direct vicinity of a family of bears, and I still had no idea where I was going to camp. As I continued to climb, things only started looking worse. I was now in very rocky terrain. Huge boulders sat all around the trail. I wondered if I was going to have to night hike all the way to the road.
I continually scanned the terrain on both sides of the trail and a couple of times, went off the trail, looking for any possible places to lie down. I bushwacked down one hill where I thought I saw a semi-flat space well below the trail. Still, there were two many rocks around. I kicked one over to discover a bunch of white maggots writhing around. Do I want to camp in a rocky place surrounded by maggots? No, I did not. So, back up the hill, I went. I guess I was going to have to night hike.
About a half a mile later, I suddenly came to an opening in the climb. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes! Here was a nice, flat, sandy spot right along the trail. And since I was now up high, I had a bit of extra light to set up with. I walked over to the opening and looked out over the horizon as my jaw dropped, unable to believe the incredible sunset I was witnessing! How could it be that a few minutes ago, I was about to (try to) go to sleep in the most uncomfortable, maggot infested places that I had ever camped, or after hiking nearly 28 miles, be forced to continue climbing over this mountain in the dark, and now, I was completely fine, and more than that, watching one of the most magnificent sunsets that I had ever seen! I just couldn’t believe what a difference a few minutes had made.

I set up my cowboy camp, cooked my dinner, and kept walking over to the opening between the rocks to watch the sky turn color. The mosquitoes were still out, and one even bit me through my sock, but the wind was starting to pick up, which I knew would chase these bothersome creatures away. I put on my hat and nestled into my sleeping bag, grateful for this amazing turn-around in my night.

(Less than one hundred miles until Oregon!)

Day 99
July 26
mile 1548.8-1575
26.2 miles

I got up at 6:13 and saw the sun rise through the trees.

For breakfast, I had my Love Crunch granola, which I added some chocolate whey protein, chia seeds, and powdered milk to. While I ate, flies infiltrated my area, landing on me, my sleeping bag, my trash bag, and whatever else they could find.

I then boiled my coffee (having only one container to both eat and drink from), and after a few sips, had to dash out of my sleeping bag. Ugh. As I am taking care of my business, I hear a man clear his throat! Great! I look down to see an older guy stopped by a dried up creek, looking all around. Why now? I had to wait several minutes for him to get going so I could finish up.
At 7:10, Elk and Cookie passed by. I got on the trail at 7:22. I felt pretty good in the morning miles and ended up passing everyone. I found Rabbit Stix bent over and leaning on his hiking poles on a fairly small incline. When I got close, he looked behind and smiled slightly. Concerned about how he looked, I asked him how he was. He answered, “Fine, thanks.” He didn’t look fine to me, but I guessed I didn’t need to worry.

At 9:00, I stopped again to receive the reiki Checka was sending. I felt a lot of energy in my hands and then in my feet. As I walked, I thought about what an incredible gift it is when someone consciously dedicates several minutes out of their busy day to thinking about someone else, especially when they are doing it for the purpose of healing. I also realized how I needed to work on being more open to receiving. I have been incredibly independent over the course of my life, relying solely on myself for survival. It is much easier for me to give than to receive, and I found this exercise helpful in learning to allow more.

Both of my guides indicating that there was a spring at mile 1560, but there was actually nothing there at all! Disgruntled, I sat down and ate a snack anyway. I was surprised that my granola had lasted that long! Usually, I need to eat every couple of hours!
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before I came to a little spring. A man was sitting in the shade beside it, filtering his water. I went over to a rock in the sun and then patiently collected water. The other hiker wanted to know where the next water source was, but all I could tell him was the information he already had! When he left, I moved over to the shade and made myself an ice coffee. I looked back to see a hiker approaching. It turned out to be Braveheart! He dug out a big bag of vanilla wafers from his pack, complaining that he didn’t have enough cookies! We chatted for awhile, but at 12:20, I told him I had to get going! I had been there for 50 minutes already!

I managed to stay ahead of him for longer than expected. Up ahead, I saw the other hiker lying down next to the trail, eating a bagel with cream cheese. He didn’t see me until I was practically upon him and said hi! When I stopped to take a pack break, Braveheart caught up to me and asked if I had seen the rattlesnake 100 yards back. I had not. He said that he had brushed up against the bushes and then thought, “Wait a minute… Bushes don’t sound like that!” I said that it didn’t rattle at me. Braveheart said I probably woke him up as I passed by. (Actually, I think brushing against the bushes is what woke him up!). I hadn’t had a rattlesnake encounter since way back in the desert!
Braveheart stopped to collect another liter of water soon after (I had to call back to tell him there was a better source ahead where I was) and I headed down toward the highway. The trail was littered with rocks that hurt my tired feet when I stepped on them. I hadn’t felt them hurt so much in a long time!
As I neared the road, I saw a sign that read “trail magic” and looked back with a smile at Braveheart. He was hoping for some here, but I didn’t want to put any false hope into my head. The sign told us that it was being offered at Camp 3 by Kermit.

We headed across the road, wondering how to get to Camp 3. A few people were standing around chatting nearby and one of them came over to greet us. It was Kermit! He told us to follow him to his site, which Braveheart and I agreed was too far away and too hard to find if we didn’t have someone to show us the way. He asked us if we liked lemonade. Of course! However, he couldn’t find the paper cups, so he offered us a power bar as we waited for his wife, Junebug, to arrive. We chatted with them and came to find out that these were Weebee’s parents! They had been driving from town to town, supporting their daughter in her hike, and offering snacks to other hikers. Junebug asked if we would like a piece of bread and later handed us each a ziplock baggie with two chocolate chip cookies in it. The other hiker appeared and joined our group. When Braveheart started talking about the process of applying for jobs after the hike, Kermit asked him, “Why would you want a real job?”. He said that he was serious and told us how Weebee had created her own life by working seasonally in Alaska, making good money for half the year, and then going off for an adventure the other half. Junebug said that her daughter was one of the happiest people she knew. I was starting to think this could be possible for me, as well!

It was now 4:00 and I had hoped to still get in 10.7 miles. Braveheart and I excused ourselves and headed back to the trail. He hiked behind me and asked where I was stopping for the night. When I told him my goal, he said that would be a good stopping point for him, too! The trail climbed steeply and I knew I couldn’t sustain the pace I was keeping. I told Braveheart that I needed to stop for a snack. I wished I had eaten some protein while I was sitting around during our unexpected break. I pulled out my summer sausage while Bravehart looked at his map. He said it looked like there was a flat spot in a saddle around mile 1577.8. He went on as I finished my snack.

Minutes later, I heard the sound of thunder. Raindrops had fallen while we were sitting around Kermit’s campsite and I almost thought we were going to have to huddle in their RV, but then it seemed to have passed. Now, the wind was picking up. I stopped to seal my phone and camera in a ziplock bag. When I emerged out of the woods and could see Mt. Shasta in the distance, it was covered in dark clouds. I could see the rain falling and hoped it wouldn’t move this way.

However, within a couple of minutes, big drops began to fall on me! I quickly put my rain cover on my pack and headed off the trail into a patch of trees. They offered no protection, though! The wind was blowing the rain horizontally! I decided to get back on the trail and keep walking. My skirt got completely soaked in the next few minutes and the trail turned into a river! Then, the rain turned to hail. The size of the hail increased and pelted my body. It hit my hands, my head, and my neck, stinging me each time. Oww! By now, it was marble sized! I had never seen hail this big before! I found a tree to stand under next to the trail, but I could not escape the onslaught of pelting. I backed myself as close to the trunk of the tree as possible, my feet standing on an incline, ready to slip off at any second. I was cold and wet and stood shivering. I watched the trail transform from a river into a field of hail. Everywhere I looked, it was white! Then, the hail turned back into hard rain. I decided to start walking to try to warm up a little. The hail returned and I spent the next hour alternating with stopping under trees and walking through ankle-high rivers flooding the trail. My feet were soaked and my body was extremely cold. I moved and then stopped, walked through the hail and river, then tried hiding under a tree. I was determined to make it to Mosquito Lake Creek! In my way was a raging brown river! The water was the color of coffee! This was an angry storm! I could see the tops of rocks above the strong current, but wasn’t confident that I could make it across that path the way the water was rushing. Instead, I just went right through it! Disgusting! My feet were now frozen and I decided it would be best to keep climbing so I could give my body a chance to warm up! I told myself that I would be warm in 2 hours. I just had three more miles to hike in this cold, wet state. I could do it! Finally, the rain lessened. From the amount of hail on the ground in front of me, it looked like the storm wasn’t as bad here, as it had been where I was.

I looked behind me to see flashes of lightning. I was just going to keep moving away from the storm.
Soon enough, the sun came out and cast a beautiful soft light over the landscape. I even saw a little rainbow!

It was incredible to see such a turn-around in the elements. One minute, I was in the middle of one of the biggest and most uncomfortable storms of my life, and an hour and a half later, I was walking in a calm, tranquil land of flowers and the evening glow of twilight.
Just after 8:00, I arrived at my intended destination! No one else was around. Since the rain had stopped, I decided it was safe to cowboy camp. I thought my clothes would dry faster if I kept them on, so I put my thermal bottoms (which I was glad I had not shipped ahead) over my skirt. I cooked a dinner as I watched the clouds turn pink and then huddled into my sleeping bag, hoping to get warm and dry.

I only have 125 miles left in California!!