My dried out bladder by electromagnetic radiation didn’t quite work as planned, but I know what went wrong. We lay parallel to the power lines which worked in reverse and filled my bladder 3 times. If we had lay perpendicular, then we’d have been in business. At least our electronics were fully charged.
We had a “Wildfire” moment last night. I heard hooting only I didn’t think it was outside my window. I thought Bunny had added a new sound to her night repertoire. There was an owl in the tree right between our tent and Wolf’s. There was an answering hoot coming from across the valley. She’s coming for me I know. And on Wildfire, we’re both going to go.
Remember when Michael Jordon was at the All Star Game and fired a shot from half court and the ball exploded mid-air because it was overinflated? Of course the shot was on course for a swish, but bits of the basketball landed all over the rim. If you see where this is headed, start drinking now. If you don’t see where this is headed, start guzzling. It’s been a few days since I’ve practiced my desert shot. Added to the fact that we were camped very close to Wolf and Ivy so I tried to limit my noise output through the night (hence the overinflated reference). I was on target for a 3-pointer but a little more methane than expected was encountered. (If everyone will just drink now, I will stop with the details from here on.)
Wolf was first out of camp with Ivy following less than 10 minutes later. Bunny and I were a full 20 minutes later. Bunny had to brush out her hair, make her toilet, pack her pack…DON’T RUSH ME…brush her hair again to make a point. It didn’t really matter how late we were because we only have 10 miles to go today. It’s an easy 10, too—1500’ up, 2000’ down. Once again, the grade barely gets over 300’ per mile. Last year on the AT (drink) if we had a grade less than 600’ per mile, we considered it level. The PCT is heaven compared to the AT.
Another complaint PCTers have against the AT is walking in the green tunnel. Bunny and I walked through more trees today than we have up to this point. We both talked about how the vistas out here are impressive, but we miss the trees. We grew up in the Midwest where forests abound in Southern Illinois and South Central Missouri. Our early hiking experiences were in lowland, hardwood forests. We get energized walking in the trees. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that it’s an oxygen rich environment or if I’m just a huge fan of Tree Bard. Last year on the AT (drink), I found myself talking to the tres and thanking them for their protection.
We are enjoying the desert hiking. Especially since we jumped forward nearly 300 miles and are now in temperatures that are pleasant during the day and comfortable enough for us to sit outside for a while in the evening. I’m not at all implying that I’m not liking the views and wide open spaces. In fact, I like both. But when I picture where we will end up after this hiking phase of our lives (if it has to end and Bunny gets her way with having a permanent home base—I’m not sold on the idea), I picture a cabin in the woods on the side of a mountain with maybe one open view of the mountains. I just feel more secure in the forest.
Water was plentiful today even though it’s not indicated in Guthook. We probably averaged a flowing stream every 1-2 miles. It won’t be like this for long. I still am glad that we chose to hike this time of year to get to see the desert blooming and the water flowing. Sure, the flopping like a fish out of water is a bit of a pain in the ass, but it’s manageable.
We made it to the road into Green Valley before 2 (which was our target time). Until last year on the AT, I had never hitch-hiked in my entire life. Now it’s second nature. I immediately put Bunny on the side of the road and have her get us a ride. She complained about how long it took to get a ride, but compared to times I’ve heard, 10 minutes is not bad at all. I know what it takes to pimp my ho out for a ride.
Our ride was in the back of a pickup truck with a dog willing to share the bed with us as long as we agreed to pet it all the way into town. Challenge accepted. I had to pet the dog, hold the packs, and calm Bunny all at the same time because there wasn’t a tail gate.
We got dropped off at the convenience store/gas station just a few blocks from Casa de Luna. We drank a soda before we walked on over. When we walked up to the house and announced ourselves, we said a couple of our friends should already be here and asked if we could possibly stay. The woman looked at me and said there was no one here and that she hadn’t had any requests by hikers to spend the night. Bunny and I were confused and looked at each other perplexed. Terrie started laughing and said we were easy to mess with. Ivy was in the shower and Wolf was outback setting up his tent. They arrived about 20 minutes ago.
Casa de Luna is not fancy. In fact, it’s a little run down, but it’s ran by people that love PCT hikers and bend over backwards to help in whatever way they can. Terrie even cooked us a St Patrick’s Day supper tonight of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. This afternoon, we were heading back up to the convenience store to pick up a few items and she gave us all Hawaiian shirts to wear so everyone in town would know we were hikers and the season has started. We’re her first thru-hikers this year.
As we were standing on the road watching BMW’s, Mercedes, and the like pass us by and then get picked up by an old pickup truck, I started forming an opinion. As we walked through town and arrived as Casa de Luna it started becoming clearer. It solidified as I was writing this up tonight. The people who are the most generous to strangers tend to be those people who have the least to spare. Perhaps they have more empathy because they can relate to being in a position of want when there seems to be plenty around but no one willing to share. I’m not saying we haven’t run across plenty of generous affluent people in our travels, just that those least blessed seem to come to a stranger’s aid sooner. Whatever the case, my faith in humanity is growing again and I hope that I am as generous to strangers in need as I have received that same generosity.
EFG