Two, not one, but two beautiful latrines available for defilement. The rumors of free toilet paper proved to be just that, rumors. There was evidence that it probably would have been true even as late as yesterday. I found myself so confident and excited yet could not muster the wherewithal to fire at will. I felt like Kahn when he discovered he had been tricked by Kirk. I let go a Kahn-like “NNOOOO!” That primordial yell was just what was needed to release the damn. I walked back to the tent where Bunny was packing up singing in a superb baritone “🎶 Oh what a beautiful morning. Oh what a beautiful day… 🎶”
Bunny was not amused because I had been gone so long that she had actually had to do some of the things I normally take care of. Plus, she hates it if I’m too happy in the morning. She practically knocked me down grabbing her toilet paper before she disappeared. A few minutes later, she reappeared singing in a passable trail soprano “🎶 Oh what a beautiful morning. Oh what a beautiful day… 🎶” I can only assume success.
It turns out that all the unexpected trail comforts we found at Splinters Cabin actually slowed us down. Convenient water meant we drank more for breakfast. A picnic table caused us to spread out more while we packed. A trash can at hand led to multiple trips across the grounds. A privy increased a quit squat to a leisurely sit (no “h” included intentionally). We didn’t get on the trail until 8:30.
I neglected to mention the fact that we surpassed 500 cumulative trail miles, yesterday. With all the jumping around, it’s tougher to keep track of mileage. Last year, while we were watching our feet to keep from falling, we would notice someone had created a marker in the trail. This year, we’re looking around and not counting anything. I’m much more laid back, purity wise, so I’m not paying attention.
We did experience a PCT first for us today. I was afraid we were going to make it all the way through the desert without seeing a rattlesnake, but our drought is over. I rounded a curve and heard a loud rattle. I told Bunny to back up while I looked around for the source. He was sitting about 3’ in front of me to the left watching me. Once we made eye contact, and he was sure I was not being aggressive, he turned and headed into the grass. It was a good thing my Kahn yell had cleared my bowels earlier this morning.
The highlight for the day was a hot springs which was just 9.5 miles in for us. I was hopeful because locals tend to hang out and party here. More importantly, they do so, clothing optional. This actually proved quite handy because I saw a few hour glass figures with long flowing hair walking away from me, to only be surprised with the wrong plumbing when they turned around. There were plenty of schlongs for Bunny to pretend to not look at so I could pretend to not look in other directions. I will say, there was plenty of evidence of our national support for the state of Israel.
I think, as a society, we have done too good of a job bolstering the younger generations self worth of their bodies in whatever form. Like no child left behind, some kids are stupid and need to be left behind. Every body is beautiful; I think not. Some bodies should remain covered in public. I would have taken pictures to prove my point, but either my wife, or some of the burly, tattooed, behemoths would surely have pummeled me.
We stayed at the hot springs for over an hour and a half eating lunch and talking with other thru-hikers we knew. It was like watching scrambled TV while sitting there, you couldn’t really see anything, but every now and then, a few lines come in focus just enough that you think you might have seen something you’re not supposed to.
Today was hot. It got to over 90 and we spent most of the day walking in full sun. Before the springs, Bunny got to feeling delirious (which is the only reason I think she was willing to stay as long as we did). By the time we got rehydrated and cooled off, it was even hotter than when we arrived, but we needed to make miles. As we were getting ready to leave with Jukebox, Sun Bear, and Cheers, Jukebox was complaining about chafing on her back and asked Cheers for some of her Vaseline. I’m a man with a mission when it comes to chafing and I told her to ditch the jelly and try some of my Vagisil. Real men carry Vagisil and let people know.
A mile or two later when we stopped at another stream to cool down, Jukebox came in as we were pushing on. She told me she was throwing away her body glide and buying Vagisil when she got to town. This made the group of day hikers a little uncomfortable and helped put a bit of pep in their step as they left the stream.
All Day Long has told us that the river crossing below the Mojave Dam might be pretty deep so we were leery as we approached it. We had been leapfrogging with another girl, Bane, all day long. As we were getting ready to go in, she just leaped past us again without hesitation and went across. No problem. We were hoping to find camping spots on the other side, but there weren’t any. We hiked on another mile and a half before catching up with Prometheus, Not a Minor, All Day Long, Fake News, and Bane. It was still another mile and a half to the next water source, but everyone was tired. We had just grabbed a couple of liters of water from a cache thinking we didn’t have enough energy in our legs for another couple of miles. We joined them.
They had been waiting for Sun Dog, Cheers, Jukebox, Snow Dog, and Strider who we had last seen about 5 miles back. We shared what information we had about the missing hikers as we cooked supper. Except for us and Bane, everyone else is cowboy camping. With the rattlesnake sighting, today, and Ivy’s encounter with a scorpion, we just aren’t ready to forsake that 0.002” protective enclosure we call a tent.
EFG