Bunny was sick from dehydration by the time we made it to the Guest Ranch last night. I, on the other hand, was feeling pretty good other than being thirsty and hungry. Since it was Mother’s Day and Bunny was being a real mother to me, I went ahead and splurged for a private room rather than set up the tent or just get spots in the bunkhouse. We were the only hikers here the whole time. Most people are still wandering around the desert (and probably will be for about 40 days). The purists still think they are going to push straight through the Sierra. I’m afraid there’s going to be a lot of deaths this year on the PCT.
As soon as we got on the ranch, I felt at home. They have a dog. A male Great Pyrenees named Duke. Duke and I became immediate friends. Bunny still wouldn’t let me have him come in our cabin or sleep with us. She’s a very mean woman. Bunny opted out of supper and stalked jackrabbits around the pond while I went up to the main building to eat. I’m sure she would have let a rabbit join us in the room if she could catch one. A very very mean woman!
We barely had the energy to shower, but we both managed. The rest would have to wait until morning. They have loaner clothes for hikers to wear, so we started our laundry before we went in for breakfast. After breakfast, I pulled a GI Jane and shaved my own head. I missed the gentle touch of Geo’s hand as he tenderly shaved my head for the first time at Uncle Jonny’s last year on our AT thru-hike. It was another Demi Moore moment, reminiscent of the potters wheel in Ghost. I wonder where Geo is.
We had intended to stick around until our package arrived, but, when we got the tracking info, we discovered it was scheduled to arrive by 8p on Friday. Since it’s delivered to a PO Box, that means we won’t be able to actually pick it up until Monday morning since the Post Office doesn’t have weekend hours. We decided on plan B. We will have the package forwarded to Mt Shasta where we’ll pick it up mid next week.
Mike and Linda have a great setup on the Guest Ranch. They have listened to hikers’ input and have an excellent mini-resupply with reasonable prices. They even managed to become distributors for Mountain House so they are the most reasonably priced on that line we have encountered on trail. Since our food package wasn’t coming, we did pick up enough to get us through the next 90 miles.
This is Mike and Linda’s home. They bought the ranch 5 years ago for a bargain price because it needed so much work. This will be the 4th season they have been open to hikers. Linda is extremely conscientious and tries to do everything as best as she can. That’s why they have a great resupply. They have an excellent fixed menu with a 3-4 day rotation. She has studied what hikers like and need. There are some rules. Not at all unreasonable ones. Mike’s elderly mother and sister live in one of the houses on the ranch so they do not allow partying and enforce quiet hours. We tried to stay up late enough to make it to quiet hours, but couldn’t make it past 8 any night. Linda fed us well for supper every night and then we crashed with full bellies.
We tried to keep an eye on the weather. We considered sticking around until the next storm passes, but then there appears to be another 2 storms following quickly behind. Even though we’re not in a rush, we couldn’t justify killing another week of time after we have just spent a week with Georgi. We decided that we will leave, come what may, on Wednesday morning after breakfast. Linda will forward our package for us as soon as it arrives.
All in all, we had a very restful couple of days off. There is plenty of wildlife around the ranch for us to watch, and the most amazing view of Burney Mountain from the backside of their property. Duke and I bonded so it was very hard for me to leave the first Pyr I’ve encountered since I killed Ilana. This is another easy vortex waiting to engulf weary thru-hikers.
EFG