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The one with the bad mood, Tom Hanks to cheer me up, and more snakes!

📍 Location: Agua Dulce (454) to MM 474.2
🥾 I actually walked: 24 miles (exhausting)
💰 Money: $20 for a donation to the Oasis campsite.
⛑️ Health: My body just aches tonight which is understandable. My feet feel like hamburger meat and my heels are painful to touch. Hopefully a good nights sleep will sort it out.

☀️ Weather: A mix. Cool, then up in the mountains we were walking in mist and it was freezing. Down in the canyon it got warm and sunscreen was needed!

🍲 Food: Amazing Berry and oats breakfast, tortilla and honey for lunch (too sweet for me), then dehydrated lasagna for dinner (surprisingly good).

💤 Sleep: I slept ok last night (Oasis campground) but there were three men in tents surrounding me who were synchronised snoring!

😃 People update: Saw AJ today and he has a new trail name: Facial Recognition. There was a trail register as well so we now know where most people are on the trail.

⚙️ Gear update: My old shoes still had mileage in them but it’s nice to have new ones. My backpack is looking beaten up, my tent is doing brilliantly and my new cotton liner is working well. I love having 1 x The 1.5lt bottles rather than 4 x smart water bottles. It’s also easier to filter water using the squeeze bag, rather than two bottles (air gets stuck and it’s a pain with the bottles).

THE LONG WINDED VERSION:-

🍳 7am - Late start but we are off! I’ve had a proper breakfast of oats and fruit and caught up with blogs. I’m walking with Disco again today. DinkyDi messaged me and is currently resting up in Acton. I hope our paths cross again in the future.

🦅 710am - We see a massive bird of prey in the tree, just sitting there and then it spreads its wings.. wow! I wish I knew what it was. I’m guessing a hawk of some kind.

🎵 8 am - The walk-through Agua Dulce is pleasant with lots of ranches and equestrian places. We see an older lady with long grey hair pruning her flowers in the front garden and she’s got rock music blaring out of Radio. She didn’t spot us as she was in a world of her own. Disco smiles at me and points and I just smile back, life is fun if you let it be.

✍️ 8:50am - We are now 3 miles into the hike. In the middle of nowhere is a box on a post which holds a trail register. Disco and I sign the book and spend some time looking through to see who is where. We are just about to leave when I notice the three little weird sculpture things at the base of the post. I’ve Googled it to find out more but to no avail.

😢 1016am - Disco is off! He’s a strong hiker and I’m struggling to keep up with him today so I need to let him go. I’m still going up and it’s just relentless. I think it’s more of a mental battle rather than a physical one but each step takes another part of my soul. I think about home, the dogs, my walking club and then as the climb gets harder my thoughts go to darker places and challenges of the past.
It’s not cold, but it’s overcast and grey skies. Usually, for me, this is perfect walking weather, but today the grey skies match my mood and I’m finding it hard to shift.

🐍 1020am - I try to change my mood and plug in my AirPods. Ive nearly finished “Tom Hanks, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece”. It’s still chilly and foggy so I know there won’t be any snakes to worry about…., or so I thought! “F**K me” I nearly trod on a bloody snake that was in the middle of the trail. My heart was beating as I backed up. Where is my vinegar and olive oil solution when I need it! I take out one AirPod and grab my phone to record the snake. It merges with the sand so it’s not a good shot, but you can still see it (not sure if it was a rattler or not?). It didn’t rattle, but it did cool up. I waited a few minutes but it was still in striking pose. Eventually, after about 10 mins of waiting, I started dancing on the trail. Doing a rain dance and stamping my feet hard in the ground. If anyone witnessed this then I must have looked a bit mad, but it worked! Hey, snakes don’t like my dancing. 😂 as it retreated back into the long grass.
The good mood has been restored by adrenaline and Tom Hanks!

🥪 11.15am - Eventually I reach the top of the first summit (over 5 miles up hill!) and Disco waiting for me (love that guy). I’m not in an overly talkative mood but we find a quiet spot, out of the wind with another couple of hikers and stop for an early lunch. Food… that’s better.

🌳 11:50 am - We didn’t stop for long as the mist was now covering the mountain and visibility is becoming difficult. Disco and I descend the mountain which was much quicker than going up! The trail turns to a forest area and suddenly I can smell the lush green grass. I know it must be a strong aroma as I have a very poor sense of smell. The smell reminds me of home and once again I start to feel homesick. I look at my watch and do the calculations in my head, back home it’s 5pm and Matt & Rachel will be halfway through Megan & Marks wedding. I wonder how the day is going and what Megan’s dress is like. What is the weather like? I hope it’s sunny. I’ve got no service so I can’t message anyone. I miss home.

💦 12pm - We reach a water source which is a stream that has a pipe sticking out of the ground. It’s flowing well. There are no reliable water sources for the next 15 miles, so we stop to fill up. I filter three litres into my bottles, then add another 750ml to my shoulder bottle that has electrolytes and a lemon squirt of cordial to make it taste better.

🤩 1217 pm - Even though we are descending a mountain it’s still very high. Emerging from the forest we are greeted by a surprise view of Lake Bouquet. It’s just lovely to see something different.

😃 1:13 pm Disco (being from Switzerland) is a Kilometre person rather than a mile person. We stop at a sign on the ground which reads 750 km! He takes a selfie and his big grin says it all. 750 sounds so much further than 466 miles!

🚁 1:35 pm - Disco is off again and I can see him way in the distance. I am flagging a bit now but determined to do over 20 miles today, even if my feet are killing me! I stop often. This must be an area for military training as I’m entertained by low flying jets, then a HUGE military plane (sorry, I have no idea what sort of planes but they were not commercial). Not long after that a series of helicopters flew in between the saddle of a mountain and I just watched in awe of their skills.

👋 2 pm - Disco has stopped and is talking to someone up ahead on the trail. As I get nearer i recognise his faceZ it’s AJ, who I’ve not seen since Idlywild. He has been off trail with his wife Steph but has now flipped and walking South Bound to fill in his steps. He has a trail name “Facial Recognition” as he knows everyone’s face on the trail but can never remember their names. It’s great to see him and he chats to us for a while. I also get him to write in my little year book as I had printed his photo ages ago but then didn’t see him again until today to write in the book.

🥾 2:52 pm - Im now 16 miles into the hike and I’m very tired. A very colourful day hiker (wearing a face mask) is coming down the mountain. He stops to chat and his clothes are not the only thing that is full of vibrancy and energy. Ken is local and he tells me with pride that he is over 60 and still hikes at least 12 miles everyday to keep fit. He is extremely enthusiastic about hiking and loves to talk to the ThruHikers. “Is the man in front of you your husband?” He asks. I laugh and explain that no, we just met each other on the trail. I could stay and chat for ages but I have miles to do, so make my excuses and wish him well with his hiking. I also stole a bit of his energy! 😜

🥘 4.40pm - We have a plan! Disco and I stop at 18 miles for a rest and to have some dinner. I’m starving and cook a lasagna (the heaviest meal in my food bag). Boy, did it taste good! Disco had a Chinese meal (King Pau Beef, or something like that). We stop here for a while and recharge our batteries. Our plan is to walk another three miles and then camp. That way, we have an easier day tomorrow.

😂 We are just about to pack up when two ladies walk by. I shout to them “if you are looking for a tent spot then you can have this one. We are moving on shortly”. They both gave a sigh of relief and sat down to join us for a while. They are German and in their late 20’s. They are not hiking big miles as they are both struggling with tendon injuries. One lady introduced herself as “Oxygen”. She got the name because on her first night on trial, she had a dehydrated meal and sprinkled the oxygen packet into her dinner thinking it was seasoning ha ha 😂

🥾 5:15 pm and we’re on the move again 2.9 miles to camp!

🪦 5.41pm - I come across a a wooden bench near the trail, in memory of a guy called Bob Kimmerly, makes a nice place to stop and sit for a rest. Next to the bench is a board with lots of names and times ie 6:20:32. I have no idea what the board and numbers are for. I tap the bench and thank Bob for the short respite then continue on my way.

🏕️ 6.10pm - I catch up with Disco who has saved me a lovely tent spot. We are on a ridge but we are surrounded by bushes and quite well protected from the wind. I pitch my tent and close all the doors. Stripping naked I grab the bath wipes. I go through three wipes which are large and thick but it feels so good to scrub my whole body clean. I then put on my Jim jams and I’m ready for bed. It’s only 7pm and my intention is to write up my blog but my eyes are heavy and I can feel the weight of the day engulfing me. I’m the tent next door I can hear the gentle snores of Disco and it’s not long before I join him in the land of nod!

🌙 Night night everyone.

Thank you for listening to my rambles, signing off for now JukeboxRead more