Horse Meadow

The one with the half naked man in the woods!

📍 Location: Cibbets Flat to Mount Laguna.

🥾 PCT Mile Marker: 42.6 / Elevation 6212ft (high!!)
🥾 I actually walked: 12.8 miles

☀️ Weather: Perfect! I left camp early and it was a bit chilly but as it warmed up I was walking next to a cliff that gave me shade and then through a pine forest. A perfect day.

⛑️ Health / Physical / Mental:- I felt a bit down this morning as I had to leave my friend DinkyDi at the campsite. She has dizzy spells (she couldn’t walk in a straight line) and was throwing up. She’s decided to stay at the campsite and wait it out.
Physically I’m tired but feel good. The thought of being in a proper bed with a hot shower tonight is keeping me motivated.

🍲 Food: Giant cookie & coffee for breakfast, fries for lunch then an awesome dinner of sea salt fries with meat and vegetables in a sauce on top. (I’ve forgotten what they call it, but see photo).

💤 Sleep: 9hrs of sleep! I must have needed it. It was a very quiet campsite.

💰Money: Too much!
$14 for fries and hot chocolate
$91 - for a motel room (thanks Rebecca)
$38 - for three drinks in a bar with friends.
$26 - for resupply food for the next three days.
$22 - For dinner tonight.
TOTAL - $191

🐍 Snake count: Zero! Although I’m hearing more and more stories about sightings so they are out there!

👨 People update: DinkyDi has altitude sickness. Harry is feeling better and back on track. People now have trail names and my little book of hikers is coming together nicely. I’ve taken a dinky Polaroid printer with me and I’m printing photos of all the people I’m meeting. It’s good fun to hear their trail names.

LEARNINGS:-
I used my portable bidet for the first time today. It was cold but rather refreshing and certainly makes you feel clean!

THE LONG WINDED VERSION:-

5.10am - I’m wide awake and started writing yesterdays blog. Gentle snores are coming from the tent next door (DinkyDi). The stars are stunning and so clear and bright. You can also see the milky way, it’s beautiful. I hope we have a good sunrise this morning as we’ve not seen a good one yet.

7.03 - DinkyDi is poorly so with a heavy heart I pack up and start walking on my own. I don’t have enough food to stay another day so I have no choice but to leave her there. I need to walk 0.7 miles up a hill before I get back on trail but the weather is cool and I’m well rested. I’ve got this!

9.25 - Five miles in and I’m taking a break. The climb has not been too bad. It’s all switchbacks and very rocky ground. Only 4.5 miles to go and I’ll be in Mount Laguna. I’m sitting by a creek with two massive pine cones for company! 😂

10am - DinkyDi’s voice comes into my head as I fall up a giant rock step “if you trip then take a sip”. Realising that I haven’t drank much at all, I stop to catch my breath and take a sip of water.

10.49 - Wow! I’m liking this beautiful pine forest trail. It’s soft underfoot and smells divine. There are massive pine cones everywhere. I need a wild wee so put my pack by a log, and grab my portable bidet. I’d rather experiment with this new gadget with a number one rather than a number two. “Squirt” blimey, that’s cold!! But I feel clean. A quick pat down and I’m good to go! I could get used to this. 1.6 miles to go. I’ll be there before lunch and I can’t wait!

11.27 - I look up as I hear footsteps coming towards me. I young man in his 30’s is running down the hill with no clothes in apart from some small a blue shorts. I can’t help but stare at his six pack! “Happy trails” he says as he passes me. “It is now!” I thought with a smile. 😂

11.34 - I hear someone approaching from behind me at quite a pace so I move over to the side and let her pass. She is not just walking, she is singing and dancing with her earphones in. At the bar later, I learn that her name is Anya from Ukraine and the pine forest reminded her of home. She was singing her heart out to some Ukrainian music. She’s been living in the US for the last few years.

11.50 - Snow!! Just a few weeks ago this whole area was deep snow and PCT hikers were trudging through the forest. Today I come across one small patch of snow which reminds me of things to come when we get into higher elevation.

12.00 - Pine Lodge Cafe. I enjoy fries and a hot chocolate and enjoyed conversation with a new group of hikers) although I’m missing my trail family.

1.38 - Yey! I have collected my bounce box and the key to the motel room. I strip off and have the longest shower ever! The water running from my body takes a while to go from murky brown to clean! I put my town clothes on from my bounce box and set to work washing my clothes. When I asked about laundry facilities at reception, the guy says “sure, here you go” and hands me a bucket with a little box of laundry detergent. It was quite hard work trying to get my clothes clean, but they are now drying in the warm sun outside.

3.30pm - I grab my Polaroid printer etc and head down the lane to the Saloon Bar. As I approach I hear loud voices that I recognise instantly. Sierra (now Hot Mess), Amelia (now Crick as she can’t say Creek), Supervisor Sam and Captain Cook are all here drinking whisky. Things could get messy. We are shortly joined by Disco Daddy, Joey and a few others. I spend a lovely waving catching up with them all and taking trail life. By 8pm I’m stuffed with food and drink and head back to my room for an early night.

8.32pm - I’m snuggled up in bed. This is heaven!

Night night. See you tomorrow and thanks for reading my rambles.

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