We got up a little later today than we meant to – the cold weather is going strange things to my watch and it apparently reset itself last night. Hopefully a new battery from town will fix the problem. It was cold again last night without a tent but it was nice to be back out under the stars.

Motivated to get into town, we didn’t loose too much time getting on the trail. It was nice hiking in the cool, sunny morning weather. We wound around low rises through scrub that was surprisingly desert-like given that we had been in a forest of pines and cedars yesterday. We saw more cacti, yucca and even Joshua trees. The miles flew by and in just a few hours we reached the highway. Keith called Papa Smurf, who cheerfully drove out to haul us and two other hikers down to Nature’s Inn where we had rooms reserved. Mud and Dingo work in Alaska north of the Arctic Circle and have been doing crazy long days. This will be their first zero day. We’re not quite so tough! On the way into town we heard that the search teams found the missing hikers we learned about yesterday. They seem to be in good condition too. What a relief!

Our room at the hotel has a whirlpool tub, which is a wonderful thing. We’re a quick mile’s walk from Thelma’s, a great restaurant, which is near the laundromat and donut shop. Efficient layout for hungry, dirty hikers…

After breakfast the next day we took the bus down to the grocery store to resupply. We’re surprisingly good at ignoring the extra distractions and getting only what’s on our list. We’re also getting better at knowing what will hold up to the abuse of getting stuffed in a pack, and what will be especially satisfying to eat. After getting back to our room we worked through our other chores – sorting and packing food, washing out our water bladders and filter, journaling, and such – and turned in early for an early morning back to the trail.

– Posted from the PCT

Location:Pct mile 266