PCT 2007 Day 53
Day 53 / 5-17-07 Cowboy Camp
Wrightwood – Little Jimmy Camp
14.5 miles; 384 total miles (12); 2219.6 trip miles
Sunny, 70’s
We had a great nights sleep at the Fleury’s house. We woke up and she had scrambled eggs w/sausage, onions, and something else to make breakfast burritos. The eggs came from their own chickens. We started our laundry first thing and it still took until almost 10 AM. The wild part was that Colleen, our host, left us four in the house alone because she and the kids had to leave first thing to go visit Grandma. So we hung out in her home while she wasn’t there. I have never heard of a trail angel doing that. All she asked was that we close the front door on the way out.
We left once the laundry was done. I went to the supermarket for food, which for some reason cost me $40 more than the last two times and I bought the same amount of days of food. Next I hit the PO and got my new pack. She is great but I’m still carrying too much weight on my shoulders when the pack is really full. I have named her Bessy.
I didn’t have much time so I had to double time it to the library where our ride was picking us up. She arrived and gave Blue Sky, Vortex, Craig, Neptune, Mr. Fusion, and I a ride back up to the trail.
My group of 4 sat and snacked a bit before moving on to Grassy Hollow Family Campground where we had to get our water for the next 13 miles. We climbed to 7480′ and then down to 6585′ to Vincent Gap. At the gap I had a snack and fueled up for the 4 mile climb and 2800′ of climbing to reach the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell. It took me a little over 1.5 hours to reach the summit, which is a new record for me on this trip. The whole group from the truck ride got up there and then all but Blue Sky and Vortex cooked up there.
I was the last of my group to leave and had a nice solo hike to Little Jimmy Spring where I finally caught Craig. From the summit of Baden-Powell, we had a few small ups and downs, then it was mostly downhill to camp. There are a lot of us here. Wounded Knee is here and then I met Wilderness Bob, Max, and Fester.
On the way here I also met Geezer. He told me he heard a lot about me from the other hikers. I hike fast, talk fast and my parents are fast, so it made sense, so he said.
I had a great sunset as I hiked to here. It was one of the nicer ones in a while.
Scatman 2011- This day was great, then it was stressful, then it was great. Breakfast was great, then errands sucked since I was pressed for time and I’m sure I forgot something since I did even when I wasn’t under time constraints. Then the hike was great, hard but so rewarding. The climb up Baden-Powell was a ball buster but when I reached the summit it was so worth it.
The trees right before the summit were around 2000 years old. It blew me away to think I was so young compared to these ancient trees. They were beautiful in a odd way. I almost shed a tear thinking about them and everything they probably went through. It made what I was doing seem so easy.
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Scatman
Get out there!
You can check out my Appalachian Trail or Continental Divide Trail journals too!
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