To PCT mile 1599.7 (stats here).
I got up 4:30am. I was feeling tired but felt also a necessity to get moving early so that I would be at the highway crossing around the same time as Bandit. Like usually, I got a good pace going downhill.
I met a German couple while having my second break at a water source, Simon and Angelica. With many couples it is the case that they do not have trail names. Having your own pre-defined group prevents other people to penetrate the bubble and give thenm. Simon had a huge camera. It is quite respectable that some do carry those with them. Then again, if you want good pictures, it is a necessity. Having just a cell phone or a pocket camera might make you also to rush, both taking the pictures and going past the places where to get the pictures from.
While I was leaving the 2nd break spot, also Bandit went past me. I cannot match his speed going up, but this time I decided to try to hang somewhere there behind him. About half of the rest of the way would be up and half down, so I figured I could catch up when going down if not let myself too far behind.
I was able to have good spirits going up, and as I flew going down, after 18 miles I was first at the highway. While going down the last hill, there were awfully lot of young hikers. They were from a school, having a weekend trip. Being a thruhiker, you got a bit like a celebrity reception and half admiring shouts.
The highway to Etna is not very heavily trafficked. Actually, there are very few cars. There is also no reception, so you cannot try to contact trail angels or anything. Some hikers have ended up trying to hitch 4 hours or more before succeeding or giving up. There would have been mobile reception while begin up in the mountain, 6 miles earlier, but I was not going back there to make a call. After 1 hours of waiting, a ranger kindly pulled over and we were able to fit all 7 hikers to his car. They are not allowed to give hitches, but he knew how hard it was to hitch from that place.
At the hostel, the bunkbeds were full but you could camp at the yard. Best of all, my new shoes had arrived there. Changing shoe type from zero-drop, low-cushioned Altra Lone Peaks to heavily cushioned Hoka One One Stinson 4 ATR is a risky move at this point of the trail. Let see how it goes. Walking with the Hokas is like walking in clouds, nothing is felt through the thick bottoms.
We did a group laundry with Nemo, Bandit and Waterfall. After that I worked a bit with the blog, and then we went with the same group to eat at the local brewery. You could loan some just barely working bikes from the hostel, even as the town was really small. It was fun to socialise with people and especially Nemo had lots of interesting stories. It did take forever to get the food, though. The waiter seemed to forget us many times and the orders. After the dinner it was time to visit the grocery shop briefly. I bought my signature dessert, 2L of ice cream and 2L of cola. Resupplying would have to wait for the next morning. I was not planning to leave early.
When hiking, you would do good to be in bed before 9pm. I tried to catch up with the blog while enjoying the cola and ice cream, before setting up my bugnet and going to sleep. Socialising took the first place, though. It would be an early morning for me, trying to catch up. I went to sleep a bit past 10pm.
I got up 4:30am. I was feeling tired but felt also a necessity to get moving early so that I would be at the highway crossing around the same time as Bandit. Like usually, I got a good pace going downhill.
 |
| The smoke made some nice views for a change. |
I met a German couple while having my second break at a water source, Simon and Angelica. With many couples it is the case that they do not have trail names. Having your own pre-defined group prevents other people to penetrate the bubble and give thenm. Simon had a huge camera. It is quite respectable that some do carry those with them. Then again, if you want good pictures, it is a necessity. Having just a cell phone or a pocket camera might make you also to rush, both taking the pictures and going past the places where to get the pictures from.
While I was leaving the 2nd break spot, also Bandit went past me. I cannot match his speed going up, but this time I decided to try to hang somewhere there behind him. About half of the rest of the way would be up and half down, so I figured I could catch up when going down if not let myself too far behind.
I was able to have good spirits going up, and as I flew going down, after 18 miles I was first at the highway. While going down the last hill, there were awfully lot of young hikers. They were from a school, having a weekend trip. Being a thruhiker, you got a bit like a celebrity reception and half admiring shouts.
 |
| Hikers waiting for a hitch - after an hour a success! |
The highway to Etna is not very heavily trafficked. Actually, there are very few cars. There is also no reception, so you cannot try to contact trail angels or anything. Some hikers have ended up trying to hitch 4 hours or more before succeeding or giving up. There would have been mobile reception while begin up in the mountain, 6 miles earlier, but I was not going back there to make a call. After 1 hours of waiting, a ranger kindly pulled over and we were able to fit all 7 hikers to his car. They are not allowed to give hitches, but he knew how hard it was to hitch from that place.
At the hostel, the bunkbeds were full but you could camp at the yard. Best of all, my new shoes had arrived there. Changing shoe type from zero-drop, low-cushioned Altra Lone Peaks to heavily cushioned Hoka One One Stinson 4 ATR is a risky move at this point of the trail. Let see how it goes. Walking with the Hokas is like walking in clouds, nothing is felt through the thick bottoms.
 |
| A risky move - changing the shoe type. Will the Hoka One Ones prevail? |
We did a group laundry with Nemo, Bandit and Waterfall. After that I worked a bit with the blog, and then we went with the same group to eat at the local brewery. You could loan some just barely working bikes from the hostel, even as the town was really small. It was fun to socialise with people and especially Nemo had lots of interesting stories. It did take forever to get the food, though. The waiter seemed to forget us many times and the orders. After the dinner it was time to visit the grocery shop briefly. I bought my signature dessert, 2L of ice cream and 2L of cola. Resupplying would have to wait for the next morning. I was not planning to leave early.
When hiking, you would do good to be in bed before 9pm. I tried to catch up with the blog while enjoying the cola and ice cream, before setting up my bugnet and going to sleep. Socialising took the first place, though. It would be an early morning for me, trying to catch up. I went to sleep a bit past 10pm.
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