Day 6 - When You Think You’re Alone

Day 6 – 4/19
Mile mark 78-92
Miles 14

I stick around at the Julian inn until 7:30 for breakfast. I debate wether I want to stay in town until the afternoon or leave this morning. Today I don’t need to go far because the post office at my next destination, where my resupply package is, won’t be open until Monday. I decide I’d rather do the steeper part of the climb in the morning and head out.

I’m not nearly as lucky with my hitch today. I end up standing around for awhile trying different combinations of smiles, hat on/off, and sunglasses on/off. Eventually, a post woman drives by and picks me up and delivers the mail while we head back to scissors crossing. She’s an incredibly nice women and tells me some stories about picking up other hikers. When I’m dropped off, I’m amazed how much I learned about a stranger in 15 minutes.

When I start hiking my feet feel like new, and I’m happy to be climbing up a mountain again. The rest of the morning goes by like most of the rest, until I stop for lunch and a nap. Just as I fall asleep I hear “fuck my butt crack, everything hurts, dammit I’m having a wonderful fucking day!” Then a hiker appears and sees me and says “hah, thought I was alone.” It may be that I’m sun drunk or it really was funny, but it makes me laugh the rest of the day.