Tired from yesterday, we’re in no hurry. We drink coffee, and chow on Muesli. Chef goes on a diatribe about his disdain for when people wear silly hats. He has many opinions, that are quite thought out in detail, and hilarious in nature.
We leave camp as Chef packs his gear, then passes us further up the trail.
As we descend to Acton, Lupine and I admire today’s view, which is better than the previous few days. Most of the bushwalking us over, but the descent is steep. We stop for snacks at a day park with Chef. Another hiker is tending to his foot. It is swollen and purple. He’s planning to take a day or a few off in Acton.
After snacks we have about 7 miles to the Acton KOA, where we plan to stay. The KOA has camping area for hikers, showers, and laundry. That’s a perfect stop for a hiker!
The trail again is windy and steep, hit and windy. We can see the KOA for miles, but it feels like forever to get there.
When we eventually pop out at the trail head, there’s a car with soda and Gatorade for hikers. Trail magic!! One of the young women tells us that she’d like to hike the PCT someday, but doesn’t have the window right now to do it. So instead they thought they’d come out on a Saturday and give trail magic to hikers. I’m grateful. But I think you myself, “what did I do to deserve this? I’m just privileged enough to walk for 5 months. How does that deserve such kindness from strangers?”
Lupine and I both take a Squirt and then a Gatorade. I usually don’t drink soda, but I can’t resist. When we’re done we thank our Trail Angel friends and walk down the road to the KOA. There are several PCT hikers. We spot Chef and sit next to him. He tells us Sriracha is hitching a ride to town to grab some beer. A few minutes later he walks back unsuccessful at getting a ride. Eventually him and Chef find a ride from the night security guard.
We spend the evening talking and making new friends. We laugh about stories from the trail, and stories from our pre-traill lives. Lupine and I ponder what happened to Horse but are relieved when a hiker says they saw him a mile or two back setting up camp. He often likes to camp where there’s cell service so he can talk to his wife. We assume that’s what happened, but are relieved to hear the report.
When the night winds down we dissapear into our tent. Tomorrow we plan to take a rest day. It feels good to look forward to.
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