Days 7-9

Day 7: 15.1 Miles (94.3 -109.4)

Sunrise this morning was lovely from the tent site. We got a late start at 7:30 and hiked 7 miles to lunch, where we got served by "trail angels". Cold soda, coffee and hot dogs never tasted so good.

From there, we pushed on to the town of Warner Springs where we had outdoor showers and bucket laundry. This afternoon was just beautiful, with a new type of landscape we hadn't experienced yet. It felt like a mix of desert with highlands.

Backpacks lined up outside the community center in Warner Springs.

Day 8: 17.1 Miles (109.4-127.5)

Today was the longest day yet. It included a long climb of 6 miles and 2,000 feet but with beautiful views. Unfortunately my feet were feeling great, so I decided to push - but ended up pushing too hard. My calves were killing me by the end of the day.

It ended with rain about 1 mile from camp. We set up and cooked dinner in the cold, but it was too cold to stretch evening tho our feet are screaming. Tomorrow it'll be 29 and rainy at 6am so maybe we will sleep in.

Day 9: 19.1 Miles (127.5-146.6)

Last night we got poured on with 65+ mph wind gusts and one friend said it was his worst night in 5,000 miles of backpacking. So, it can only go up from here.

After sulking, we pushed 19 miles to "little bear hostel". The hostel was really just a dad and his two kids and a bunch of hikers sleeping on the floor in the family room. It was good to sleep inside and have my first drink on trail. Calves / Achilles were again killing me by the end of the day and I'm starting to get worried.

Days 7-9 stats: