DAYS 29-35

DAYS 29-35

DAY 29

5-22-2013

Miles: 454-0

-Zero day at the Saufley's

-Bicycle riding into town... So much fun! I had not ridden a bike for at least 10 years or more!

-Knee hurting but feeling a bit better after resting it up

-Passed out watermelon and cherries

-Passed around a 'thank you' note for all the hikers to sign to give to Donna Saufley. This was a great way to meet people! The Saufley's really appreciated the note. 

-Breakfast at the Sweetwater Cafe-- good food but the service was sketchy. 

-Hung out a lot with Commando, Shady, and Puppy

-Beads showed up!!!!! We became buddies at the Kick Off. She went into town to stop by REI. She was so sweet to buy me a sleeping pad! I paid her back for it. 

-I love my old sleeping pad. It was a blow-up, long, rectangular, 4 season, lightweight sleeping pad. It is wonderfully comfy... but I've been getting tired of blowing it up at the end of every day. It is great for really short trips where I can afford to be comfortable; it's too much hassle for long-distance hiking. 

-My new pad is like a miniature egg-crate foam pad. It folds up into an accordion type shape. It isn't very thick; but at the end of a long and tiring day I could sleep on a bed of nails and not know it!

DAY 30

5-23-2013

Miles: 454-479

-Hiked from The Saufley's to The Anderson's

-Hiked with large group of people I love

-Knee going out; very VERY painful

-Shady hiked with me to make sure I was okay. I felt so thankful for his help. Hiked in the moonlight for a bit. I was moving slowly because of my knee pain. 

-Got in late, around 9pm. Set up camp in The Anderson's yard (aka Narnia). We hung out with our bubble of hiker friends- drank beer, laughed, listened to music, did art work, signed registers, exchanged hiking stories and advice, and compared battle wounds with one another. It was fun, but also cold... and I had just hiked 25 miles with a painful and busted knee. I needed sleep! Crashed in the middle of some manzanita trees... Shady got me all scared about the spiders!

DAY 31

5-24-2013

Miles: 479-0

-Zero day @ Casa de Luna

-Said goodbye to Shady, Commando, Atlas, Nurse Betty, and others who were moving on. I wanted to cry because I was having to say goodbye to my hiking group while I stayed behind to let my knee get better. 

-Took pain pills, iced, elevated, and rested my knee... in a daze because of the pills. 

-I'm frustrated. My mind wants to hike 25 mile days and my body doesn't like this plan yet. Grrrrrrrrr. 

-Even though I'm frustrated and sad, I am in a really great place with trail angels who are taking care of me. Casa de Luna is a great place for me to crash. 

DAY 32

5-25-2013

Miles: 479-0

-Zero day @ Casa de Luna

-Pancakes, sandwiches, milkshakes, and taco salad... yummy!

-Hot shower outside

-Went with Devon, Marshall, Ariel, and two others to a local sandwich shop. I had 2 milkshakes there!

-Slept a lot

-My knee feels slightly better, but it hurts when I use it too much. My ankles and feet are as swollen as swollen can get... it's kind of scary how puffy my lower extremities are right now. I don't like it at all!

-Woke up at 1:00am to use the restroom and everyone here was asleep! How strange!!!! Just 2 nights ago the house was rockin' all night long. Different groups of hikers party all different hours I guess. 

DAY 33

5-26-2013

Miles: 479-0

-Zero day @ Casa de Luna

-Apparently I snore. Other hikers have told me this after walking past my tent in the morning. 

DAY 34

5-27-2013

Miles 479-0

-Zero day @ Casa de Luna

-Feeling bummed because my knee isn't any better

-Donna Saufley stopped by Casa de Luna. When I saw her, I asked if I could ride back with her to her place so I could rest up and see a doctor. The Anderson's place at Casa de Luna is awesome, but it's far away from town. I also wanted to be able to have a cot and some more structured use of amenities like laundry, sleeping quarters, kitchen use, showers, etc. which The Saufley's are more equipped to provide.  

-Got to The Saufley's. The change of scenery is nice. I also ran into some more friends!!!!!! I saw Cookie Monster from the kick off. He made special cookies and shared with me! I also saw Crazy Knees and a few other folks.

-My trail angel friends TK and Boo Boo live next to a VA center in San Diego. They said I could go home with them tomorrow (28th), stay in their guest house, go to the VA to check out my knee, let my knee get better while I'm there, and learn how to surf! I think I might just take them up on their offer. Then, once I'm better, I can get back to the trail via public transportation. This means I would have to skip up the trail (again) and re-do a small part later. I'm okay with this, but bummed because its not how I wanted my hike to turn out. Oh well, I can't help my medical issues. I should make the best of this situation! :)

DAY 35

5-28-2013

-The Saufley's House... no miles gained

-Woke up early. My feet and ankles were much less swollen than they have been. My knee pain is also a lot more manageable today than it has been. I soaked my feet and calves in a bucket of hot water with Dr. Teal's salts mixed in. This felt great! I also found some joint pain relieving cream that contains arnica; this cream feels really great on my knee too. 

-Made friends with Heebeegeebiis, Dumpster Baby, Baby Steps, Giant, Rocks, Band Leader, and Porscha. 

-Removed some horrid nail polish from my fingers and toe nails. I repainted them a pretty pink color. All the other hikers are making fun of me and my girly-ness. Haha!

-Called the post office in Tehachapi, CA. They are sending my bounce bucket back to me here at The Saufley's in Agua Dulce. 

-I decided to NOT go with Boo Boo and TK to their house next to the VA. I would be getting so far away from the PCT that it would be that much easier to walk away from the trail altogether. If I can recuperate while I'm on the trail or near the trail, I will still feel tied to it and everyone hiking it. I also think my knee is going to get better. I have to get better. I love this trail too much to give up easily. I think I'll be able to get back on the trail in a few days; I'll need to start out slowly and only go between 15-20 miles a day. Hopefully I can build my daily mileage back up to 25+ miles. I'd rather hike slowly than not at all. 

-My knee was feeling better so I rode a bicycle to town. Going into town is fun because the ride is all downhill and alongside horse pastures and desert farms... it's beautiful! I love riding bikes in a group... a hiker and biker mob!

-I ate dinner at Sweetwater Cafe with Cookie Monster, Crazy Knees, and another girl whose name has escaped my memory. I had a bleu cheese burger, a blue moon beer, and a multi-berry cobbler with ice cream! Yummmmmm! I haven't hiked in about a week, so I've got to dial back my calorie intake or else in going to blow up! I've already gained 7 pounds!!!!!! Lol. 

-I didn't have any food, so I stopped by the grocery store on my way out of town. I love Horizon milk! I bought lots of this, a big bag of cherries, and other stuff. It was interesting rigging my grocery bag to the back of my bike. I finally figured it out and rode back towards The Saufley's. 

-The bike ride back to The Saufley's wasn't as bad as I anticipated, though it still made my knee ache. It felt good to have the wind in my hair and to break a sweat. 

-Sat around a fire with other hikers. I found an open bedroom! yay! I shared it with Crazy Knees. I felt tired, so I went to bed early.