The magic continues; days 8-9

Day 8: Warner Springs to Mike’s Place, 17 miles

Day 9: Mike’s Place to mile 144, 17 miles

We got an early start from Warner Springs, and were on the trail by 630am. The trail was nice and flat, and went through woods for five miles before winding back up into the mountains. We stopped by a spring to fill-up, and passed the first group of horse riders on the PCT. The PCT allows equestrians, so we should see more along our journey. One of the horses was afraid of Garrett’s rainbow umbrella!

After the water stop we took a 2 hour break in the shade for lunch and naps, it was a hot day, and we had more uphill to accomplish. We were trying to make it to a water tank on the map that is on trail angel Mike’s property by the end of the day. We had heard rumors that he also allows camping, but we were planning on just filing-up out bottles and moving on. When we got there though, we heard music playing and signs welcoming hikers in. We thought we’d check it out, and when we got to the yard we found a group of hikers we’d seen at Warner Springs around a brick oven and fresh pizza! They welcomed us in, and we decided to stay. I had a root beer, and Garrett had a real beer, and we enjoyed pizza! We got to sleep in an RV instead of our tent, and it was a very nice surprise to a long day. My feet felt better in the new shoes, but still have a lot of healing to do.

Day 9, we slept in, as the RV was so warm and comfortable, and the weather for the first time in our trip was cloudy and windy- it was quite a relief from the heat.

We finally packed-up by 730am, and enjoyed a cup of coffee on the way out. The rest of the day was nice and cool, and we took it easy on account of my feet. We walked past a giant boulder field towards the end of the day, and set-up camp shortly there after in a soft sandy spot. Tomorrow, we’ll have breakfast at the Paradise Cafe again!