8/15/20; mile: 1,728; elevation: 5,335 ft.
My morning started with SoCo calling me to tell me there is a fire on the trail, just east of I5. Shit. Not much I can do but continue my plan and just face that obstacle when I get to it. Sarah and I took the car to a local joint to get some breakfast burritos to go before we packed up the hotel room and took me back to the trail. Except the car would not start. No lights. It was like the battery was disconnected. AAA was called and they arrived to give us a jump, but they did not provide the roadside battery replacement like we have done closer to home. We drive back to the hotel, keeping the car running, and quickly load up the car and to call local auto parts stores to find a battery (and tools to borrow). This was some last minute stress I did not need at this point.
With a fixed car I drive us back to the trail where they picked me up a couple of days ago. Along the drive, I could see a small column of smoke near Pilot Peak, just about where SoCo said there was a fire. Shit. As I unload my pack from the car and say goodbye to Sarah and Peter, it starts to really hit that this is the last time I’ll see them until I finish this little jaunt (only 938 miles to go!). It seems to be hitting Sarah, too. They saddle up and head back to I5 to finish their roadtrip by going along the California coast. Me, I heft my backpack and hit the trail.
And then I cried. A lot.
It was only 4 miles downhill to the I5 crossing, and then it was uphill for quite a ways. It was warm now, and I was just walking like a robot. I got to the fire zone and the trail was taped off with a Do Not Enter sign. Just as I was pulling out my phone to plan a work around, a firefighter walked out of the woods and escorted me through the burn area. It was really small and the crew was just hanging out in the shade of the trees taking a break. It was pretty obvious it started on the trail, but there were no signs of a campsite. Strange.
Further down trail, I cross paths with a day hiker (with a side arm at his side). Don and I chat on the trail for a bit, and then he walks with me heading back to his truck. There, he pulls out his cooler and we share adult beverages for a long time as we swap stories and how we came to be at this point in time at the same place. For the first time today, I saw a hiker pass by. She’s a new hiker, just starting her section hike going northbound. After the cooler was empty and I was saying my goodbyes, he gifted me the necklace he was wearing.
I quickly caught and passed Catherine, but we soon were together again as we got to the water at a spring on trail. I was done for the day, and so was Catherine. I found a nice spot to cowboy camp and miserably made my dinner. I don’t know how many more of these “toughest day yet” I can handle.
Savior out.