McDonalds Eve

Or so I thought. I thought today was just going to be for knocking off miles until McDonalds. (Also known as Cajon Pass) After three days of seeing no one but JJ and Lydia, we ran into some other hikers today! A young guy from the UK popped in to our campsite to chat this morning . Sprocket. Then we hiked a few miles and saw Pops, Three Socks and Walking Home.  Good to see some people. Mid morning we stopped for a snack and this lively group of hikers came along and stopped to chat. They were so excited to meet thru- hikers because many of them want to do it. Laughed and talked 

They all had hats that said, 3H on it ( Hiking for Health and Happiness) and they gave us each a hat . Funny how just a little fun interaction can give you a little boost.

So the day was shaping up to be more than a long march to McDonalds. About 1/2 mile after this we came to...

A cooler in the woods. Always a welcome sight! We were low on water so it was awesome. So the day just got better. Then we came over a ridge and...

A beautiful lake! In drought stricken SoCal! Bonus! Hiked around the lake and came across lots of Trail Gorillas 

This is an absolutely amazing volunteer group that has adopted the whole lower 700 miles of the PCT to maintain. What a huge undertaking. The trail wouldn't be available without them. 

We were all really low on food today but we knew we could get food tomorrow so we were just powering through. AND THEN, one of the trail gorillas handed is each ...

Two oranges! And they were delicious. The day just kept getting better. Then we came to...

Ok, so this wasn't THAT great, but at least he was out in the open where we could see him and he slithered along quickly.

The trail led us down to the lake and we stopped to fill up on water at a picnic area. A group picnicking nearby, asked about the hike and when they heard what we were doing, they brought us sodas and chips (we demolished a large bag of Lays in minutes) You'd have thought they'd just given each of us a million dollars the way we carrying on thanking them for the sodas. Another group picnicking nearby, must have noticed the commotion and not to be outdone, brought us melon, grapes, oranges and orange juice and avocados.

 Wow! Banner day. Ate what we could and packed up what we couldn't and started walking back to the trail. But then, another guy in the parking lot stopped us and gave us more treats. When it rains it pours. 

Hiked until early evening and for dinner tonight, instead of about 10 wheat thins, a packet of string cheese and a slice or two of salami, I also had, an avocado, some pistachios, and a banana.  What a crazy day. It seems like that's the way it goes out here. Just when you think you know what's ahead, you don't know what's ahead. Pay it forward seems to be the motto out here. Everyone helps everyone. More on that another day.

Ended the day at a quiet spot. Walking Home is camped here too and Sprocket stopped by to chat but was going to power on to McDonalds.