May 5: La Fiesta de Cinco de Mayo

We were rested and clean(er) as we hiked (hobbled) out of WSR and back to the trail. Our day today was full of climbing- the trail semed to continually take us uphill, although in actuality it was probably our legs and feet just needing to get used to hiking again after getting so much down time on our day off. We had spent the few days before hiking in a bigger pack of hikers and because we left WSR before many of them, we had a relatively quiet hike. We met a couple of new people, but it wasn't nearly as busy as the days before. We also got our first taste of what it's like to be on the lookout, not only for rattlesnakes, but also fo poison oak. It is one of the most common plants in southern california, and exists in the form of shrubs and small plants. It's similar to poison ivy in that it gives you a nasty rash if you touch it, so we were extra careful not to get near it. Luckily we seemed to get through unscathed...for now. It is much more plentiful on other parts of t!
he trail. As the day wore down, we had a fun surprise pop up. We had planned on picking up some water at a water tank at the house of a guy who has found he enjoyed helping out and meeting hikers in the last couple years. When we got to where the trail crosses the road his house is on, we found a sign that said, "Cinco de Mayo Party, May 3,4,5. Free food/Beer/Shade" with an arrow pointing us to the same house we were heading to already. We were pumped! Free food is always a treat on the trail. Although we were the only ones there for the first 30 minutes or so, eventually there were about 10 others there. Not only did we get some water, but we also got good cooked food and some cots to sleep on on the porch (the others crashed in the hiker hut or garage). Mike, the trail angel who hosted around 60 (or more) hikers in three days was more than hospitable and a lot of fun to chat with. I know many hikers are thankful for the generosity that people like him show!

Total Miles:127.1
Miles Today: 17.6
Camp 8: Cinco de Mayo Party

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