We had camped about 3.5 miles short of Hwy 74- the decision point. We were hoping that when we got to the road we would find that the section of trail that was closed due to the fire (north of hwy 74 for 27 miles) would be open. Alas, it was not, and the word on the street (or trail) was that it could be days or it could be weeks. Many hikers were simply hitching into Idyllwild, the hiker-friendly town up the road, and reconnecting with the trail just north of town, skipping this section of trail. Others were walking the road 18 miles into town in order to have a continuous mexico to canada walk. We opted for the second option. If the trail were to open soon we would consider hitching back to hike the section we missed, but we didn't want to have to if we were already a long ways away. It's rare to have a year where a fire or something of the sort doesn't interrupt a thru-hike. They are just too common. we just didn't expect it to happen so soon! Road walking is much harder !
on your feet and legs than trail walking. I was way more fatigued at the end of that walk than at the end of any of our trail days. In short, it sucked, but we did it, and now we can still say we walked from mexico to canada, which is what we set out to do. We hobbled into Idyllwild, more than ready for the food, bed, and the "zero day" that was to come.
Total Miles:178.6
Miles Today:21.5 (18 road miles)
Camp 10:Idyllwild Inn
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6 comments:
I have trail hiked AND road walked (see my May 10th post) and I completely agree--road walking IS harder on the feet!
You're doing well; just take it one day at a time.
We're loving your posts...and loving hearing your thoughts.
We are super proud of you guys...keep it up, especially for going the extra (road) mile(s).
We noticed that you are using the word 'hobbled' fairly frequently...vivid picture of the physical struggle that we wanna-be-hikers have little insight into.
we're a few miles behind you...sensing your presence at every turn...:)
just posted a SHORT update on thye blog.,..
I am so glad things are going well for you and your getting some rest too. I can't keep up with your posts, each time I look at your blog I have so much to catch up on. I love it! :)
Thoughts...
Why is it that the hot springs never work out?
That Cinco de Mayo guy sounds like a trail ARCHangel.
Can't believe you already had to detour...hope that isn't a recurring pattern for you guys.
Jess - I feel like just yesterday we were visiting you and then I realized its been like 3 weeks and I haven't posted or written. I suck. So sorry... been thinking about you a lot. I miss you!!! It was so great getting to see you and Mark. Love you so much! ~Jules
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