Into Julian!

Saturday, April 29, 2023

We woke up at 5:30 and hit the trail at about 6:45, trying to be the first hikers to Scissors Crossing at mile 77 and hitch into Julian. Town day!

We had 4 miles to hike and thankfully it was mostly flat. The sun was still hot, even that early in the morning. I had my umbrella up quickly.

Oh, I also got a trail name: Hummingbird.

I was lamenting about how I was already getting tired of bars and that I wish I could just eat my ProBar energy gummies and electrolytes all the time, so I was dubbed with this moniker. I was just going to try it out for a bit, but a few hours later, an actual hummingbird flew up right next to me and hovered within a couple feet of my face before flying off. Hummingbird it is.

When we got to the road, we got our first taste of trail magic! Rayngel the Trail Angel was already waiting to pick us up! No hitch required!

He hiked 1000 miles of the trail in 2019 and takes hikers to and from town all day long. Super nice guy and he just loves helping out hikers.

We got into town 15 minutes later and went straight to the cafe for breakfast. I don’t quite have hiker hunger yet, but I did put a good dent in a very large plate of food. Also the first time I had coffee in 6 days. It was just ok, but I’m a bit of a coffee snob too.

After the Rocket Surgeons picked up their box at the post office, I went to the gear store for some odds and ends (tent stakes, blister bandages, ibuprofen) and they both got new, wider shoes, as their feet have swollen so much that their old ones don’t fit.

I think mine are still ok. I’m going to wear my La Sportivas until the next town (Idyllwild – 100 miles away) and see how they do.

We then went to the brewery and had drinks until we were able to check into our B&B at 3pm. It’s cute, but one of the draws for this particular place was supposed to be free laundry. That is no longer a thing apparently, nor is it a thing anywhere in Julian. Awesome. Sink laundry it is!

I’ve taken two showers and am about to go to breakfast. Afterwards I’m going to try and get a late checkout so I can organize my food for the next couple of days and pack up. We are going to try and get a ride back to the trail this afternoon and wait out the sun before we hike up into the hills this evening. We have a long section coming up and I probably won’t have good service, so I probably won’t get out a post for a few days.

Let’s keep going!