May 24, 2011

Start: 436
End: 454

Today Wiz and I got up relatively early (for us) and got on the trail a little after 7am. Our mission is to get to Agua Dulce by 1pm for a large lunch of pizza and beer, and then head on to the Saufley's aka Hiker Heaven.

The area we passed through today was pretty nice with some scenic views as we headed down the last ridge of the San Gabriel range into Soledad Canyon. We took a short break at this point before moving on to the final 10 miles of the hike. This part involved a bit more climbing as well as being during the hotter part of the day. It wasn't that it was all that hot outside (upper 70's or low 80's), but it was definitely much warmer than the day before when I wore my rain jacket most of the day to block the gusting wind.

The last few miles before Agua Dulce took us through a giant culvert at the bottom if a ravine below a highway and led us to Vasquez Rocks Park where there were magnificent sedimentary rock canyons and rocks that looked like the could be from Mars. I later learned that a number of TV shows and movies have been filmed there, including episodes of The Outer Limits, Star Trek, and Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey. The last bit of the PCT through the park was a little tricky due to the lack of PCT signs and the multiple trails that braided the landscape.

Once in Agua Dulce, we immediately stopped at the pizza place and ordered the family meal deal, which consisted of a large pizza, large salad, breadsticks, spaghetti, and 4 soft drinks which we traded for beer. It was a ton of food, but we eventually finished it all. At lunch with us was Blister, Top Shelf, Wired, and Drop Dead, with a few other hikers straggling in as we were leaving.

After pizza we walked a very slow mile to the Saufley's. The setup at their house is amazing and they have everything down to a science. As soon as you walk in the gate, there is a place to pick up a laundry bag, town clothes, and a towel. Then you proceed to the backyard where they have multiple large white tents setup, complete with Slumberjack cots, and find an open for to throw your pack down. Then you go to the trailer home they have in the backyard and signup for a shower. They also have about 10-15 loaner bikes that can be ridden to town for food and to resupply at the store.

Fantastic. Going to take a zero tomorrow because it really is a hiker heaven.

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