What Day Is It Again?

We're back on trail now after welcoming a new neice to the family. The first couple of days back were slow. Half of one was spent doing town errands. The second day back, I wasn't feeling well and needed sleep so we didn't get many miles in that day either. It was worth it though. Today we hiked from San Jacinto down to the desert. A long, slow descent down the mountain in full sun. Somehow, though, I enjoyed it completely. Coming into the desert was so strange. We kept coming to things thinking they were mirages, wiping the sand from our eyes, only to find they were real. At the bottom of the mountain, we came to a water fountain in the middle of the desert, surrounded by tired and sunburnt hikers. A mile further, we came to a port-a-potty with a sink. Then a mile or two further, under the I10, our friend from Palomar College was trail-angelling; giving out twinkies and cold sodas. It was especially nice to see a familiar face today. We also found out that, by some estimates, there might be as many 750 hikers this year. It is usually 300-500. The trail angels are so amazing, I can't even begin to express. We are now camped at Ziggy and The Bear's home with about 15 other smelly hikers. It's been such a nice oasis in the desert. This stretch probably would have felt very lonely without the trail angels today. They fed everyone salad and huge bowls of ice cream (Memories of the ice cream man as a kid had been going through my head all day). They had Epsom foot soaks for everyone. Hot water, candy bars, cold drinks, fruit, blister supplies, stories, jokes. Now everyone's sleeping under a roof (a tarp) and it almost feels like a living room. We'll be in Big Bear next. Love, Brett and Dana