The Wild Wild West
Day 6
Today we woke up to a chilly breeze and sleepy eyes. We got our tent and gear packed away and said good bye to our English friends. We actually had quite the posse in camp last night, as some stragglers made their way to the area after we had set up camp.
We had a quick breakfast (I.e. Four bites of our bar) and were off at 6am. It's funny how much one can accomplish when one wakes up early. We had a small climb to begin the hike, and right from the start there was a large, dark, scary looking cloud engulfing a mountain in the not too far distance. We were cautious and put on our rain covers and prepared for rain. Luckily it didn't come, but the high winds were brutal and tiring. We made it the 14 or so miles to our first official stop on the trail.
We got to the road we needed to hitch at and sat at the junction for all too long. We are used to people knowing what we are doing, who we are, and where we are going... But out here people rarely know what we are doing so are less inclined to help. We sat on that road for nearly 45 mins before a jeep pulled to the side and brought us the 13 miles into town.
With sore feet and heavy packs, we jumped out of the jeep and into the wild wild west -- Julian, California.
This town used to be a gold mining town back in the late 1800's and they preserved the look and made it a tourist attraction. To say the least, we were not expecting a bustling town with families and grandparents walking around, people dressed in dusters and cowboy hats, horse drawn carriages, soda jerks and home style BBQ.
We went to Rong Branch Restaurant and got some burgers and pulled pork sandwiches, quickly found the local hotel -- which happens to be an early 1900s bed and breakfast -- and took showers, washed out hair, and took our feet out of the dungeon (our boots). It's a neat bed and breakfast with old classic decor and slow tunes playing quietly.
We are currently at 'tea time' in the 'parlor' and will be up in our room laying in bed soon enough. Tomorrow we plan on taking a zero day (a day where we do no miles) to let our feet harden, my cold to finally dissipate, and just relax and enjoy our first stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail.
----------------------------
As I was writing this post, we were chatting with a couple who were spending the night here from LA talking about the trail and our lives in general, and they graciously invited us out to dinner. We reciprocated by getting a bottle of wine, and we enjoyed a nice Italian meal across the street (sorry not food blog pictures tonight!). As we left the restaurant, we walked out into misting foggy coldness, and were happy to be in a hotel.
We will try to visit them when we pass through LA in a few weeks, so thanks for a great night Mark and Angela!
--Ian
Today we woke up to a chilly breeze and sleepy eyes. We got our tent and gear packed away and said good bye to our English friends. We actually had quite the posse in camp last night, as some stragglers made their way to the area after we had set up camp.
We had a quick breakfast (I.e. Four bites of our bar) and were off at 6am. It's funny how much one can accomplish when one wakes up early. We had a small climb to begin the hike, and right from the start there was a large, dark, scary looking cloud engulfing a mountain in the not too far distance. We were cautious and put on our rain covers and prepared for rain. Luckily it didn't come, but the high winds were brutal and tiring. We made it the 14 or so miles to our first official stop on the trail.
We got to the road we needed to hitch at and sat at the junction for all too long. We are used to people knowing what we are doing, who we are, and where we are going... But out here people rarely know what we are doing so are less inclined to help. We sat on that road for nearly 45 mins before a jeep pulled to the side and brought us the 13 miles into town.
With sore feet and heavy packs, we jumped out of the jeep and into the wild wild west -- Julian, California.
This town used to be a gold mining town back in the late 1800's and they preserved the look and made it a tourist attraction. To say the least, we were not expecting a bustling town with families and grandparents walking around, people dressed in dusters and cowboy hats, horse drawn carriages, soda jerks and home style BBQ.
We went to Rong Branch Restaurant and got some burgers and pulled pork sandwiches, quickly found the local hotel -- which happens to be an early 1900s bed and breakfast -- and took showers, washed out hair, and took our feet out of the dungeon (our boots). It's a neat bed and breakfast with old classic decor and slow tunes playing quietly.
We are currently at 'tea time' in the 'parlor' and will be up in our room laying in bed soon enough. Tomorrow we plan on taking a zero day (a day where we do no miles) to let our feet harden, my cold to finally dissipate, and just relax and enjoy our first stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail.
----------------------------
As I was writing this post, we were chatting with a couple who were spending the night here from LA talking about the trail and our lives in general, and they graciously invited us out to dinner. We reciprocated by getting a bottle of wine, and we enjoyed a nice Italian meal across the street (sorry not food blog pictures tonight!). As we left the restaurant, we walked out into misting foggy coldness, and were happy to be in a hotel.
We will try to visit them when we pass through LA in a few weeks, so thanks for a great night Mark and Angela!
--Ian
