Sagebrush personal hiking blog
I start early, and can see the headlamps of Eric and Shannon approaching from below. The first climb of the day is to the CT high point.
After going to the grocery for supplies for three days, I returned to the hostel to pack. A hiking couple walked in, the Noodleheads!
I met the Noodleheads, Angel Hair and Rigatoni, on my Appalachian Trail hike way back in 2012. What serendipity! What a pleasant surprise! We have a chance to chat and reminisce.
(I consider the Noodleheads trail-famous, because they have been on several episodes of The Trail Show podcast.)
The hostel closes for cleaning at 10, and the free shuttle back to the trail does not leave until 12, so I walk over to the Hiker Center, a space for hikers created by a local church, with assistance from the town. On the way, a cabin with sod roof catches my attention.
The Hiker Space is a pleasant large room, with charging station and hot water for tea, and wifi. Today it is filled with CDT and CT hikers waiting for the shuttle.
They had to round up more volunteers with vehicles to bring us up. The CT group includes Jackrabbit, Phil, M&M, Eric, Shannon, and more.
The trail starts off on a sort of mesa again, and later climbs into trees.
Now there is a problem. At 8 miles in, we go above treeline in a huge climb, and do not return down to warmer altitudes until 10 miles later. That would mean hiking until 9PM. Most hikers camp early, planning to make the climb tomorrow. I camp a little higher, in the bushes, ready for a big day of hiking tomorrow.
Finished audiobook Chokepoint Capitalism, by Cory Doctorow.
The morning starts with a short hike to San Luis Pass, where a trail splits off to trailhead access.
