Day 39: Agua Dulce Zero

I woke up early to the sound of other hikers getting ready for the day, but I didn’t really mind. I tried to get back to bed, but ended up just getting up to get a start on the day.

I hung out with the crew, drinking coffee and warming up in the sun. Rory and Lexi made everyone eggs and vegetables for breakfast. Having homemade food is such a treat.

The group left for Six Flags, and I went into Agua Dulce to sit at a coffee shop for a while. I really wanted to fully catch up on my blog posts, respond to messages, and take care of administrative tasks in my life. It was so nice and sunny, and there was a big celebration for the coffee shop’s new ownership, so it was nice to see the town buzzing with activity. I hung out for a long time, got an ice cream, and talked with other hikers. It felt so good to take care of the tasks I’d been meaning to do, including online shopping for warmer layers for my legs for the Sierras and another power bank for the longer stretches away from towns.

Around midday, my dear friend Chieko from LA stopped into town to hang out for the afternoon!! We got Mexican food and went to Agua Dulce Winery. We caught up during our tasting, and just enjoyed each other’s company. Since I sped through Vasquez Rocks yesterday, we headed there after hanging out at the winery, and climbed up on the rocks for a while. I miss my LA friends so much, and it means the world to me that she made the trip out here on such short notice. I love you Chieko!!!

I came back to the campground, ate my leftovers, and soaked my feet. It felt lonely without my friends around, but also nice to get some time to myself. I met a few other hikers, and one, Jones, went to Reed. It was really good to chat about college and Portland. You never know who you’ll meet on trail!

I took the most amazing shower and headed straight to bed, before 9pm. This upcoming section is going to be extremely dry and significantly hotter. In a couple days, we’ll be hitting the LA Aqueduct section. It’s a 20 mile section of the trail with no water, despite millions of gallons flowing underneath it. But first, we travel across more mountains, also with scant access to water, before descending into the Mojave.

I feel physically pretty good, just suffering from a bad blister, but otherwise feeling well rested after the zero. I’m nervous for this section a little— it’s going to be a physical and mental challenge to worry about water and heat again. I wonder how this will work with doing bigger miles. My plan for this section is to try to find more moments where I’m not worrying about logistics. Obviously, the plan is to have my bases covered, but also want to make sure that I’m present while hiking and being with other people. I also want to be more confident in myself that I can do the big miles ahead of me. I hope a can hold myself accountable to that.

Thanks for reading!! Wish me luck and ample hydration!