Day 37

Trail miles: 17.4

Total: 478.2

Woke up to find that the other group that also took off up the long hill also didn’t make it quite to the top before picking a campsite. And Raechel said she was dangerously falling asleep on the way up, so I feel better about making everyone stop to camp. Raechel and Krista are telling people how funny it was that all of a sudden I just turned right off trail and went up a hill to find campsites that weren’t marked on the map. I guess something was telling me it was perfect and I needed it. I made it up the hill slowly and made it to the water source where I didn’t find the gang anywhere. I figured they were so far ahead that they filled up already and left. I had a cliff bar and peanut butter and was about to take off when they showed up. Apparently they missed a turn and got behind me. I didn’t fill up because I had enough water and was hoping there’d be some non sulphuric water from the water cache a couple miles away, and there was! I ran into Forklift hiking, who told me she had been scarily dizzy from the heat and long water carry so I gave her a Gatorade packet. The two of them who both had some issues are going to stay tonight at camp and try to get up early tomorrow to hike in the morning. That is what we are also trying to do since Raechel felt bad hiking after lunch. I will probably try to hike through the heat since it doesn’t really bother me and I’m slower so I have to hike longer to make it to camp by dinner. Tomorrow is looking like a 20 mile day to the water source, but there are plenty along the way, which may keep the pack lighter and help people stay hydrated in the hot sun. Did I mention there’s people trying to organize a gigantic aqueduct night hike with our slowly solidifying tramily? I guess we will meet in Hikertown, eat dinner together, and head out after sunset and hike until we are done? I will need A LOT off caffeine. I can barely stay up past 9. No one has mentioned drugs yet which I hear some groups are adding to the party. Raechel says she’d end up hiking in circles. At dinner tonight, there was mostly the same group of hikers we now consistently run into at hot spots. We all ate dinner together and chatted for a couple of hours. Some of us washed our legs because there were so many poisonous plants growing onto the trail today. Oh, and Happy Cinco De Mayo!!