All we have been thinking about the last few days has been McDonald’s and today is the day! Ordering pizza with Pilar and Joseph made it feel a little less urgent and we didn’t wake up till 6, but we were still moving quickly to get our long awaited McFlurry reward.
As we were packing up we noticed the big group with the sister’s passed us by: Rise, Shine, and Snake Bite. Sorry, I am very free wirh how I use punctuation. Seeing a big group ahead of you can sometimes make you feel that there aren’t enough cheeseburgers in this world to go around but we stayed calm and finished packing.
The 12 miles went by quickly with the exception of the last few miles. Sherpa was really starting to feel fatigued and a little I’ll from the lack of eating in the morning and the rolling hills. Despite that, the hike was gorgeous and I am in awe that we something surprises and delights every day. The last 3 miles for me was breath taking, literally and figuratively.
In the distance we could see the highway with a steady stream of cars that looked like they were on a conveyer belt and a train that seemed as though it was at least a mile long. It looked like a surreal game of trigger happening in the distance on many conflicting planes. I tried to capture it on video but it really doesn’t do it justice.
There were black crows that were just floating, motionless, and stationary on the wind just at the crest of thr ridge. It is amazing to see wildlife just enjoying themselves. There seemed to be no purpose but pleasure as they weren’t going anywhere, doing anything, or exerting effort. Every time I tried to whip out my camera to capture this they slid away on the wind following the slope away from us, and then we would see them on the next ridge.
On the final mile we passed through a canyon that had apparently once had a paved road. Time had ripped the road appear and now it was just boulders, broken asphalt, and a stream cutting it’s way through the canyon.
We have come across old road before and it gives you an eerie feeling. I want to know who passed on the road and why. And when was it abandoned. What board of select men decided to let it rot and then eventually hang it over to the PCTA. It must be, to a small degree, how Europeans feel when they see some centuries old remnant in their fields. In Spain, I had that feeling when we came across empty graves carved into the living rock.
The hike ended abruptly as the canyon spilled directly into the highway and onto an old part of the old route 66. We passed an official PCT sign that hilariously said McDonald’s. Sherpa was tiered and got mad when I said smile so I took a picture of the sign and her back instead.
Mickeyd’s was insanely busy. It must be one of the only stops for miles. There were lots of hikers and nonhikers crowding around the tables and the counter. That being said, we found a booth quickly and the food and service was efficient and friendly. We stayed there for nearly 5 hours just chatting with hikers and waiting to be hungry again. I ordered a bbq chicken sandwich, which was delicious, and a large 10 piece chicken nugget meal with a Dr Pepper. I struggled through the last few fries, while Sherpa on the other hand ordered a crispy chicken sandwich meal and destroyed it. She followed that up with a mcflurry and for second lunch she had a mighty kids meal with chicken nuggets and apple slices. I closed out our session by ordering 2 sausage egg mcmuffins. One of which I stuffed in my bag. We decided after we had charged our phones and updated the blog to hit the road. After grabbing a few Gatorades at the gas station next door, we set out to do the last 5.2 miles before bed.
It was a steep and windy hike. Other than that the most notable part of the hike was when Sherpa nearly got bitten by a rattle snake. She was marching along and we were looking at the massive trains that were going back and forth through the canyon and not looking at the trail, when all the sudden we see this snake jump back, cool up, and aggressively rattle at us. It was a close call! We waited for the next hiker, Numbers, to come so we could warn him then walk on.
A few hundred yards later she asked me if I saw that dead snake behind us. I was like, “dead snake? That snake is not dead! Why didn’t you tell me before I walked right by it!” It didn’t look poisonous but it was hilarious she thought that it was dead!
After five miles of hiking we came across the sister’s and their posse and decided we should stop. We quickly set up camp, chatted with Numbers and another hiker, who were night hiking, and then went to sleep like little hiker babies.
