We wake to a foggy, overcast, windy, and cool morning. The trail meanders over rolling hills leaving the oaks and crossing grasslands. Prairies in the Southern California desert. And pastures with cows.
Ashley and I coax three cows off the trail so we can walk by. Across the meadow, cows are brawling. Some kind of argument that attracts the rest of the herd. Like a schoolyard fight.
Natalie creates her first dance for her “Dance the PCT” project at Eagle Rock. Large, black lizards come out to dance with her.
The trail winds under oaks along Verde Creek. I enjoy the walk despite a new ache on top of my left foot. The girls are way ahead of me. I reach Highway 79 and head over to the Warner Springs Community Center.
What a nice set up for hikers this year. The Warner Springs Ranch Resort is closed so the community is supporting hikers here. Ashley has ordered us pancake and sausage breakfasts. We eat, get a ride to the post office to get our food resupply, shop in the hiker box, catch up email and blogs on the computers, have hot dogs for lunch, soak feet in epsom salts in a foot bath, put food in the hiker box we don’t like, take food out of the hiker box we do like, and dry gear wet from last night’s cloud. A very busy break. Thank you so much to Nancy, Jane, and Colletta for helping out us hikers.
We are about the last hikers to leave that evening after the Community Center closes. Some hikers head to a campsite half a mile south back down the trail. We head north.
We cross another meadow and are greeted by a herd of horses. A couple of them come to visit, or check if we have treats to feed them. We don’t so the visit is brief.
Ashley wants to hike five more miles. Natalie and I only want to go a couple until we get to a water source. We see six deer crossing the meadow. And only hike a couple miles.
PCT Day 14: 10 miles hiked. Camped near mile 111.
