Started: Scissors Crossing (77.0)
Ended: Campsite (86.0)
Total: 9.0 miles

I had a relaxing morning. I ran into Fishtank in front of Mom’s Pies. He is going to visit the local doctor to see if he could get a cortisone shot in his knee. I felt pretty sad about that. As I was walking back to my hotel room, I ran into Jamie and Candace. They took me back to Mom’s Pies to get my free slice. I chose pecan with a scoop of vanilla. It was strange not enjoying it with a cup of coffee, but it was heavenly!

After that, Brian and I bought food to get to Warner Springs. Not a lot. Just enough.

There is some math to how I deal with food. It is Thursday. I have a box in Warner Springs. The post office there closes at 1 p.m. on Saturday, and it is closed on Sunday. If I don’t get there before the post office closes, I’m stuck there until Monday.

There was a high wind advisory in the mountains, so we waited to leave until 2 p.m. While we waited at Carmen’s Place, Fishtank gave me the news that he’d be staying back. The trail is a cruel mistress. The local doctor refused to give Fishtank a shot without x-rays. As much as that decision sucks, I don’t blame the doctor. So the F’Tank and I agreed to part ways for now. He is going to take it slow. We’re at the same speed when healthy.

At 2 p.m. Ghost took us back to Scissors Crossing and I started bounding up the canyon. Just a few days ago I feared climbing Hauser Canyon. Now I’ve done a few. The goal was a camp in the valley that would shelter us from the wind. It was nine miles in and uphill the whole way. The wind was terrible. I had to drop to the ground a couple of times as I was being pushed and it was a long long way down.

I’m still shaped like a hot air balloon, and normally they just glide in the wind, but that was not the case here. The wind would catch me and I would yaw off the path and there isn’t much of a path. The wind would also catch me just right and go up my nose, making me gag. Good times!

I made it to camp with an hour of daylight to spare and fell asleep nearly instantly.