April 29 and 30, 2016

On the trail we crafted a list of all the things we wanted to do when in L.A. This included things like airing out our wet tent, condensing our first aid kits, taking out qtips and colloidal silver from every resupply box since we aren’t using them as quickly as we had anticipated, and other odds and ends.

We were ambitious.

Even though we had 2.5 days to do all that we wanted, there wasn’t enough time. Our list didn’t include meals with family and visiting with friends- the things that became more important once we were settled.

The last 2 days were nice but felt like a whirlwind. We both look forward to returning to our simple life on the Pacific Crest Trail.

On the trail there is a limited amount of food choice and as we get closer to our resupply point the options become even more sparse. We did a great job of creating variety in our bars and dinners but there is only so much backpacking appropriate food one can eat. There is something refreshing about that simple way of eating.

In towns and even more so now in L.A., Laurie found herself getting overwhelmed with options. Everything sounded good and knowing that we may not have it for the next 5 months made it feel even more urgent to eat everything in sight.

Needless to say, we both over ate. It is so hard when there is an endless supply of tasty food! We haven’t encountered “hiker hunger” yet but can sense it is coming. At least for the first few days of this next section we will be well prepared with full stomachs and tasty leftovers!

Sunday morning we head back to Wrightwood and back to the PCT. Our friends Josie and Matt will be joining us for a day hike and we look forward to sharing the day with them.

Laurie spent Saturday visiting her mom in Oakland, CA while Andy continued running errands and checking things off the list.

He also made time to nap, a rare treat for us on zero days thus far.

Our packs are packed, leftovers are in ziplocks, and our clothes are clean. We still stink, but at least we’re not dirty. No matter how many times we shower, our arm pits still stink. Oh well. We just have to embrace our new smell.

Tonight we are grateful for airplanes which allow for quick visits with family and readily accessible power outlets.