After I left camp on Sunday, May 27, my morning of hiking seemed to fly by. I was energized by my day off, and glad to be hiking in nice weather again. After eight and a half miles I came across The Canadians settling in for an afternoon nap, and we traded stories about the weekend of wild weather – they were appropriately jealous of my lucky hitch, having taken the same wrong turn i did, they then camped in cold weather two nights in a row and woke up with ice in their tents. Shortly after leaving them I began the Station Fire detour, a long, exposed road walk around a burn area – not the most fun part of the hike! I arrived at the Mill Creek Fire Station around 3:30pm, and was whisked away to the home of Jane and Jim Klosterman, where Only a Test had been staying for the past three nights. The Klostermans showered us with hospitality and kindness, providing amazing home-cooked meals, comfy beds, the use of their jacuzzi, and showers and laundry, the most fundamental of thru-hiker needs.
The next day, after an amazing gourmet breakfast, Test, Challenger and I started out around 8:15 with the goal of hiking to the Acton KOA campground, 26 trail miles away. We’re not sure how far we actually walked due to more road-walk detours (to avoid the eeeevil Poodle Dog Bush plants that spring up after fires and can cause severe skin rashes) but it was a long, hot day of hiking, and it was good to have the company. We passed a memorial for two fallen fire fighters, and walked through the burnt out remnants of the station, which was quite eerie. We had a nice, shady lunch break at Messenger Flats campground, then pushed on to the water cache at the next ranger station where we met Texas Chill, who had started the trail the first week of May and is going fast. The last eight miles of the day were mentally tough. I would have gladly stopped somewhere before the KOA for the night, but there weren’t any good camping spots near the trail – it was all ridge walking, as is often the case. I was happy to finally arrive at the KOA though, and meet up again with The Canadians and the other hikers who were cowboy camping on the lawn.
The long day on Monday had set me up for a nice 12 mile hike to The Saufleys Hiker Heaven on Tuesday, and I had a great morning. Vasquez Rocks County Park was a big highlight of the morning, and I slowed my pace to meander through the rock formations and take lots of pictures. After the park, the trail became a road walk through town, and I was just about to turn onto the Saufleys’ road when I noticed a bakery on the corner. I headed there for a perfectly flaky cherry turnover and glass of iced tea before walking the final mile to Hiker Heaven – what a place! There were tents set up in the back yard with cots for hikers, a shower and air-conditioned trailer for hikers to lounge in, plenty of shade, loaner clothes to wear while waiting for your laundry, and bikes to ride into town for groceries or food. I picked up my resupply box, settled into a cot, and relaxed and socialized for much of the afternoon. Only a Test and I rode to the Sweetwater Cafe for an early dinner, then I picked up some Guinness and Oreos to take back for dessert, and spent the rest of the evening hanging out with the other hikers. The next morning I went to the bakery again for breakfast, then set about organizing my gear so I could hike out a few miles in the evening – i had intended to zero there, but was feeling so well-rested after 24 hours off that I wanted to get an early start on the next stretch trail instead. Test went on an REI run and brought back burgers and fries from In’n'Out, so we were well-nourished when we hit the trail again for a four mile evening walk. I was so thankful that the Saufleys provide such an amazing place for hikers, and amazed at all of the effort it must take to set up and run such a place – they really are trail angels extraordinaire!
