Luxury is relative. Eggs, bacon, toast & coffee before a hike where I’m carrying only 10 lbs is luxury to me. But 23.6 miles is still a lot of steps, especially in the mountains!

We passed through areas of trail near roads and residences where locals had dumped trash and appliances. There were oil tanks in the streams, rendering them undrinkable. Beyond that stretch of trail, we walked across open meadows, over streams and along rivers for a dozen beautiful miles. We passed the location where the cover photo for the 2004 Thru-hikers Handbook was taken and tried to replicate the exact shot!

After 17 miles of walking, my left knee stiffened up for a scary 5 minutes. I was afraid I was going to have to finish the walk in pain in the dark. The tendonitis flare disappeared quickly, however, and I absolutely flew through the last 6 miles.

Lee at the hostel drove back to the trailhead with me and we picked up Green One and Rockhound as they finished their hike, saving them the ½ mile walk to the hostel. After a quick shower, we caught a lift from John, the friendly hostel manager, to an AYCE (all-you-can-eat) Chinese buffet. $6 bought a ton of greasy food & soda before I lapsed into an uncomfortably stuffed semi-conscious state until bedtime.