Day 26 - Take It Easy

I decided to slackpack this next section with some other hikers. It was only 24 miles and relatively flat, so it should be an easy day. The first little bit was road walking (yuck), and then a bit of a climb. Most everyone got ahead of me, except for Weak Sauce, so I hiked with him for most of the day. We got about 10 miles in to the first water cache, and we decided to sit and have lunch there. I made microwavable mac'n'cheese in my stove, and it actually wasn't bad. Either that or I was hungry. I think they're just getting better at this kind of thing.

After about an hour, the both of us pressed on. We knew there was another cache coming up, and that it was stocked by the Anderson's, so we knew there would be some nice treats up there. We took our time, because it was getting hot! The area was beautiful - we were passing The Bouquet Reservoir that looked like a lake, and the canyons were covered in manzanita trees. This is the kind of desert I can live with! We came upon the Anderson's cache, also known as Hiker's Oasis, and it became very clear why. On the trail, under the manzanitas, Joe Anderson had cut away a little "cave" and put some camping chairs in there with a cooler filled with beers and sodas, as well as two huge jugs of water. They decorated the area with two skeletons, a fake parrot, an inflatable monkey, flamingo and palm tree. It was fabulous! Weak Sauce and I spent an hour and a half sitting there. I drank a Cherry Coke (my fav!) and put my feet up. Pure bliss!

We then took our time getting out of the area and down towards the Anderson's. We got to the road, which was only seven miles away, and there was Joe in his minivan, waiting for us! He said he came out there looking for hikers and saw us coming down off the ridge. Wonderful! He drove us to his home, just in time for Terrie's taco salad. A lot of other hikers were waiting for the food, but Terri instructed us to put down our packs and get first in line! So incredibly awesome!!! I piled my paper plate full of tortilla chips, rice, refried beans, lettuce, ground beef, black olives, salsa and sour cream. Again, pure bliss. If I could hike like this everyday, I would become a professional hiker (if such a thing exists).

Now, with a full belly and sitting by a warm fire, it's time to think about getting some sleep. Today may have been easy, but it was still long, and sleep beckons.