Friday, May 9, 2008

No Mountain Partying for Me

(Saturday May 3, 2008 - 1:00pm)
Last night I camped at a guy named Mike's house. He's someone who's known as a trail angel and although it sounds vaguely pornographic, it's just someone who helps hikers out.

The guy wasn't even there when we rolled in around 7:30pm and actually never showed up during the entire time I was there.

But who did show up was a truck full of Spanish-speaking guys who started unloading stuff from the truck that I couldn't see.

I of course start fearing for my life, picturing myself in the wrong place during some kind of drug or contraband exchange that was about to go horribly wrong. But I just fell back asleep hoping I wouldn't wake up with a black bag over my head chained to a wall.

As it turns out, they were Mike's friends coming in with beer and 100 lbs. of chicken for a Cinco de Mayo party that they were throwing tonight.

The guys were really nice and good hosts while Mike was away, offering us coffee and a home cooked breakfast. And if these guys were secretly the bad men I had originally suspected, they were the nicest bad men I ever met in my life. The type of bad man I one day aspire to be.

But unfortunately, I did not stick around for what I'm sure will be a night filled with debauchery and exposed flesh.

If I hadn't just stayed two nights in Warner Springs maybe, but I had to get moving or I'd never make it out of Southern California.

So tonight it's another 10 miles, then a ride into Idyllwild, then I get to figure out what to do about the trail and the fire closures.

Not as exciting as getting hammered at a cabin in the middle of nowhere, but what can you do?

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