Bushcamp to Warner Springs
17.9 miles
Mile 109.5
Woke up around 4. I packed up camp, left a note for Otter and was trekking by 5. Planned the early start to catch the sunrise from the ridge and make it to Warner Springs by noon to enjoy a nero (hiking fewer miles than normal to hang in a neat spot).
The early wake up was worth the views.
Around 10 I reached the 100 mile marker! Wooot!
And then another…
And another….
Seems like there may be some confusion here?
100 miles done, only 2550 left!
The trail winded down the mountain and dumped me into an awesome green meadow.
Ran into a cool section hiker heading south named Dan. After chatting a bit I learned his wife Sandra, daughter Gabriella and himself all enjoy hosting hikers at their place in Seattle. Definitely going to take him up on that.
Trucking along I had my mind on reaching my next point of interest for the day, Eagle Rock. I lost myself for a bit while catching up on my journaling during a flat stretch of trail. Then I was there.
It really does look like a bird…
With that checked off the list, I knocked out the last 3 miles to Warner Springs.
I entered the community center around noon with some apprehension. Franki and Sharon, two terribly kind ladies who were staffing the center, quickly put me at ease as they gave me the run down of the incredible place.
Bucket showers and laundry to the west of the building with a closet full of mismatched loner clothes to rock while waiting on your clothes to line dry.
Camping was to the north beneath a massive live oak, and clean bathroom facilities to the east of that.
The main building was setup like a lounge of sorts, with free WiFi (password is pcthiker), snacks, a small resupply store, charging station and even a foot spa bath massager. Place was hiker trash heaven.
Bearings gained, I established camp and set about my chores.
The whole bucket shower experience was an interesting one. There were two wooden stalls equipped with cloth doors which didn’t offer much privacy due to the high winds. The need to rid myself of my foul funk outweighed my modesty, so unperturbed I filled a bucket with warm water at the sink nearby, grabbed a bottle of coconut scented body wash and got it.
Feeling like a new man, I next set about washing my soiled clothes in a bucket and hanging them on a line to dry.
Chores completed, I cruised over to the vintage Airstream packed behind the main building that had been retrofitted into a gear shop called 2 Foot Adventures.
As I stepped inside I was greeted by the owners, Pillsbury and Charlie Brown.
And an awesome selection of ultralight gear.
I picked up some tenacious tape to repair a small hole that had formed in the bottom of my pack…so much for being water proof.
I spent the next hour lounging in the field while I waited for Otter to roll into town.
In the process I met Shane. He hiked the AT in 2015 and is from Pennsylvania. Super cool dude. When Otter rolled up I introduced them and the three of us headed out to see what the nearby Warner Springs Golf Grill was all about.
The grill was excellent. Our waitress Rhonda was incredible and they had an IPA on draft. We sat at the bar where we took turns ordering pitchers and ordered a one way ticket to chow town.
Bellies full, we enjoyed a scenic walk back to the community center.
The hour before bed was spent around a picnic table chatting with Otter, Shane and two new hikers, Pirate and Butta. Over the course of the conversation Otter began belting out some hilarious Kenny Powers impression, so we gave him the new trail name of K.P. Solid day!
Cheers!