Day 91 - Tuesday, July 27

At the Collier Hotel in Etna, CA (left PCT at mile 1599.7). Walked 13.6 miles today.

It rained off and on all night long last night, but my new tent held up and I stayed dry despite my semi-questionable pitch. Frank and I rolled out of camp at 6 am, determined to make the 13+ miles to the road by 11:30 am when we'll supposedly have a ride waiting for us. We hiked along the side of a mountain for a while with gorgeous views.

The sky is overcast today and the light is really beautiful.

It sprinkled on and off and after a couple of miles, we started a steep climb. At the top, we began to descend through a burned area and had to navigate multiple downed logs across the trail.

J-PRO passed us, flying to the road and we eventually caught Lenore. At a saddle, Frank got signal and the confirmation that our ride would be there at 11:30. We continued up and over a ridge to see the valley where the town of Etna must be down below.

After a little downhill, we got to a stream where Phantom Dooker was filtering some water. Frank and I had been hiking fast all morning, but we stopped briefly here to chat before continuing our frantic pace. We climbed up through a couple of switchbacks and had a great view of a lake down below.

From here, we had a nice descent with amazing views.

The trail wove in and out of the trees and we ran down part of the trail while listening to some music. At exactly 11, we reached the Etna Summit trailhead. There was a large group there with high school kids, getting them ready for a multi-day trip. We hung out at the trailhead until 11:30 when our ride didn't show. Phantom Dooker went over to a couple of ladies who were up at the trailhead and asked if they were going to Etna. They said they don't give rides, but changed their mind when they found out they were from the same hometown as Phantom Dooker (in Alabama). Phantom Dooker, Frank, Ping, Lenore, and I all got in a vehicle and after a short and uneventful ride, ended up in Etna, CA: Population 735 (one of the smaller towns we've been to).

Frank and I met J-PRO at a cafe and I decided that since tomorrow is 3 months on trail, I'd celebrate like J-PRO with the 3-3-3. I got 3 burgers, 3 side salads, and 3 milkshakes. I ordered and started eating.

After devouring the burgers, a salad, and a shake, I was full. I managed to eat everything but one of the shakes. The girls showed up by this time. Phantom Dooker was impressed and Hocus Pocus was disappointed. I slowly made my way with Frank to the post office to pick up some packages and let things digest. Frank had 6 boxes and I had 2. Thanks to Jon Kraut and Vinod Narayan for their support and sending me food for the final stretch of California.

After sorting through our stuff, we went to our hotel which was a fantastic old house that had been converted to a bed and breakfast-esque place.

Frank and I had splurged and gotten the king suite which was a massive room with a king bed, sofa, and had a jacuzzi tub in the bathroom. It was an amazing and beautiful room.

After settling in, we went to do some chores around town (and picked some cherries and blackberries from the trees/bushes in front of the hotel). After the chores, we did laundry and then went to a brewery where a bunch of other hikers were hanging out. I stayed for a bit before going back to the hotel, doing some more chores and relaxing. I then walked back to the brewery and hung out with the others while watching the Olympics on TV. Frank and I went back to the hotel and each tried out the jacuzzi tub before turning in for the night.