5:54- Wake up at mile 238, an old burn both spooky and charming, and accidentally fall back to sleep
7:12 – Wake up with a start and check time. I didn’t mean to sleep in this late but I slept pretty poorly so it’s no surprise I guess. I opted out of putting my rain fly on for the sake of the stars- we’re up highish though and I missed the extra insulation.
I keep waking up with a puffy face. I’ve often suspected I have a down allergy but changing my sleep system now?!
7:14 I look at guthook, the navigation app on my phone, to study the day. Even though I did the night before I don’t really remember much.
Guthook elevation map.
I’m reminded today is a bit of a dry stretch, 16 miles between water sources so we’ll have to carry more. It’s easier to bear as our packs are light on food, we hit town for resupply tomorrowish.
7:18 Dart out of bed to pee and to grab the underwear I washed last night drying on a tree. Dart back into bed to continue looking at guthook.
The day doesn’t seem too arduous so I look ahead for tent sites listed at miles 17-20 to gauge our options. We haven’t done a twenty mile day yet and I’d be stoked if we could before Ruth departs. Right at mile 20 there is a tent site with the promise of feral/wild donkeys in the area. With this information I think I can convince both Ruth and Blake into the miles.
7:25 I’ve wasted enough time looking at my phone so I do what is a time honored hiker tradition; Deflate the sleeping pad still underneath my body, giving me no choice but to get the hell up.
7:26 Brush and rebraid my hair.
The rats nests are real out here
Before putting on my hiking clothes I rub a little cottonwood oil my dear housemate back home made into my calves and arches. Yesterday felt hard and those parts of my body are the most consistently sore. (It shows. My calves are huge!) Our miles weren’t so high but we climbed 4500 feet. Something I would have balked at doing as a day hike or overnight in a previous life. 
7:30 Get dressed. I have two hiking outfits, which is a luxury for many hikers. Picking what to wear based on projected weather and how burned my skin already is takes all my brain power.
7:36 With a final push I put my gaiters, socks, and shoes on and climb out of the tent. I notice my socks are caked with something from yesterday’s million river crossings. I wish I’d washed them yesterday too. I’m wearing through socks fast.
7:45 I’m out of fuel somehow, so Ruth kindly lends me her stove for oatmeal. I add soy milk powder and blueberries from Kika and eat it. I enjoy it, which is nice. Some days it’s a chore. Chug half a liter of water and take some vitamins. I’ve mostly given up on morning coffee.
Cascadian Craft hankie feels like my good luck item by way of Bri and Justin.
7:53 Brush teeth
7:57 Pack up camp.
8:12 Blake didn’t camp with us last night. B walks much faster but breaks longer, usually we synch up by the end of the day but not always. Ruth and I look at the map and make a plan for an early break so maybe she can catch up. We tape a note for Blake with that mile number and an ETA on to a trail blaze. I consider walkie-talkies.
Blake’s trail name.
8:15 We camped very near Mission Creek, which we crossed about a million times the day before, so I go down to the water to filter a few liters for the day. I aim to carry for a liter every five miles, so I filter three considering the dry stretch. Filtering water is far and away my least favorite chore.
I add some electrolytes to one of the three bottles. Strawberry kiwi flavor. Which reminds me of Gramp. I feel bittersweet. A little proud of myself for doing the thing he was so excited for me to do and a little sad I don’t get to tell him about it. I can cry about it easy if I linger so I don’t. I put on my pack.
8:30 Walk
First thing is a small climb which isn’t my favorite way to start the day, my calves each pitch a fit and threaten to pop off my shins once and for all. They’re all talk it never happens. I think hard about form and my gait to distract myself and so I can believe the pain is growth/worthwhile.
8:42 Avoid bees. My trail nemesis.
9:00 I start to cruise as my calves give in and warm up. Cardi is called upon to pick up the pace.
9:30 Granola bar.
9:55 I see three robins, the first I’ve seen and it’s nice to see familiar faces. Stellars Jays follow quickly.
10:05 Cardi has worked her magic. OutKast up next.
10:20 The climb delivers. I take a short break to take some pictures and drink some water at 242.5. Breaks are complicated. Honestly I don’t take many- I’m stiff after and it takes a few minutes to warm back up which I feel impatient about.
10:41 I stub my toe which isn’t usually noteworthy except it sends a tingle up my shin that sticks around. I make the climb slowly and baby my gait again, trying not to overcompensate.
11:00 Impatient with my pace I finish my skittles for the sugar rush. I notice I’m checking GH a lot. Usually the first indication I’m hungry and ready to stop for a meal but I have .8 to go before I reach our agreed upon mileage for a break.
11:09 I pass a man who says he likes my tattoos which is kind of my least favorite comment from strangers, I assure him many of them are bad.
11:20 I spot a larger grey bird. Initially I was excited to see another familiar face but when I realized it wasn’t a grey jay like I thought I experience severe binocular longing wanting to get a better look. I lost my lightweight birding scope shortly before leaving and I’m a more than little chuffed about it.
11:23 Lunch at mile 244.8. Ruth is closer behind than I thought and she startles me. Leftover cous cous and cookies. Cold soak some beans for second lunch later as I’m out of fuel. Stretch some. Elevate my feet and re-tape my hotspots.
12:13 No sign of Blake, she can be slow to get out of camp, plus she’s so fast when she does get out. We’re not too worried and decide to walk on.
It’s stiff starting but the tingling/pain in my shin is gone. I try to take note that breaks can be valuable.
1:00 Coon Creek Cabin. We run into Captain Butter, a kid we’ve been leap frogging for a week, he mentions he’s low on food so I kick him down my extras and he seems wildly appreciative. At a the dilapidated cabin Ruth wills a pit toilet into existence and despite a sign saying it’s locked for the season a groundskeeper arrives within minutes and unlocks it for her. I’m not sure how to explain her magic but this is typical.
Carved into the window trim
1:18 Walk more. Ruth and I keep pace and walk together for a stretch. We climb a bit more. I start to get bored of my circulating thoughts and try to listen to an audiobook but the content gets a little too sad and I switch to Hamilton, my most guilty pleasure and my pace picks up substantially.
1:34 A nice view and a short water break to catch my breath after the climb.
2:21 I notice I’m starting to check gh every half mile. Time to start looking for another break spot.
2:37 Second lunch at mile 249.5. Beans and a tattered tortilla. The last of my hot sauce and the last of Ruth’s licorice. Elevate my feet again
Super appetizing
Super cute
3:00 Still no sign of B but it’s too cold and I’ve gotta move. An old dirt road to walk, it not the prettiest but then this happens:
Walking funny over the 250 mile stones!
We spend the next few miles chatting and walking. It’s a pleasant afternoon and I feel sad it’s our last full day. I’ve said this to a couple people but I do a lot with Ruth and find myself projecting my own courage onto her. It will be hard to hold it on my own, I’m anticipating the learning curve.
4:39 I’m getting tired and slowing a little. Ruth says she’s taking a break and it seems like a good moment for it, shady with trees to put my feet up on I close my eyes for a minute. She heads out ahead of me. I know this late in the day the pull forward to catch up with her will be motivating so I hang back a few minutes to let her lead.
4:57 Back to it.
5:30 I warm up again and cruise. I’m tender, this will end up being our biggest day in miles yet and I can feel it. But it hurts as much as it’s going to so I keep up my pace and coast downhill to camp. 
6pm We hit a campground! And finally a water source! We consider pushing for 20 but with no sign of Blake it feels unwise. Still 18 miles today! Ruth convinces me to feel proud and we quickly set up tents and filter water.
6:20 There are a grip of hikers here which makes sense considering the miles between water sources. We make dinner. Peanut noodles for me which has turned into a treat dinner, saved for particularly hard or cold or wet days. We play dice at dinner with some other hikers. It’s the most social night on trail for me yet.
7:42 Dinner takes too long and I don’t get any pictures because dice is distracting. I get to bed late. I rub more oil into my feet and legs and put on my thermals. It’s unusually easy getting to sleep and the night is warm so I unzip my quilt, my favorite way to sleep.
The next day, five miles from camp, we see the donkeys and get a text from Blake who’s already in Big Bear.
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