Date: April 22, 2017
Miles: 144 – 151.8
A mile past our campsite this morning we came across the Walden cache, a neat stop with a little free library and cutouts of Henry David Thoreau and Walt Whitman. Apparently the trail angel, Mary, doesn’t like to be bothered by hikers but does keep the cache stocked and maintains a register in which she asks hikers to name a book that inspired them and why.
From there we hiked to Highway 74, where I met the only other person I’ve seen so far with peanut shoe tread, my peanut sister Tanya from Canada.
We tried to hitch a ride to Paradise Valley Cafe, a mile to the West. No luck there, so we hoofed it. The patio at the cafe was filled with other dirty, hungry hikers that we had met before, and it was fun to catch up with them.
After we ate, we attempted another hitch for the 17 miles into the town of Idyllwild. Success this time! Within a couple minutes, the owner of the local paper, The Town Crier, picked us up and told us all about Idyllwild and what to do there. We felt lucky to have such a knowledgeable driver. She dropped us off in town and we headed to the campground to find a place to sleep, shower, eat and do laundry. I picked up my ice axe and extra clothes at the post office and we wandered around town for the rest of the day.
