3 Highlights:
1. Breakfast at Jan’s (aka: Monster Feast)
2. Friends and family sending birthday love ❤️
3. Lanski spoiling me with food and drinks, birrdej style
Daily Summary:
• Distance hiked: 7 km
• Starting point: Trailhead
• Ending point: Stream
• Weather conditions: Sunny, but nights and mornings are cold
Daily Reflections (challenges, insights, musings):
Woke up early and cold. Like, tent-frozen solid cold. It’s my birthday and I’m questioning all of my life decisions, but hey, at least I’m alive, right? Decided the best way to handle it was to hitchhike into Buena Vista and celebrate with civilization (and hot food).
Enter Paul and Kathy—trail angels of the day. They picked us up, and Bessy got them coffee, being her generous self. Once in town, she treated me to a monster breakfast at Jan’s. Seriously, it was like someone dared the chef to see how much food they could fit on one plate. Mission accomplished. Happy birthday to me! 🎉
Spent a few hours at a cafe drying the frozen tent and clothes. Met a surfer dude who’s living in Mexico but currently chilling in Salida (our next stop). His laid-back vibe made me question my choices of hiking through freezing mountains, but here we are.
To make the day even sweeter, we had ice cream before deciding to head back to the trail around 3 PM. On our way to resupply, we met Jared and his dog Julius. Let me tell you, Jared was a saint because I was the worst at giving directions. But after what felt like an eternity of wrong turns and confusion, we finally made it to the trailhead. Jared—you’re a hero.
Hiked a short stretch, set up camp by a stream, and even managed to make a small fire before crashing for the night. But man, it’s still so cold. Fingers crossed for some warmth tomorrow.
Good night!
