Water (and Life) is Sweet in Agua Dulce!

let's see...

It's been another 100 miles, 450 total, and I just finished my first month of hiking! From the town of Wrightwood, I remained high in the San Gorgonio Wilderness for a few days, then started the long descent back towards the desert. On two mornings I woke up above the clouds, which is an incredible thing to witness. My upcoming section is supposed to be one of the toughest of the trip. It's basically 100 miles of very hot hiking, 40 miles of which pass through/near the Mojave Desert. Even so, I'm excited to see some more desert flora and fauna - though am hoping it will be the last time I see a rattlesnake for a while. But, I believe this is the last section of true desert on the PCT, and then its into the Sierras!

I'm in Agua Dulce now, a very small town - the trail actually follows Main Street for a while. This town has a very high concentration of "trail angels" - people who go out of their way to help out hikers. I've come across many caches of water in the middle of unbelievably hot sections, and on the lucky days, even find a cooler filled with cold fruit and water (and even beer a few times). In town, there is an amazing couple - the Saufleys - who have become famous trail angels due to their incredible generousity. They have 6-8 wall tents set up with a total of 50 cots. Donna does your laundry for you, and they welcome you to use their shower. And lots and lots and lots of shade! Two computers, a TV with a few hundred movies,and a fridge to use. Every day they arrange for a neighbor to come by to drive hikers to the REI and Albertsons 45 minutes away. It really amazes me how willing they are to let hoards of complete strangers into their house - and how thankful the hikers are for the break. Today is the 13th aniversary of when they offered their house to 5 PCT hikers they met in town. They had so much fun they decided to keep it going, and have hosted over 3500 hikers over the years (only 300 hikers finish the PCT each year. so 3500 is quite a lot). We all decided to make a surprise dinner for them, so it should be a fun night!

I think Monica just posted some new pics, so check 'em out!