fun by the fire station

Day 24 ~ miles 395.5 to 418.8

Well my first dose of Vitamin I served me well, as I woke up feeling much less stiff and achy than I had been in the past few days.  I had a much stronger hiking day overall, though the more gentle terrain probably had something to do with it.

No one arrived at the Cooper Canyon Camp last night, so we had the place to ourselves, and we didn't see a single hiker until this afternoon.  We walked through an old burn area, where each side of the trail was blanketed with vibrant yellow, purple, and white wildflowers. 

Later in the afternoon, Midway caught up to us.  We had briefly met him right outside of Big Bear.  We hiked and chatted with him for a while, and found out that he went to college with me and Moonshine and graduated the same year, and we had a couple of mutual friends.  We reminisced about Knoxville for awhile until he hiked ahead.  Small world, huh folks?

After 18+ waterless miles, and my first fall on the trail, we arrived at the fire station where we would get more water.  My tumble left me a little bruised up, but probably more scared than anything.  Just a simple reminder that your hike can change in just an instant.  We weren't aware, but there was a camping area right by the fire station as well.  Many hikers trickled in, including the 4 guys (who we hadn't seen in a couple of days).  Some section hikers also planned to camp there; they had left a cooler with cold beverages there, and they generously shared them with us.  We had a fun evening chatting, laughing, and listening to music with hiker friends, old and new.