Day 93, July 19: Mile 1305 to 1313
Start: Butte Meadows/Cold Spring - Mile 1305.4
End: Mile 1313.2
Miles: 7.8
Ascent: 1163 | Descent: 1325
I woke up again in the cabin and felt considerably better, though not 100%. I decided I wanted to try to go back to trail and take it easy on myself. After showering and tidying up my pack a bit, I walked over to the store to see if Patti and Chuck were there. They had offered the day before to give me a ride to Chico, Chester, or the trailhead where I got off trail- wherever I wanted to go. I asked them for a ride to the trailhead and they were happy to do so. We agreed that we would leave at 2pm. While at the store, I ordered a tuna sandwich that was delicious and comforting as it tasted just like how my mom would make it.
I returned to my cabin, packed up the rest of my stuff at the cabin, and wrote a thank you note to all the people of Butte Meadows who had so generously helped me- Stacey, Troy, Bob and Cory, Patti and Chuck. I felt so instantly welcomed by this community and I’m so grateful that if there was a place I had to get off trail to rest up for a few days, that it was here.
I walked back to the store to meet Patti and Chuck. I gave Stacey a goodbye hug, and we took a group picture. I hopped in Patti and Chuck’s Ranger, an off reading sort of golf cart. Chuck drove us up the dirt road to the Cold Spring trailhead. I gave them a hug, another thank you and a goodbye, and they were off!
I grabbed some water at the spring and met a hiker named Glad, who I gave one of the cookies that Patti and Chuck had given me. I started hiking out and right away, I saw Baggins! I had met him very early on on trail, and had seen him only periodically in Bishop and again in Tuolumne Meadows. It was great to hang out and chat with him for a bit. I also gave him a cookie.
I said see you soon and continued hiking on. I felt considerably better, though still a little tired. After a while, I came to Humboldt Road, a small dirt road that I knew was popular with locals. And lo and behold, there was trail magic! A man named Howard was set up with his truck and offered us sodas, beers, fresh fruit, candy, homemade ham and cheese sandwiches, and comfortable camp chairs. Pure luxury. I hung out for a while and enjoyed a sampling of all the offerings.
I wanted to get to where I wanted to camp before it got too late, so I pressed on after a bit. I hiked another mile or so to camp near a spring, and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset before settling in for bed.