Day 28: A Zero to Reunite

Everyone’s back together again! After bouncing back and forth with a number of people we truly love over the past couple of weeks, Wrightwood turned out to be the place we all got back together again. We took a zero here today, spending two nights here (last night and tonight) — and, as a result, today we saw here: Rally, Squatchie, Dilly, Dally, Sarge, Stump, and PT. It’s not everybody — most notably missing are Treeman and Hedgehog (“Treehog” has been the new trail name for them as a couple), and there are other folks we really like who also aren’t here — but overall it’s been a great reunion.

We spent the day lounging in bed, eating a great breakfast (at a café decorated in a…most interesting manner, with fake flowers everywhere, an entire small porch swing hanging from the ceiling with a plush bear swinging, and so on), picking up our resupply from the local hardware store, perusing the log of people who’d been through before us, eating an enormous lunch (including one of the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had, a giant turtle brownie, and a meatloaf sandwich), taking it easy and catching up on blogging/email/communication with the outside world, dinner (which was actually relatively small for me since I’d stuffed myself so much at lunch), and dessert with Rally and Squatchie (ice cream party in our hotel room! with éclairs!).

Days like this really restore your spirit; I know I’ve had sufficient zeroes when I’m actually starting to get itchy to get back out on the trail, as I did today. They also help restore your muscles and tendons; some of the aches and pains coming from pulling multiple 20+-mile days on our last stint evaporated today, leaving me feeling good. And, finally, they ensure your pack and supplies are in perfect order, giving you a chance to fix anything that’s broken or causing you issues.

Far beyond anything else, though, it is so good to be back together with everybody today. It gives me hope that we’ll be able to do this periodically through this hike, getting back in touch with people who, as someone great said tonight, feel like family, not just friends. They really do, and I hope we continue to stay connected with them for a very long time to come.

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