After the scorched Earth hellscape that was yesterday, we were eager to get up early and get to town before it got too hot. We were hiking by 10 past 5, enjoying the sunrise and the altitude as the morning warmed. Fortunately we finally left the burned area and entered some living forest. We were also mostly on the shady side of the mountain today. We had a very enjoyable walk, and made the 13.1 miles to the road by 10:30. There were few cars on the highway and none in the trailhead parking lot, but after about 15 minutes a man came off a dirt road to join the highway and offered to take us into town. Turns out he is planning to hike the trail next year, so he hikes in the area to prepare and gives hikers rides when he sees them. The town is also very hiker friendly, and keeps a list of trail angels who host hikers in their home at the hardware store. A nice couple took us and two of our trail friends into their home for laundry, shower, and a bed for the night! True trail magic. Tomorrow we plan a short hike up to the junction with the Mt Baden-Powell side trail so we can summit early the following morning. We are currently at trail mile 369.
