Days 25-28, Sunday, June 18-Wednesday, June 21

PCT Mile 454.5 Hiker Heaven to PCT Mile 466.0

R&R Total: 11.5 Miles

(Note: The chance to visit friends in Los Angeles and dangerous, record-setting heat coincide nicely.)

We woke up at hiker heaven around 7 a.m. We didn't have to wake up early, but it was too hot to stay in the tent much longer. We got our gear packed up and waited for the 9 a.m. shuttle into town for breakfast at the Sweetwater Cafe, again. 

A pickup truck with about 15 of our closest friends inundated the little restaurant. After we ordered coffee and water I got a call from Pete saying he just pulled into town but wasn't sure if he was in the right place. In case you're using Google maps for your next vacation to Agua Dulce, it will take you right to the veterinary clinic downtown.

I was so excited! I loaded up the Honda Fit with our packs and took Pete to the restaurant. After a big breakfast, we were off to the city!

We got to Pete's and unloaded our gear and sank into his furniture; his home is so comfy! We ordered a few things that we had sent to his place and had a little Christmas in LA – long sleeve shirts for sleeping in, an external battery, and lifeproof cases for our phones.

Before long we went to Verizon for a much-needed phone upgrade and then to downtown Burbank for tasty foods. Portucal, the restaurant, was delicious.

It was about nap-thirty at that point and nap we did. When we woke up, Sam – Pete's wife – was home from work and we spent the night catching up. It was so nice being with friends!

Day 26
Sleeeeeeep was so good in a nice big bed. We had some coffee and Kelly got a text from her mom informing us that Clayton Kershaw was pitching that night for the Dodgers, so we quickly got our tickets.

Pete had to head to work and Kelly and I had to start tackling our errands.

We walked downtown for lunch at Panera Bread (Kelly was very excited to get her Panera fix). After lunch we marched to Costco.

Cities have all the things! We loaded up on Snickers, protein bars, and triple-a batteries for our headlamps and then got smoothies and churros before getting an Uber to take us back to Pete and Sam's. 

When we got back we were surprised by two more packages, one from Kelly's friend Caitie with a bunch of goodies and fun note, and the other from my Aunt Faye and Uncle Stan filled with blondie brownies (heavenly brownies that I've never really thought to ask what's in them I just consume in mass quantities when available). Thank for all the love!

Shortly after package excitement Pete, Kelly, and I were off to the ball game.

We got there a good bit before the game to watch batting practice and see Kershaw warm-up. We settled into a spot just above the home bullpen and, as they were tossing balls into the stands to clear batting practice balls out of the bullpen, I caught one! I was pretty excited about it.

Ballparks on game day have some kind of magic that turns you back into a little kid. Before Kershaw started warming up a stadium worker informed us that he had a set routine and we were to remain quiet and not lean over the railing while he pitched or we would be ejected. We were still able to take some pictures and, thankfully, we didn't get tossed.

We made our way to our seats and saw a heck of a game.

The Dodgers started off with a big lead in the first but the Mets chipped away throughout. There were 20-plus hits and several home runs. The Dodgers won, 12-6. It was a blast! 


When we got home, we ordered Dominos, watched TV, and fell asleep in the big beautiful bed.

Day 27
Pete chauffeured us around Los Angeles taking us to the Griffith Park Observatory to look out over the city and see the Hollywood sign. From there we went all over the city, getting hamburgers (and a turkey burger).

After seeing more of the city we headed back home. Pete had an event for work he was doing that evening and had to leave. While he was gone, Sam came home with her parents, who got in the night before (after a long road trip from Asheville). It was nice to see them again and sit around the dining room table chatting. Family time and a big mom hug from Sam's mom were greatly needed. 

At some point I ordered Indian food for delivery because in cities you can do that. Note: Not only have Kelly and I been hiking and unable to order food, before the trail we were living in Yellowstone where ordering food, walking to Panera, and Ubering or Lyfting around town isn't possible. The tikka masala and naan hit the spot. Sam's parents left for the night and we all made our way to bed. 

Day 28
We had a delightfully lazy morning and then went to an early lunch with Sam's parents. A big thanks to Mom and Pop Iglesias for lunch! 

The day before I talked with my Aunt Faye and she told us that my cousin Thomas was in the area and I should send him a text. Dana, Thomas's wife, is from San Bernardino and they were visiting for a time.

We got in touch and figured out a time they could come see us before we left for the trail that night. We got second lunch with Thomas, Dana, and their son James.

It was an awesome surprise to get to see them!

After more food and catching up, they dropped us off at a grocery store to take care of more errands before they headed off into the LA traffic. Such a good surprise to see them; Thanks to aunt Faye and Uncle Stan for letting us know they were so close!

We got food not only for the next stretch of trail, but enough to make a box to send to Kennedy Meadows about 250 miles ahead.

After Pete finished some work things, he picked us up and took us home where we scrambled to pack our gear and get our food together. We made it to the post office just before its 6:30 closing time.

The people working at the post office were very friendly and curious about the dense box of Snickers and rice they saw us pack.

All packages sent, we had one more stop before the trail – REI. Kelly was hoping to find new shoes and we wanted a small dry bag for our electronics. Kelly found her shoes, we got dry bags and grabbed a couple of head nets for big protection. This REI saw a good number of hikers come through and they were impressed by how "not-terrible" we smelled. 

Once back in Agua Dulce, we unloaded our gear and gave Pete big hugs. It was huge being able to relax in a cozy home with Pete and Sam taking care of us. So much thanks and love to them for everything!

We hiked 11.5 miles that night to PCT Mile 466.0 and slept in our tent on our little foam pads like some kind of hikers that night. (SM)