Day 5. Distance hiked today: 15.9 miles / 25.6 km.
It was a hot and sunny day. I was able to get water from a few spigots as all the streams are dry. No matter how much 60 SPF sunscreen I apply to my face I feel the sun burning. The trail wound through the hills and I saw my first snake - actually I walked right by it and the hiker behind me pointed it out. Most people have seen multiple rattlers by now but I haven't seen any so... I'm not sure if I'm lucky or I'm blowing by them before they knew I was there. At this point baby wipes can't get the dirt off my hands and feet. We camped in a valley and had no wind which was great, and I woke up to a hole dug next to my tent by a small animal who was probably mad I moved his rock.
Day 6. Distance hiked today: 13.4 miles / 21.6 km.
With the goal of getting into town today, I hiked into Scissors Crossing by about 12:30pm. It was probably the hottest day, with a lot of uphill but also a big downhill. If I stopped walking my knees would seize up and make the next steps more painful, so I tried not to stop until I reached the road, other than to take a picture of a cool bearded lizard.
At the highway underpass there's a water cache, hiker box, and a couple shuttles into town. I waited for a ride but after other hikers jumped on it first, I hitchhiked into town with the other 3 hikers I camped with. We checked into a "hotel" - a fifth wheel trailer outside a small inn that sleeps 4, which they only rent to hikers. Had a shower, lunch at 4pm, and dinner again at 7.
The inn has a nice pool in the back and honor bar, and most importantly, 2 cats. In their hiker box I found exactly what I needed - some leukotape, flip flops for town, and yellow tape to label my insulin bottle (what are the odds, who has yellow duct tape ever). The town of Julian is a neat mining town, and after getting a bit of gear and food tomorrow I'll be heading out on trail again.
Total trail mileage to date: 77.1 miles / 124 km.
