We had a leisurely day off today. We slept in a little, got breakfast at the cafeteria here, and sat in the shade and took advantage of the free wi-fi. Eventually we would have to either hitch back to Tuolumne or catch the 5 pm shuttle. Only a hitch would get us back in time to pick up our resupply at the post office before it closed for the 4th. We got a tip from another hiker, Stumbling Beef, on the best place to hitch in the park.
We caught a shuttle to the main visitor center where we dawdled for a bit to watch a movie about the park’s geology and history. Then we jumped on another bus to the west end of the park where the two main exit roads came together. Also on the bus was Rabbit, a hiker we haven’t seen since Kennedy Meadows a month ago. It was nice to talk with him for a bit and we hope to see him again down the trail. We had to cut it short when the bus arrived at our stop. We jumped off right at the Merced river, which by now was wide and slow-flowing. People were swimming in it and we might have been tempted to stop and take a dip as we walked up to the road junction…except a car was pulling over up ahead and the driver was waving us over. Laurie and her daughter Erica were on their way to Mammoth and would be passing right through Tuolumne. They had seen the cardboard sign we’d made – did we want a ride? We couldn’t believe it was that easy as we hopped in the car.
We chatted for a while on the long drive up – 23 miles by trail, over 50 winding miles by road – but towards the end our eyes kept closing despite our best efforts to not be rude. We dozed until we arrived at the post office with over an hour to spare. We couldn’t thank them enough for helping us out! The guy at the counter was as happy to hand off our packages (5 in all) as we were to get them. Keith got new shoes after over 900 miles. We sorted through our meals and handed off some extras to the other hikers hanging around the store. Finally we set off back to the backpack we’d campground to make sure nothing had happened to our gear.
Everything was right where it should have been and our collapsed tent, though it had been rained on, was mostly dry. Two hiking poles and a few minutes later it was ship-shape again and we were figuring out how to fit our new food into our packs. Since it was already late in the afternoon and a little stormy-looking, it was an easy decision to stay another night. This would also let us grab dinner AND breakfast at the nearby lodge. An easy decision, indeed.
Dinner was served family-style and we were seated at a table with a mix of other people – another thru-hiker, a couple on a backpacking trip through all the high Sierra camps in the park, and someone who came up here nearly every year. They were all very interested in our hike and we had a wonderful time answering their questions. We feel so lucky to be out here and it’s fun to be able to share what we know with people. By the time we finished it was dark and cool out and we had a nice, relaxing walk back to our tent. It’s a pleasure to hike without a pack on now and then. Once we got back it was off to bed. We’re looking forward to breakfast tomorrow, and to getting out on our own again after so many crowded days.
– Posted from the PCT
Location:Pct mile 942