July 13th
I was the only one ready to go at 6:30, so I just started walking. I was running out of food and wanted to get as close to town as possible today. Then, the next morning I would hitch to town.
The hiking was great. Lots of water, views, and variety. Eventually, I came to an area where an old road roughly paralleled the trail. Due to so many downed trees, it just made sense to road walk. I left notes for my partners.
When the road ended, I got back on the trail and resigned myself to a slow day of climbing over, sliding under, and going around fallen trees. However, after an hour I came across a group of mountain bikers who had chainsaws and were clearing the trail. Even though it was to help themselves, I profusely thanked them for their good deed. I even offered to help clear the trail for awhile.
Despite waiting a few times, I never saw my hiking partners. I did, however, run into two young guys who were northbound. They started at the Mexican border in March and were poised to complete their journey. They were generous and enthusiastic.
I ended up camping on a hill just above where I would hitchhike hike from in the morning. It was called Lost Pass.
backpacking over the hill 