BSCM picked me up in Agua Dulce Tuesday and we went to my nephew Steve and his wife Randi's new home which was supposed to be nearby. We didn't realize how close it was. It was twelve minutes to their front door!
A hot tub, two nights in a regular bed, visiting, and preparations for more hiking abounded.
A trip to REI in Northridge was somewhat successful, but they didn't have the one, most important item I needed, the right shoes. Last week, when I got to Wrightwood, the bottoms of my feet were really sore. It was an odd feeling, just how bruised and swollen they were. I remedied the situation by switching over to my hiking boots from my Brooks, Cascadia trail runners. The boots were a temporary fix.
REI checked, and the only place they had the right sized shoes that I wanted was at their Santa Monica store. We went to the big city ($10 parking) and got the shoes. My feet have already grown one-half size on the hike. The shoes are absolutely perfect, except for one thing, they are the brightest, neon, sunset orange color I've ever seen in a shoe. I will now be making quite the clown fashion statement on the trail. 
Steve spent time teaching me tricks on my IPhone. I feel like a student in a remedial class with some of this technology! If not for the help of key people (all who are a generation younger than I) I would never be able to have a blog.
Steve spent time teaching me tricks on my IPhone. I feel like a student in a remedial class with some of this technology! If not for the help of key people (all who are a generation younger than I) I would never be able to have a blog. My daughter Kari and son-in-law Colin put together the website and the blog for me. Then, they walked me through it step by step and made it so simple that even the ultimate old school guy like me could use it.
Thank you Kari, Colin, and Steve for all the technology (and other) help!
We went out to dinner with a friend who used to work on the Klamath NF, John King, his wife Joanna, and Steve. John now works on the Bear Divide Hotshots, and is looking great and happy now as married man!
May 8- Thursday- Vegetables
The day started with a two mile road walk out of Agua Dulce so I was talking with Kaye and Kevin Suzuki as I was walking the road. Being distracted I just kept walking and talking. When I got off the call I checked and I had missed an intersection and was way off route and had to backtrack. So, Kaye Suzuki succeeded in getting me lost from a thousand miles away. She succeeded in getting me lost once in Antelope Basin a couple years ago in Montana. There seems to be a pattern. A couple of extra miles of hiking on such a nice day wasn't such a bad thing.
I spent much of the morning singing. I was trying to remember all the songs I used to sing for my daughters when they were young. It's a good thing nobody came by as I was belting out "Grandma's Feather Bed," or "Puff the Magic Dragon," or I may have been committed.
There is a reason for me to be on this wavelength. I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDFATHER! My daughter Ashley, and her boyfriend Travis, are expecting a baby November 5th. I'm very excited, but will have to relearn lyrics to some old songs...this is going to be fun.
When I was in Montana a friend, Ron Schott, gave me the meat of an antelope he got during hunting season. I just finished the jerky from that antelope today. Switching to commercial jerky will be such a letdown.
I appreciate the trail work done by so many folks on the trail. 
The hike ended at San Francisquito Canyon Road, mile 479.
