Tag: resupply

Day 55: Dunsmuir to Indian Springs Stream

“It’s the vortex,” Vick told me. “Just another 15 minutes.” We were sitting in the Crossroads Hiker Hostel in the late afternoon, listening and singing along to records as Ronan played his ukulele on the couch. I checked the time on my phone, becoming increasingly anxious to get back on the trail before the sun went down. But the vortex (the inertia to stay in town and enjoy the fruits of civilization) had sucked my hiking buddies in, and there was no leaving until they were satisfied.

After a big and welcome breakfast, Kelly had given us and a few other hikers a ride into town to resupply. The Dollar General was well-stocked, and in addition to backpacking food we each bought a quart of ice cream to scarf down in the parking lot outside. Back at the hostel we ran into Bubblewrap and Pioneer, the perfect excuse to hang around the large backyard drinking beer.

I eventually coaxed Vick and Ronan into leaving, and after getting dropped off at the trailhead they continued on singing as we hiked. In fact they were so distracted by belting out classic tunes that they took a wrong turn. I was some distance behind them and (being in a more sober mind) followed the correct path, but when I arrived at our planned campsite there was no sign of my friends. It was getting dark and my muscles burned from the previous day’s death march, so I decided to cook a pouch of instant potatoes and find them in the morning.

Day 13: Independence

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We spent the night at the aptly-named Courthouse Motel. I was glad for the opportunity to shower and wash my clothes (especially my stiff-as-cardboard socks), and even happier to enjoy a hot meal at a fancy French restaurant that for some reason graces the otherwise deserted town of Independence. The next morning we resupplied at the local Shell gas station, paying inflated prices to load up on ramen, jerky, oatmeal, and other such backpacking sundries. Meredith had also shipped a box of food to the small post office, which we divvied up between us.

We rearranged our backpacks as the temperature rose in the surrounding desert. A group of hikers took turns standing in the hot sun, trying to hitch a ride back up to Onion Valley. After two hours of trying they were still there, which did not bode well for our own hitching prospects. I walked out of the motel courtyard dreading the long, uncomfortable wait. But we lucked out again, as a thru-hiking couple from Wisconsin spotted us walking to the intersection and immediately picked us up on their way to stash some food supplies in the bear boxes at the trailhead. We camped out on a high escarpment just below Kearsarge Pass, packs and bellies full and ready for the trail ahead.