Day 30 – 5/27/11 – 18 miles (454)
Day 31 – 5/28/11 – 0 miles (454)

I forgot just how hot the desert can be. I’m really glad I put in the extra miles yesterday, making it to Agua Dulce by midafternoon. And by Agua Dulce, I really mean the Saufley’s, aka “Hiker Heaven”. And it truly is. This family hosts up to 50 hikers a night. To host that many people requires incredible organization. When you arrive you sign up for a shower, visit bins full of loaner clothes, amd put your dirty clothes in a mesh bag which magically appears a few hours later all clean and dry.  They have cots set up in tents in the backyard, a shipping center to send and receive packages, a fleet of bicycles to ride to town, and so on.
I also got a ride to REI from here, where I bought new shoes. My original shoes were holding up ok, but starting to feel tight and I even got a new blister on Friday. So I bought the same shoes one size up. I’m now maxed out on women’s shoe sizes (11)! Other chores were the usual grocery shopping, but included buying for the first 7 days in the Sierra and mailing it to Kennedy Meadows.

Probably the best thing about being here is visiting with all the other hikers. The crowd has started to spread out and we see people a lot less frequently. Since almost everyone zeroes here, it’s a great chance to catch up with people a day or two ahead or behind you.

Roadrunner and Mousetrap even entertained us last night with a great piano and song session.