Days 17-19: Idyllwid Nero & zeroes

We cruised into Idyllwild from Tahquitz Meadow via the Devil's Slide trail from Saddle Junction, which shed 1,500 hard-earned vertical feetu in 2.5 miles. Erin secured a spot in the back of Herk's truck (a local trail angel who shuttles hikers to and from the park another 2.5 miles from town), and we were off like a rocket down the hill. 

We were kindly deposited in the town center, and we walked to the Idyllwild Inn to pick up our resupply box (=food) and our bounce box (=maps, toiletries, town clothes, etc.) before checking in at the Apple Blossom Inn. I perused the hiker box at the Idyllwild Inn and scrounged up more cooking alcohol and some noodle soup. Erin was slightly better off - she got a pair of shoes and an unopened can of PBR. Hiker boxes are a pretty interesting phenomenon. Generally, they are found at establishments frequented by hikers (hotels, gear stores, grocery stores), are filled with food and gear from hikers, and are rummaged through by hikers looking to bolster their stocks. Items in the boxes range from bear mace, pot scrapers, old maps and guidebooks to lentils, rice cakes, Epsom salt, laundry detergent, and apparently unopened beers.

We checked in at the Apple Blossom, which turned out to be the best deal in town. Our great hiker rate included free wi-fi, free laundry and great service in our little suite. Erin hopped in the shower to  wash off her dirt tan from the hike: 

I set about breaking down the resupply box, topping off from the bounce box, and packing up a box of stuff to send back to my parents. We were under a bit of a schedule, as laundry needed to be done and everything in mailed by 5 PM. We made the post office in plenty of time and ran into Tracy and Ingrid at the post office. They were coming off a couple zeroes in town after hitching in from Paradise Valley Café due to some ankle issues. They recommended the pizza place next door, which offered a 10% hiker discount. A gang of other hikers was inside devouring several pizzas and pitchers of beer. After listening to the "quick, three beers!" call of the olive-sided flycatcher all day yesterday, we decided to follow suit. 

The Greek salad was delicious, and necessary, and followed by a meaty calzone which Erin and I split in anticipation of a second dinner later that night. We visited with the flying Hons over dinner, then retired to our hotel to watch the giants vs. dodgers on the color TV. 

The following day, we woke up and watched a little bit of Law and Order on TV. Having finished our chores the day before, our zero was open to do as little as we pleased. Erin's amigas Jess and Fran came up to Idyllwild from their homes in Southern California to visit. They were intrigued by the notion of Trail Angels and spent the rest of their visit becoming our personal Angels, treating us to drinks and dinner (despite our efforts to pay). 

Our second zero came as somewhat of a surprise, as I hopped out of the bed and packed my bag for the trail. Erin went through the motions of starting to pack, but opened up and said that she wasn't yet ready to go back to the trail. She said that another zero would help her still-ailing feet along with her mindset. Regardless of the fact that it was our 8th anniversary, I conceded to the second zero. We did a very minimal amount, which was limited to waiting for the nearby fire to be contained, watching "Contact" (terrible movie. I can't believe I watched the whole thing to find out the alien is her dad), and waddling about a mile for Italian food. The fire was contained, a cold weather front moved in, and we were about as rested as we could get for our next bite at the trail.