Day 4started off early with a plan to hitchhike into the town of Julian, CA. It’s about 12 miles off the trail and there is a bakery offering free pie to thru hikers. First, we had to hike 13 miles to Scissors Crossing, which is a water cache where locals leave bottled water under a bridge for hikers. It was here I caught my first hitch from an old lady named Barbara who was on her way home from a church retreat.
My first stop wasn’t the bakery, but a place called Carmen’s. Her restaurant is closed during the week, but she lets hikers hang out and provides cheap food and beer. The price of the first beer was a hug, and she had no problem hugging smelly hikers.
After a burrito at Carmen’s we headed over to claim our pie and meet some hiker friends. One of them didn’t know it was free and paid full price for a slice. Another guy bought (and ate) a whole pie.
We managed to escape the hiker vortex that kept people in Julian and kept hiking.
We went ten more miles in the most wind I’ve ever hiked in, and eventually found a place to camp. I cooked dinner in my vestibule and got ready for bed.
In the morning, the wind had died down. The goal for the day was Warner Springs, a small community that revolves around an old, slightly defunct, hot springs resort. I had a resupply box waiting at the post office and I needed to get there by 4, when they closed.
While hiking I passed the hundred mile mark and did 24 miles in one day, my longest day so far. I made it to the post office just in time, before heading to a golf course clubhouse for dinner. After that, I walked the mile to the Warner Springs community center, where they let hikers camp on the lawn.