Big Bear...Again

The plan was for a "nero" day yesterday, meaning near zero miles. It's a little more productive than a full zero day, and you still get to take advantage of everything a town stop offers. One of the big pluses of the day yesterday was breakfast at the Grizzly Manor. It's a tiny restaurant with probably as many people waiting outside for a table as there were inside eating. Biggest pancakes I've ever seen. I took advantage of the calorie burn of a thru-hiker and ordered the "Polar Bear" breakfast--2 pancakes, 2 eggs, hash browns, and bacon. I saw the size of the pancakes before ordering and downsized to just one, knowing there was still no way I would finish it. The older gentlemen next to me at the bar was obviously a regular customer and added some local charm to the already enjoyable experience.

Shortly after getting back to the hostel, I struggled to pack up my food for the next leg of my hike. It's hard to pack up dried meals on a full stomach. My mom's doing a great job though of trying to anticipate my changing tastes and appetite. I was so happy to see a bag of vanilla caramel latte in the box :)

A ride to the trailhead presented itself a little before I was ready, but I decided to take advantage of it and go. There's a picture below. About 30 minutes into the hike I began to get dizzy. The feeling wouldn't go away. Also, the minimal shoes I've been wearing have started taking a toll on my feet because of all the rocks on the trail. So, between the dizziness and the pain in my left foot, I probably resembled a drunken hiker. I had been hiking with Bob (Tower) and told him I thot I may need to go back to town. He wisely suggested going forward to a road crossing that was much closer than the trailhead. This road is a rough dirt road used infrequently by off road vehicles and has a reputation of being difficult to find a ride to town on, but I liked it's proximity. Just as we were coming to the road, a couple appeared. They were day hikers from LA and were happy to give me a ride to town. It was pretty emotional for me, getting off the trail even though it was just to go the few miles back to town. The dizziness had been going on for more than three hours and I knew it wasn't smart to push even further away from help in case I needed it.

I ended up at the Motel 6 in town. Mom and Dad were ready to leave early in the morning to bring me new shoes and some electrolytes which were suggested as a possibility to relieve my dizziness. After a long talk with Tom, I decided to check the hiker box in the motel lobby for a pair of suitable shoes. Hiker boxes are all over these trail towns in places where hikers gather. They are a place where hikers can leave things they no longer want/need, or pick up things that others have discarded. Can you believe there was a pair of shoes in my size with much thicker soles??? They don't have a lot of life left in them, but I think they'll get me to my next stop where mom and dad had already planned to meet me. Every week the trail gets me a little closer to them.

I don't remember much of the hike yesterday, but I DO remember seeing llamas! I have pictures to prove it!

I slept great in a real bed and am about to walk to another breakfast landmark in this town. I think I have a ride this afternoon back to the spot on the trail where I left yesterday. I really don't want to repeat those ten miles!