Date: 2013-04-20
From: Lick Creek

To: Fresh Ground V
Miles today: 20.4

(In which I camp with many folks at Fresh Ground's camp)I put much effort into trying to sleep. Some folks can sleep long hours, but I cannot just sleep for so many hours. Just Dave, a very early riser, passes me before I am out of my hammock. I pack up sluggishly, trying to keep everything going into my pack from getting any wetter. The first part of the day is spent on the long climb toward Chestnut Knob Shelter. The Trail breaks out onto grassy ridge halfway up the mountain and passes a small pond. This pond is supposed to be the best water source for the mountaintop shelter, but I only use it for a couple photos before continuing uphill to the shelter.Chestnut Knob Shelter is one of the most scenic that I have seen thus far. It is a fully-enclosed stone and concrete structure that even has a door. Hammocking would not be a convenient option here, as it sits in a grassy field without adequate trees nearby. There used to be a fireplace here, as evidenced from the exterior geometry of the shelter, but it has been sealed up on the inside. I take an extended break here, eating and writing and shooting photos while my wet gear dries out in the sun. While I am breaking here an unfamiliar hiker arrives. Splinter is a young guy originally from Alaska and he has previously hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. I move on once I have repacked my somewhat drier gear.I descend to Walker Gap and refill my water there. From here the Trail is a ridge walk for a while and the next reliable source of water is nine miles farther ahead. I begin this ridge walk with Garden Mountain and the rock outcrop there. There is a remarkably comfortable spot to relax on a flat piece of rock here, and I also get a data signal for my phone. After resting here a bit I resume the ridge walk, continuing on for a while until I stumble upon another outcrop with a view west. A couple other hikers are up here, one with the trail name Wild Blue and another with no trail name, Josh. I climb up here to shoot photos and am surprised at how loud the cows are, their mooing carrying clearly up from the fields below.Splinter arrives as I am continuing north, and an old southbound section hiker passes us. He is 70 years old now and is aspiring to do a large section of the AT this year and do the PCT next year. I hear of trail magic left at the next road crossing. Someone has left bottled water here, which is a simple but very welcome gesture in this long dry stretch. I use one of these bottles to keep me going until I drop off the ridge to the next shelter and the water source there. There is an unreliable water source a mile south of the shelter, a stream which seems pretty reliable right now. I decide against getting extra water at either source, as I want to travel lighter for the next five miles.I could stop at Jenkins Shelter and be satisfied with the day's progress, but Fresh Ground is set up five miles up the Trail. I figure I can push that far and camp out there with him. It is an easy five miles, especially with the motivations of food and camaraderie. And what camaraderie I find there! Camped out around Fresh Ground's camp I find Dozer, Funyuns, Wild Blue, Josh, Firehands, Cat, and Cat's sisters. Fresh Ground has an even more elaborate setup than before, having moved away from disposable utensils and dishes and implemented a simple washing system. It is just like how I have washed hundreds of dishes in Guatemala - one bucket of soapy water, one of bleached water, and one of clean water for a rinse.I missed out on chicken that had been cooked up earlier, but there are hot dogs aplenty. Fresh Ground has to sleep early so he can drive into town and resupply. A fire is started and the young folks congregate there until wandering off to tents, hammocks, or just to sleep under the stars. I have assembled a sleeping pad from cut-up portions that Fresh Ground has for use as seats, and am sleeping on that under the stars. It is pretty late before the last folks leave the fire for camp, and I stay there until the last are gone since I am camping a few feet away. Yesterday I went to sleep wet, cold, and alone on the trailside - quite a departure from tonight.Peace,