Day 61 - Duck Pass to Mammoth Lakes. 895.7

It was a short hike to the Ducks Pass Trail junction. It was apparent some weather was moving in when we I started to get light snow flurries.

It was then a 5 miles hike over ducks pass to the Campground at the trailhead. It was a quite difficult trail for the main reason of snow... Lots of it.  

I was the first down to the trailhead. I relaxed and met Mary Poppins, Prince and Overload.  An interesting bunch. It wasn't long before the others followed (Viet, Leah, Nat and BT). 

Having walked a quarter mile to a main road, we waited for a free trolley to take us into town. It was pretty neat. 

Mammoth reminds me a lot of Colorado Mountain Resorts. Especially, Steamboat Springs. 

The first thing we all do is go to John's Pizza. Pizza is something we have all been talking about for days!  Viet had some friends out visiting and they bought us all beer. 

Later in the evening Viet, Leah and I go to the RV Campground and setup camp. I have been spending more than anticipated in some of the towns, mainly due to staying at motels. Though we all split the cost of the room, it still tends to be way more than staying at a campground. 

Soon after our tents are up, it began to rain and the three of us move to the pool building to charge things and stay dry. 

Even later, Leah and I go to John's pizza again for a milkshake and a little more food. Riley met us there (the others stayed in the Hostel). 

Around 10pm we head back to camp. It really started to rain, with flashes of lightening off in the distance.  It rained the rest of the night. 

---

Day 32 - Hiker Town and a Bit of Craziness 531.5 (21.5)

I set my alarm this morning. It was warm all night long and I wanted to get an early start. I'm glad I did, because even at 6am on the trail, it was very warm. The 7 miles to Hiker Town dragged on for a while. I think it was the heat and I didn't have music to take my mind off of it.  Hiker Town is located in Lancaster and is known for being one of the weirder hostels on the trail. Most of the time, trail gossip is exaggerated or just not true... Hiker Town lived up to the hype.  I arrived around 10am to find Savanna, Greg and Kiwi hanging out. The place is setup just like a town, Hotel, Post Office, Jail etc. I picked up my package from the Post Office.  A little while later, a lady in the Hotel starts yelling at the owner. This goes on and off for the next couple hours. At some point, she calls the cops. When the sheriff arrived, he chats with both parties then appears to hang out. The lady (who called) can't seem to camp down, and ends up getting detained and removed from the property. It was just like we were watching a tv show.  The rest of the early afternoon was pretty relaxing. A trail angel, Rodney Arnold, brought some free beer and pizza for everyone hanging out. He was one nice guy. Evidentially, a hiker had tipped him $80 for a ride, only needing $8 to fill his car, he used the rest to buy the beer and pizza.  Chatted with Savanna, Kiwi, Greg, Bottomless and Two-Tone for the rest of the afternoon. Around 5:00 I was back on the trail. I had great cell service so I made a couple calls home at the same time I was walking along the L.A. Aqueduct (it was only exposed for half a mile or so.  It was a long hike, but the sunset was beautiful and the half moon lit up the landscape. Too bad iPhones don't take great night pics.

What 5 Liters of water looks like.