A new record! 22 miles (35 km) in a day! I’ve come to realize the trail is a continuous procession of new and old faces, but rarely those you expect.
Due to water source locations, we decided to hike all day, from the early morning until evening. This placed us far ahead of Katie and Nicks group, who we hung out with in Julian. Instead, we met a while bunch of others, most of whom I only caught the name.
I will write about the two most memorable ones here. The first is Two Pints, earning a mention since that is a kick-ass trail name.
The second is a woman from Japan. After some awkward small talk, she introduced herself as Peng Kong, which I thought was a decidly not Japanese name. Maybe she was a Chinese immigrant. She had a cheerful face and spoke energeticly with a heavy accent. She instantly made us feel better in the searing midday heat.
When she heard our names, she dilligently typed them into her phone, to remember us. Lily turned up, and she also introduced herself as Peng Kong to her. We found out she’s a friend of Manabu and was waiting for him. She took a photo of us to send to him and took off.
A moment after, I belatedly realized and turned to Coyote: ‘Her name is Pine Cone, right?’