The heatwave that never ends didn’t either today. We made a quick stop in Etna, a teeny tiny town. Fitz and Lavalamp had camped there the night prior on the high school tennis court.
We rested for a while in the park, taking showers and lying on the grass. It’s so freaking hot.
At lunch, I saw two people I never expected to see again: Rabbit and Comatose! Last time had been in the Sierra’s and then they got way behind. They skipped the burn area and for once, I’m glad someone did. They were really suffering from the heat and were going to wait for cooler weather in an Airbnb, making a next reunion unlikely.
When laundry was over, I got a disconcerting message from Marble. My gaiter was stuck in the dryer. Thinking it couldn’t be a big problem, I went to look. It turned out the metal part of my gaiter had unexplicably gotten through a hole in the dryer. No matter how much Marble and me twisted and turned it for more than 20 minutes, but nothing could dislodge it. Despair overtook us and we got close to cutting the metal loose, so I could at least keep the cloth of the gaiter. It would be an ignoble end to my most commented on piece of equipment. But then Merlin came in. She took a quick look at the gaiter, stuck her head in the dryer and seconds later, held it triumphantly in her hand. The day was saved! The fox gaiters would live another day!
But no. In anguish, I watched how Marble turned the tumbler of the dryer and revealed the second gaiter, equally stuck. Merlin’s magic did not work a second time. The three of us took turns trying to force it out. A random German guy, Munchies, joined the fray. All of a sudden he ran out of the laundromat. Not paying too much attention to it, we continued our struggle.
Munchies came back in eventually. In his hand was a paperclip, converted and bent to be used as a hook. He went in and put the hook on the gaiter. With a hollow bonk, half the metal got loose. Munchies pulled and pulled. The dryer finally let go and the gaiter was free. I was overjoyed. Like true heroes, Merlin and Munchies refused the drinks I offered. The gaiter saga was concluded and we achieved the good ending!
After Etna we nighthiked with a shitload of bugs, what a way to end the day!