Hiked the 7 miles down to the Edison Lake Ferry by 9, and made it to the VVR restaurant just before they stopped serving breakfast.
To my delight I found Woodpecker there, and enjoyed the chance to catch up with him. After a shower and a sat phone call to Cathy telling her I would be a bit late getting to Mammoth, I bought a few supplies, drank beer and played the guitar, and spent a fair amount of time chatting with a new friend, Speedy Gonzalez.
I was a bit taken aback when introduced. In my unenlightened youth, calling a Mexican kid by that name was most certainly intended as a slur and was a pretty effective means of starting a fight. Maybe the cartoons are no longer shown and kids don’t appreciate what an obnoxious stereotype they portrayed.
But he is fast – he hiked 33 miles to get to VVR yesterday. This is his second try at the PCT, last year he ran out of money and had to quit near Tahoe. I hope he makes it this year, he is a good guy.
Took the 4:30 ferry back to the trail and hiked another 5 miles/1000 feet before finding a nice ledge campsite above N Mono Cr. It’s another clear evening – so different from Colorado- but the bugs have been getting progressively worse as I proceed north. It’s a relief to get into my bivy and zip the bug netting closed to read and write in peace.
Looking forward to Silver Pass and more beautiful high Sierra lakes tomorrow, should be a rewarding hike.