Saturday, October 7, 2017

Day 23 - Sept. 11

Wilder Ranch State Park to Ano Nuevo State Park

From my notes:
"My alarm woke me but I went back to sleep until the sun came up.
I ate the remaining macadamia nuts I was carrying (Reinhold had told me they are his favorite, fat in general has more calories per gram so is good to carry, but macadamias are good fat and don't have a dry texture like other nuts, he said) and got moving, I needed to find more water.
I walked in Wilder park, along cliffs, and found wild late summer blackberries. The trail skirted a huge farm with fields and fields of brussels sprouts.
I saw surfers at a beach and asked if they knew where to get water, they did not. I followed the trail and looked for the stream on the map. The stream seemed to have dried up, but near the road I found a metal wheel sticking up from the ground spouting water and filled my bottle. I used my purifying straw to drink it. I tried to follow the trail to the road but it ended in brambles. I fought through them and just as I was about to climb up the ditch I thought maybe I should check out the dusty purse laying behind me. I found a woman's credit cards, ID, hairbrush, sunglasses, tampon case complete with intact tampons... As I was marveling at the purse a farm worker approached me. I showed him the purse and left it there, worried I was on private farm property. He said I shouldn't drink the water there and said there was a house down the road with a hose. He helped me out of the ditch and said he would show me the grounds if I come back... then asked why I was doing my walk and said that I should get married instead of doing such a thing. He gave me a hug goodbye that lasted too long and as I turned to leave he grabbed my arm tightly. I told him I was doing this for religious purposes and for a contest and pointed to my blinking SPOT device. He let go. I did not stop at the house with the hose.
Following the trail I went down a private road, past a house with a man yelling in the phone about Berkeley minded people walking through his backyard. He said he's like to walk through their backwards... I kept moving...
After six or so more miles I made it to the town of Davenport, which reminded me of the Iowa town of the same name. I rested and ate the best beet salad. A couple who work with Harvey Lewis asked if i had run Badwater.
Onward I went. A few miles down the road I found a strawberry farm. The first organic fruit stand in CA, there was a sign to that effect. Everything was self serve, you made your own change, the money day or in a box. Johnny Cash played in the background
I tried to do a beach segment but the tide was too high, confirmed by a man fishing who had big stranded on a rock there during high tide once. Walking back to the highway I met a woman walking her dog who offered me her catering leftovers, she is a professional chef. She gave me huge bags of almonds and dried figs and apricots, and two cucumbers. I thanked her and had a feast!
A little way down the road a couple - the man from Portugal, the woman from Japan, offered me more food but I told them I couldn't carry any more! They filled up my water bottle instead.
Rushing I tried to make it to my hostel before it closed. It was dark, and I had to do what looked like a beach segment. I followed the trail for what seemed like forever from highway to beach. Abruptly the trail ended, and I realized I was on the edge of a high cliff.
I knew I couldn't do this section in the dark, walked back to the road, debated taking the alternate bike path, but ultimately decided I had no choice but to do the trail in the morning, and so made peace with the fact I would not be staying in a hostel that night. I camped there and fell asleep fast, even though it was early."


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