Thursday, April 30th--Day 8

Warner Springs!

We broke 100 miles today. 100 miles! Tom and I are the fastest hikers we've run into. No one passes us.

Ok.

A 3-hour hike from camp to Barrel Springs, where a water source (contaminated) and a cooler full of soft drinks awaited us. There is a pop (soda) out here called "Cactus Cooler" which is unbelievably good, especially after hiking for ten miles in the San Felipe hills. Many of the other hikers we've met showed up, and we all had a long lunch in the shade, surrounded by bees, yes, but still alive and full of... joy? Life? Something good.

We set off after lunch, and I pulled ahead to explore on my own for a while. The hills soon gave way to prairies and plains, with cows grouped together off in the distance and their smell surrounding me.

I caught up with another hiker (Trainwreck) in the most beautiful field I've ever been in, and we followed the trail as it branched off to Eagle Rock.

Why "Eagle Rock?" I thought as I walked towards a group of boulders at the top of a hill. When I stood in front of them, my perspective lined up, and the answer was clear: in front of me, in the middle of this field, was an eagle rising out of the hilltop and frozen, at the moment of flight, in stone. A GIANT EAGLE. I climbed on it and had my picture taken, and Tom and Jerry showed up and did the same. What a magnificent place.

After a long break at Eagle Rock, we trudged the next four or five miles to Warner Springs.

Warner Springs is a resort. They have hot springs!

We checked in, paid for a room for 3 (each with their own bed!) and walked to our building. I finally showered! I am clean for the first time in over a week!

After getting our rooms set up, Tom and I headed out to the market for beer, only to find out that it had closed. We followed another group to the cantina, where we both had lots of beers and got drunk and ate hamburgers. Then Jerry finally met us there, but we left soon after and went swimming (!) in the hot spring (!!!).

I smell like rotten eggs. Or sulfur. Which is still eighty times better than I smelled earlier. Good night!