September 4

After a big breakfast of eggs and potatoes Vern gave me a ride to the trail. We got to the summit by 7:30 am and in a few minutes I was off and hiking. I'm still trying to catch Louis and inquired as to his whereabouts with every northbound hiker I saw. If I had to guess I am camped 15 miles from him tonight and gaining about 5 miles a day as a conservative estimate. I will most likely see him in Castella if not on trail before that. It would be fun to hike together again and we have some catching up to do with the happenings of the last few weeks. 

I'm not altogether happy with the weight of my pack right now as wish I could hike without food. This would be a piece of cake without the weight of food. I am really happy, however, with the variety of food in my pack and the quantity of snacks that made their way up from Texas via USPS. Aunt Laurie sent some amazing homemade bars, an interesting assortment of breakfasts, and plenty of other hiker consumables. My aunt even managed to put in Gardetto's Original Recipe, my favorite snack.