New Valley Hills

We attend the Kenwood Parade. No photos as I was slightly overwhelmed by the numbers of people – I’ve got so used to the sparse backcountry populations. Anyway, there were cars, Rotary Club, Scouts, marching guards, National Anthem as the flag was raised.

I’ve lost 12.5% of my starting body weight in 2 months – 9.8kg/21lbs of fat. I’ve probably lost more fat than that as I’ve added muscle mass. I can see ribs and hip bones and have muscle in places I’ve not felt before.

Along with neighbours and friends I tuck into an extraordinary buffet of foods. I eat with relish including 6 desserts! There’s plenty to go round.

Alcohol provided by a tap keg system.

I stick with margaritas, with obvious consequences. Not being used to alcohol after two months of hiking I have a terrible headache next morning. The party spills into neighbouring properties, swimming pool, much great conversations.

Several of the guests are hikers having covered same trail as me. Glen has been hiking the PCT as weekend hikes for 10 years. We enjoy sharing stories and tips. I share that I’m thinking of skipping NorCal due to yet another heatwave. Thinking of walking through 40C again makes me think of type 3 fun.

Later in the evening Glen makes an extraordinary offer- a ‘hitch’ north in his plane. Living south of us, on Monday he’s flying to Ashland in southern Oregon for a scheduled event. He can swing by the airfield closest to me, pick me up, then we fly north for a couple of hours. We exchange phone numbers.

I stagger to bed, well lubricated.