Wednesday was a very busy day, beginning with an appointment with a shoer for the horses, who had run through another set of shoes by now. Rock Ernhart really lived up to his name and proved to be a real "rock" in my book as he generously made time in his schedule to work around our complicated plans. He also had to put up with some poor behavior from Takoda, who is feeling his oats due to all the time off; Rock brought along his young son, who was much more patient than my horses! While Rock was shoeing the horses, Mom and Debbie moved the camper to Hyatt Lake, but when they came back and it was time to trailer to the trailhead and get back on the PCT, Mom discovered she had left the keys to my truck in her camper! Thankfully Debbie's son Chris came to our rescue and borrowed a friend's truck, and he took us to the trailhead along the 5 south of Ashland. Debbie rode with me on her mustang Abby; she competes in endurance and ride-and-tie events and had ridden this section of the PCT before, so she was a great trail guide. The miles flew by as we chatted and rode together, even though the late start meant that it was dark by the time we got to Hyatt Lake. Meanwhile, Mom had driven back to get the keys, then brought my truck and trailer up with Takoda, and that way she could also take Debbie back to Ashland after we arrived. It was a long day, but so nice to meet such wonderful people who added another fun chapter to the story of my journey.

#2014PCT