I have to add a word of gratitude for the many wonderful people who have helped me along the way, especially the amazing trail angels who open their homes and their hearts to those of us on the PCT. On Monday, April 21st, I arrived at the Saufley's in Agua Dulce--and promptly threw up. I had been riding for 18 miles from North Forks Ranger Station, feeling worse and worse; apparently, I had a case of food poisoning or managed to drink some bad water. Whatever it was, it did me in. If Donna Saufley hadn't been there to help with the horses and give me a place to recover, I don't know how I would have coped; I was very, very ill for hours, then dehydrated all the next day, and Donna was wonderful in helping me to feel better. Thankfully, once I got everything out of my system--rather violently--I recovered fairly quickly, and the next day my favorite horse shoer, Joe Vaca, made a special trip all the way to Agua Dulce to put new shoes on the horses. They were shod only twenty days earlier, just before I left to start the trail, but the 454 miles we've put on since then had worn the shoes paper thin in just those three weeks. After I left the Saufley's following a zero day, I was met with open arms by the Anderson's at their Casa de Luna, as they call their home which most people arrive at about a month after beginning in Campo. There they graciously turned over their backyard to my horses, even helping me to pick grass for the horses to eat the next morning, in addition to feeding me a delicious breakfast before I headed off to Hikertown. At Hikertown, Bob made room for my horses among the llamas and fixed up a room for me among the Old West frontier town setting there--and he even went out of his way to get a hot water heater going so I could have a hot shower! Of course, before this I had also stayed with Ziggy and the Bear (and the Bear had even gone hunting for me in the dark of the desert with my mom when I had trouble locating their house). And besides those who dedicate themselves to the PCT, I've also experienced such kindness from others along the way--Dawn Pierce at Paradise Valley Ranch, Jana Taylor at Shay Meadows Ranch, Wendy Melline at Proven Spots Ranch, the friendly Cherie and her husband at Crescent Moon Ranch--all people who have taken in my horses and me and enthusiastically and generously helped me along the way. I could be doing this without their help--and countless others every step of the way.

#2014PCT