And on the 7th Day, They Rested

We hiked for 6 days and within those 6 days, we have covered 109 beautiful miles of the PCT. Each day, our hike has taken us into new terrain, and offered different flora and fauna. The arid climes of Southern California are more beautiful than anticipated, though still hot and dry at times. Yucca are in bloom, barrel and ocotilla cacti are in bloom, as are prickly pear and teddy bear cacti.We've also hiked through pine forests and under oaks, so we have gotten some shade from the cloudless sky too.

And yes--we've already encountered our fair share of snakes: On the first day, we were resting under a tree to escape the heat of the day when a black snake dropped in on us, literally! It just dropped out of the tree and slithered over Garrett's shoulder right between us. As soon as Garrett realized it wasen't me and as soon as the snake realized he was not going over a log, we all freaked out. Talk about a way to get the blood pumping! We also have seen a racer and a rattlesnake. Don't worry, PCT hikers on average encounter three rattlers on their trek, so between Garrett and I, we've got one encounter done with five to go! 

We've taken a lot of pictures, but honestly they just don't do the trail justice (We will post some when we can though). In most places, the only break in the view is the small line of the trail snaking along the mountainside into canyons that can only be accessed after hiking many miles of trail. While our feet our aching and blistered, our hearts are soaring. We are glad for the respite day and opportunity to get cleaned up a bit on our first rest day since we started. That's the latest until our next break!