June 20: mission today: quickly get into the off-trail Vermillion Valley Resort, charge my stuff, shower, eat, and out by the afternoon. Theses plans would change.
I was hiking by 6 am, easily finding the 7 mile side trail to the resort. There was another route in- 4 miles down the PCT from the side trail a short 1 mile trail lead to a lake where you could take a ferry across to the VVR. But with water levels so low, the ferry wasn't consistently running. Which meant a 7 mile walk around the lake anyway. I decided not to chance it. It was a beautiful morning, the trail was pretty easy, and there were lots of little critters scurrying around as I walked by. I reached the dam beyond the lake by 9am- just walk over the top and follow the dirt road to the resort. I was there by 9:45. Right on track.
At the VVR, I saw Keylime and Fancy Feet - a fellow AT hiker. We talked for a bit - they highly recommended staying for dinner here. We'd see.
I found an outlet, the laundry facilities, and the shower house. Like many places on the trail, they had loaner clothes to wear while you did laundry. Not many bottoms, and none in my size. Which is how I spent the day traipsing around in a Hawaiian shirt down to my knees- AKA Hawaiian dress!
Shuffle and Piney showed up, then Q-Tip- who I camped with the night before. Then there gang I camped with after Pinchot Pass. And as my clothes dried, I was eating lunch and ice cream Ina Hawaiian dress with 10!other people.
As I folded my clothes, they started bringing out big slabs of meat and putting them over coals that had been burning in a pit all morning. Rubbing he meat with spices, basting it with sauce, and as I put my clean clothes in my pack, they posted a sign for tonite's barbeque dinner.
I set up my tent.
Ate barbeque dinner in a Hawaiian dress with 25 or so other people as my phone and external battry- all fully charged- sat and waited for me to hike tomorrow.
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