Sunday, March 2nd 2025, 1420-1730
Fenner, beginning Section 7, to mm10, North Fenner Hills, elevation 3070′.
10 miles.
Under the skies so blue,
Into the Great Wide Open,
A rebel without a clue.
This Tom Petty song was playing on the gas station radio in the morning…seemed appropriate.
I slept surprisingly well, considering the onslaught of noise and lights surrounding the gas station. I had to sink my earplugs really well, then cover my eyes with my buff. I woke up a few times to the sound of trucks roaring in to get gas, but otherwise the other sounds became white noise. In my hiking career, I’d not only learned to sleep peacefully in the wilderness, I’d also gotten shut-eye in city parks, baseball fields, church lots, ditches, barns, beer gardens, back yards, farm fields, vans, trailers, abandoned cabins, huts, shelters, trashy hiker hostels, and under bridges. Adding a gas station to the list just seemed like it was destined to be. In fact, recalling the PCT, I camped behind the gas station at Old Station, too. Granted, that was a MUCH less busy location than along an interstate.
I was pretty strategic about my morning. Banking on no one coming into the store at 6 am, I decided to wash my hair in the sink. I’d purposely left some shampoo and conditioner in my resupply bag. My timing was perfect, as I got the deed done before anyone else came in. Lesson learned, I should have used a bottle for the rinsing, as this would have been easier. But I’d say it was a success. Don’t worry, I made sure to mop up any spilled water, leaving no mess. It was amazing how much better I felt after a few wet wipes, a clothes rinsing, and my hair wash. Who needs a shower? Incidentally, Carolyn told me they were building an RV park, so perhaps future hikers will indeed be able to take a shower in their proposed bath house.
Also, let me briefly talk about socks and shoes on the DWTH. Between all the rocks, sand and brush, they both take a horrible beating. Most hikers will wisely switch out at Parker, but being one to always stretch the life out of my things, I was still wearing what I started with. Also, I usually carried 2 pairs of Darn Tough socks, one for walking and the other for sleeping. When the walking socks get too crusty, I switch them with my sleeping socks. But on this hike, I brought these thick “heat locker” socks for sleeping, instead. They were incredibly warm, but too thick to hike in. So lesson learned, I should have brought more than one pair of hiking socks.
I limped into town with painful sores on the pads of my toes. They were not blisters, the skin was just rubbed raw from the sand and the horrendous condition of my one pair of hiking socks. The material was so compressed and stiff, it was like a brillo pad. I was really hoping the gas station might sell some socks. They had every kind of Route 66 themed BS, including luggage?, but socks were not part of this extensive collection. They did have mens size 10-13 socks for $20, but they were way too big and also not hiking socks, despite being labeled such. So I did my best to wash and re-soften my 1 pair of Darn Toughs as best I could. I also applied copious amounts of Neosporin to my toes, plus some tape. It would have to do.
Incredibly, my shoes were not a problem. Sure, the tread on the hearty Vibram soles was showing a good amount of wear, but the uppers were in fantastic shape, with no holes. In Salome, I had to superglue the toe caps, as they were starting to separate, but my repair had held. For the first time in all my hikes, I’d abandoned my Altras for a pair of Topo Ultraventure Pros. What a great decision that was! These shoes were rock stars! And to think, I got them for only $50 on Ebay, almost brand new. I also paired them with some Oboz insoles, which were just stiff enough to kind of act like rocks guards. In all this time, I hadn’t had one cactus spine go through to my foot and I barely felt the copious rocks. I would happily wear these same shoes for other hikes, probably never going back to my Altras.
Moving on, I enjoyed a nice hot breakfast of assorted frozen items. The burritos were actually a pretty decent price at $6, consistent with most gas stations. And the $2 hot dogs were actually a bargain! Buck30 said they’d been $4 when he passed through just months before, so there you go, proof that Trump was bringing down inflation. (It’s good that I hadn’t checked my retirement account lately., as it looked like I might have to permanently move into my tent).
I lingered in the gas station for way too long through the morning and into the afternoon. The thing about these weird resupply stops was that I couldn’t really get a proper rest between sections. But I did the best I could, given the situation. Finally I broke out of the vortex and started walking back into the void mid afternoon. I’d seen that the forecast was calling for high wind through the next few days, followed by some rain. The wind had definitely picked up, but wasn’t too bad yet. I’d actually expected the wind to be an almost every day problem, so I felt lucky to have gotten plenty of calm days.
I looked hard through my maps for a decent wash to camp in, but the imagery showed almost nothing for the first 14 miles. I passed a few small hills with nice rock outcrops. I poked around for a bit, not quite finding what I was looking for. Finally I settled on a stand of yuccas, snuggling up close to them for a wind break. It worked pretty well. At least I had a very scenic view of the sunset!
All in all, I think this was one of my easiest days yet. Much thanks to all the wonderfully kind employees at the gas station. The place is incredibly hiker-friendly and I hope it stays that way!