Ninjas, Cowboys and the Emergence of Team Zero. May 11.

The last 69 miles (plus 3.7 non-PCT miles in and out of town) was
groundbreaking territory as a thru-hiker. I knew I had to start early
in Warner Springs, alone again, in order to catch up to my new group
of friends, who would be leaving town two miles ahead of me on a
different road: Boston and Cubby (two women from Nebraska who have
hiked the Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide Trail
together), Shane (a 33-year-old software guy from Seattle who quit
his job, stopped shaving, and is taking a year-long respite from the
rat race), Half Ounce (a solo 30-something veteran hiker and
mountaineer) and DD (pronounced "Double D" which stands for Dumbass
Dan--not what you were probably thinking).

I started at the road at 6am and in the early morning light I achieved
a first: like a slinking ninja, I slipped by two tents, filled with
thru-hikers still in restful slumber, a move I will call "ninja
stealthing". At mile 22 (10 hours later!), physically and emotionally
exhausted, I caught the crew of new friends on a break (although in
retrospect, I think that they decided to wait for me).

We camped together and I finally felt comfortable hitting my next
milestone: camping without a tent and laying on a ground cloth only,
known as "cowboy camping." It was cold and breezy at about 5000 ft and
I slept better than any other night so far (this might have nothing to
do with cowboying, but rather the fact that I walked 23.5 miles in 11
hours). Thru-hikers LOVE to cowboy camp--it's light, uncomplicated,
and apparently gives you an unobstructed view of the stars, although I
have never been awake long enough to find out.

The next two days were fast, intense walking, nearly 25 miles a day,
climbing to 8600 ft in San Jacinto Wilderness and then descending
through two hours of snow, traversing and relying on GPS waypoints to
find our way. I would never have made it without them (and I think
they want to rename me "Slippy Feet" due to my innate clumsiness on
snow).

I met this group on a "zero" in Warner Springs and I'm with them again
in Idllywild. We hiked hard and we relax hard. We call ourselves Team
Zero (emblem above), because we know the importance, and readily
accept the expense, of a zero day in town.

Song for this section is Kid Cudi's Pursuit of Happiness: "I'm on the
pursuit of happiness and I know everything that shines ain't always
gonna be gold. I'll be fine once I get it; I'll be good." Onward and
upward in the pursuit of happiness. Next stop: Big Bear City in 87
miles.