Burgers in Paradise (Valley)

I am reporting from the aptly-named Paradise Valley Café on the Pines to Palms Highway. The manna of this oasis has included a huge, whole amazing burger between thick slices of garlic bread. It's probably the best burger I've ever had, even taking into account its novelty next to the trail food I've been eating (Mac & cheese, quinoa, oatmeal). I paired it with an ice-cream-filled coffee shake and three root beers. Apparently, there are free refills, and my next, welcome task is to decide whether I want one more before I pay.

These are the sweet, caloric payoffs of hiking my longest day yet, 25 miles. Speaking of sweet calories, I have been having some Snickers bar technical issues. From 11 am to 8 pm on this trail, Snickers bars exist only in liquid form. They must be eaten in the key period between 8 pm, when solidified, and 11 am, when they stubbornly reliquify, and it doesn't matter how deeply in your pack you place them. This problem arose in the first place because it has recently gone from being ridiculously cold to ridiculously hot.

I've been thinking a lot about family, specifically my family, and how lucky I am in that respect. Israel is also on my mind a bit, especially because I just finalized my car purchase. It feels a bit ironic since, at the moment, I am getting everywhere on my own two feet.

Not only am I hiking at the same pace as an Israeli, but also with Daniel, a half-Lebanese Jewish guy who was in Syria as a journalist, right after my coworkers and I evacuated our embassy. He stayed only for a hot second, before realizing the level of danger. Despite my serendipitous Middle-Eastern connections here, I feel a very long way from Baghdad.

There is no security guy out here--just me and the trail, and, recently, a couple more animals: a non-poisonous snake and a curious hummingbird, which hovered by my blue hat for a moment, evidently to determine whether or not I was a flower. I could hear its tiny wings beating. [Tania notes: Mimi's spirit animal may well be a hummingbird.]

As other Appalachian thru-hikers I've met here agree, while the PCT is easier step-for-step, it is quite a bit dirtier. There is so much dust, and we are all coated in it to some degree. I'm not sure how much dusty distance I will end up covering, because I realize I'll have more fun if I take some breaks. While I have goals, they are less important than each day's experience. Everything is on a "we'll see" basis.

Sunset with burger in belly, heading to the San Jacintos from Paradise Cafe

Nearing my 33rd birthday, I have found myself to be somewhat of a 'grandmother of the trail'; most of the hikers are around age 24. There is then a large gap until you reach the older hikers, such as Steadfast, who is 60 (and hikes with a partner named Hilo, "high-low"). Because yesterday was the 7^th day we hiked, and made it to 140 miles, my daily average is 20 miles. That average may drop soon, but it's a nice, even number for today.

Mimi, via Tania