If you told me today that I was in Scotland I would have believed you. Chilly, misty, and then raining – not what you expect of the Southern Californian high desert.

Freddy, fellow Dutchman The Chairman and I set off for a long day, with Little Bee sort of popping in and out of the group.

There was little to see due to the mist, and we decided on aiming for a water source 18 miles distant. Trouble was, it wasn’t there!

So wet and cold we hike on another 2 miles to Sawmill Camp and there was trail magic!

The heroic trail angel ‘Support Bot’ served us hot chocolate and homemade soup under his awning while the rain hammered down. It was incredibly welcome and so well timed.

His wife did the PCT in 2016 and he followed her all the way providing support and hot food. He is now looking after hikers for a week here. What a hero.

There are apparently bears around so we are storing our food in his vehicle.

Tomorrow we plan to get to Hikertown Hostel. Whether we actually stay there will depend on the weather. If it’s still cold and wet it will be hard to resist.