Mile 1726-1716
Like total PCT pros, K and N woke up with the sun, packed up their gear quickly, and ate random bits of “food” while walking out of camp. These guys did not mess around and threw the miles to the side of the trail as they walked on. Natalie likes to refer to it as “churning” the miles out. A strong trail name candidate. We realized after a mile or two of thinking about good trail names for these folks that Natalie could easily have about 10. After much thought and some debate, these experienced PCT’ers were dubbed “Sun Chip” and “Muleangelo.” Sun Chip for Natalie mainly because she brought (and protected) a bag of sun chips and munched on them throughout the two day journey. Also, it was “cute.” Reasonable. Kyle, aka Muleangelo, was named for the large green pack he wore. Understand that inside this pack was EVERYTHING. Sun Chip hiked with a small backpack that had a bottle of water and some clothes; Muleangelo carried the rest. So you understand the mule part. Angelo comes from Michaelangelo, as in the turtle. Kyle's pack is turtle green and smoothly rounded like a turtle shell.
After taking some great photos and clambering over some rocks, we made it back to Callahans by midday. Daypack rolled in and we all got to chill before Sun Chip and Muleangelo continued their journey up and down the West Coast. It was amazing to have them out, and even though it was a short visit, I was grateful for their company and happy that Kyle is back in the states and loving life with Natalie. They have new assignments/jobs coming up and are moving back to the Pensacola area into a swanky rental house (which we are excited to visit in late October). This visit was a great reminder of what great friends we have and how important it is to stay active in each other's lives.
