Day 9 - Idyllwild to halfway down longest decent - 16 miles

Woke up at a leisurely time of 6am and started getting my things together. I was excited about today because my pack is now much lighter after the shakedown yesterday. Today was going to be 16 miles or 33. I decided on the shorter version due to all the climbing and descending involved. I ate breakfast with Scott then headed up towards the trail alone. He had to stay in town to get more antibiotics he ran out of. As I was walking  towards the trail head to get back on the PCT, and old man offered me a ride. I didn't think it was going to be a long road walk but it ended up being longer and all uphill. I'm really glad he offered. I ran into Alex from Virginia at the trailhead so we ended up hiking the whole day together. We got to chatting for the first few hours but as time passed we settled into our own minds. The day was filled with high altitude mountains and clear stream to refill out water. It was one of the most scenic days so far. I love this type of terrain. The only downside was all the smoke in the air from the nearby fires going on. Hopefully that will clear up soon. Tomorrow I go to the desert floor and Ziggy and the Bear trail angels. Really excited for that! I doubt Scott will make it here tonight but I'm thinking Keith and Leslie will be here soon. if not it will be my first time camping alone in 9 days!