PCT day 44 - mile 903 to mile 904 (Mammoth)
"Never quit on a bad day" Hiker's proverb.
Yes, I hiked this one mile just for laughs, because.. Today was a town day, resupply day, a ZERO, a NERO call it whatever you like.
I camped near the path leading to town of Mammoth, woke up at 6am and begun 3.5 mile ascent (up, to town.. that's sacrilegious!). I arrived too early as the first free trolley (Mammoth like Big Bear runs a system of free trolleys around town for tourists and local people throughout the year) was in two hours and the carpark was empty, so I begun walking towards the centre hoping someone will stop and give me a lift. Two miles later a car stopped driving a hiker I met few times over the last two days with trail name: Walk It Off (he's a sports doctor in Seattle, and every time his rugby student comes in with a 'serious injury' he tells them to 'walk it off' hence the name).
We got dropped off in the town centre, Walk It Off offered that I could have a shower in the hotel room he was staying in and I gladly took the offer. After that we had a Starbucks and I headed straight to the local hospital to check on my wound. I was trying to get a price estimate before getting checked but the nurses (three of them) were not willing to tell me anything. I got my wound cleaned then the doctor came in, we had a chat about dangers of hiking, he checked it, told me it wasn't infected, that I was very lucky and walked off. Then a second nurse came in, applied a portion of antibiotic and patched the wound up with a dressing and bandage and I got a paper with all my necessary personal and insurance details to fill in. After 10 minutes the third nurse rolled in with a big trolley on top of which she had a computer and a card reader. Checked few more details, took a copy of my passport, asked me to send her my insurance policy and ekhm.. 500$ fee for the procedure. Then I got told it was over and to find my way out through a corridor on a (literally) red carpet.
I really hope my insurance will cover it, otherwise it will be the most expensive bandage and dressing I got applied in my entire life (oh I got given two spare bandages and dressings as well, so there's that). A big lesson for the future no matter the outcome, I shall thread carefully from now on.
After the hospital visit, I started touring the shops for the resupply items. But before that I went to a laundromat to wash my clothes and put the phone on charge. Laundromats are becoming my go to place in every town, I can leave my backpack there and sort out other things around town in the meantime, and no one cares! I visited the shop called Vons (a posh supermarket, something like Waitrose) bought most of the items there, then went through few other shops and gas stations to top up that bear canister! All the food for five days came up to around 60$, which is cheap (I budgeted around 20$ per day including accomodation for this trip, I'm a cheapskate I know).
Then there was time for a beer from a gas station (2.76$) and a burrito from a food truck (10.95$ but 11.85$ with tax), an ice cream and a coke (5$) to top up the calories and I was done. I went back to the laundromat picked up my backpack, clean clothes and charged phone and caught the last trolley back to the trail. To be honest I called the local hostel to check if they had any bunk beds for tonight (40$) but they didn't and renting a (100$) hotel room was out of the question. I do unironically sleep better on trail, minus the cold mornings, setting up and wrapping up the tent of course.
So I hiked from trail head back to where I came from in the morning plus one more mile for laughs, and here I am ready for the next thing Sierra Nevada will throw at me tomorrow.
[I didn't took many pictures in town as the phone was charging].
Five days resupply..
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