July 4, 2012 - A Slice of Americana

Day 20
Silver Maple Inn
Bridgeport, CA
Miles: 9
Trip: 348

I have a feeling town days will hold a special place in my memories of this trip. In Bishop, there was Schatz, and in Bridgeport there is the fantastically quirky 4th of July celebration. We saw a woman who'd dislocated her arm in the arm-wrestling contest, dozens of kids ages 4-14 trying to shimmy up a greased pole for money (it's even more bizarre than it sounds), and the most eye-popping, ear-pounding, jaw-dropping fireworks display I've ever seen. Arriving in time for this festival was definitely worth the twenty-mile days we did these past few weeks. Ironically, it was just the last two downhill miles that have me limping around town now. I was so eager for a ride into town that I literally ran down the switchbacks, hoping to catch a day hiking couple I could see a mile down the trail, heading for their car. They turned out to be driving in the opposite direction from Bridgeport, but I had already tweaked my right leg into a majorly uncomfortable shin splint. I'm hoping some hot water and rest will ease it back into hiking shape so we can leave on Friday.

Our first real trail magic and trail angel appeared in the form of an older man named Sleeping Bear, waiting at the trailhead with a cooler of cold drinks, fresh fruit, and a smile. He's waiting for his son to come off the trail for a day, spend a little time together, then he'll drive his RV north to wait at a different trailhead. He very generously gave Andrew and I a ride to town, along with two young hikers from the Pacific Northwest. Stonefly and Tortoise seem like really fun, pumped-up hikers who were still having fun after 1000+ miles. They resupplied and left town this evening, ao they missed the amazing light show.

Honestly, it seems like this town lives for the 4th! The back road was lined with cars and trucks, and along the yellow line people set off their own fireworks, big boxes that shot flames and sparks of bright colors. The police cruisers patrolling had to wait for the flares to die down before driving through! Everyone was very nice though, and I found myself liking Bridgeport and its rather rowdy inhabitants. With one exception: the first motel I called for a room our second night. I was told they couldn't "accommodate" our "kind of guest" because they don't have the water capacity - "Hikers take a lot of showers". My first experience being discriminated against for being a thru-hiker, and it didn't feel good. But tomorrow it's back to the mosquitoes, mountains and making our way to Canada!

Shaggy says:

    The 9 mile crest to Sonora Pass is probably my favorite stretch of trail yet. Its so exposed with views in all directions. The colors are amazing. The rock is red, green grass in the valleys, snow on the surrounding high peaks, and crystal clear blue lakes. Amazing.
   At Sonora Pass we found trail magic! Sleeping Bear, the father of a hiker further south, was at the pass with a cooler of gatorade, soda, and beer. He also had chips, oranges, and other snacks, very nice! He offered us a ride into Bridgeport with 2 other hikers, Tortoise and Stonefly. We gladly took it, and the 5 of us crammed into the car. It seemed like a long ride. I guess its 30 miles, very curvy road.
    Bridgeport is a great town that loves the 4th of July. We found great fried food, and a lot of it. We had reserved a hotel room, which is a good thing, this town has filled up. We enjoyed the fireworks, which was probably the best display I have ever seen. The streets were filled with store bought ones going off, right in the middle of the street! Fun stuff to watch.
   We are taking a day off tomorrow. We both need some R&R. We plan to skip Tahoe in an effort to save money and not be overwhelmed by the craziness of that large city. 

Our trail to the 4th of July celebration of a lifetime.

We were higher than the mountains, higher than anything for miles around. Not a bad feeling.

Let me just tell you how much I love lichen - this stuff ROCKS!

Did you know that lichen is an evolutionary meeting of fungus and algae? It's an organism that broke across boundaries.

Yes please.

It's days like this that make a thru-hiker forget about pain, greasy hair and boring food. This is why we hike.

I loved this hike.

Everything a tired thru-hiker needs!! (the massage turned out not to be true, sadly)

If you can't see it, the writing in bottom left says "Port-O-Potties" So they pretty much thought of everything.

Greasin' the pole for children to climb for money. The kids in the back are singing "Bringin Sexy Back". Stay classy, Bridgeport.

But they do know how to do the 4th up right.

zzzzzZZZZZZZZZZ........

POW!!!

A very happy hiker greets a Super Burrito.