It was a pleasant night in the desert among the pink boulders. In the morning there was a quail that woke me up but I could not tell exactly which species of quail it was. I like birding and when a bird makes an appearance right in front of me I try to take note and record (on the ebird site) what bird I saw. I don’t go out of my way to see or identify birds simply because that takes too long. In the future when I get to places where there are likely to be birds that I have never seen, I may spend more time looking and identifying. So I start walking to Mike Herrera’s place but there are lots of pretty wild flowers along the way. Since there are so many, I keep my phone in a pocket for easy access. It is generally in a zippered pocket. Turns out this was a mistake, as someone along the line, when putting the phone back into the pocket or when taking off and putting on my backpack, the phone fell out of my pocket without me noticing it. When I got to Mike’s place and started to fill up with water there was a sign I wanted a picture of and then realized the phone was gone. Earlier I had made the decision not to take any maps with me because the phone has an application on it (Halfmile app) that lets me know exactly where I am on the trail and where upcoming water and camping sites are located. Without a phone and without maps you are hiking a little blind. There is no problem following the trail, at least in this section, and I have hiked this section in training, and so I was not worried about getting lost (besides I heard a voice in the distance say “let the force be with you Don”). I was worried that my phone also had sensitive financial information. I really figured there was little chance of me walking back and finding it. So I called Lenora on the satellite phone and let her know and that if at all possible the phone needed to be erased. She ran around with Apple and with AT&T for awhile and the phone was set to be erased and display a message to call Lenora’s phone if it was found and turned on. I waited at Mike’s place for the hiker that was camping close to me in the boulders hoping he had found it. He arrived about 30 minutes after I got to Mike’s but he did not see any phone and so I moved on. Later in the day some hiker did find the phone. Turned it into Mike. Mike turned the phone on and got the message to call Lenora. He did call Lenora and they arranged for him to give her the phone and I got it back on April 17 when Lenora met me at the Paradise Cafe which is one of the hot spots on the PCT for their food and friendliness. I had no protective cover on the phone and screen is just one series of cracks BUT it still works BUT as instructed the phone was cleared of all data. The last backup occurred before the PCT hike started and so all pictures were lost. Given that the phone was damaged so much, I figured it must have been flung out of my pocket during the sometimes violent movement that I use to hoist my backpack up on my back. The phone is working but I will be getting a new one as bits of the screen are falling out and the cracks are turning into open sores on my phone. Towards the end of this day I arrive at Tule Spring which is about a half mile off the PCT but offers a good place to get water. There is a water tower there and it feeds a hose. Nice place to not only get water but also a place where you can clear your clothes and body a little. Since I was there alone I did just that and felt pretty good. I camped a couple miles later. Around this time I met a couple. His name was “bear snack” and I did not catch her name. Her feet were bad and she was slower that he and arrived about 15 minutes later than he did. Since he was faster than her, I was wondering why his name would be “bear snack”. Seemed if anyone was going to be a snack for a bear it was going to be her. It is not abnormal for couples to be walking the trail together but be quite a distance from each other at various times. It is easy to walk at someone else’s pace on level ground but very difficult when going up and down hill. When going up and down, you really need to do it at your own pace. So couples will get separated at times. There is only one couple (which I meet later in my journey) that I have never seen apart. She leads the way and he is always a couple steps behind.

Lenora’s Note:
The great lost phone adventure begins. I’m getting ready for 4 days on retreat, chilling stew, packing a bag for the mountain, a bag for the weekend with Don, arranging cat sitter, remembering my final exam and fighting with AT&T and Apple over replacing Don’s phone. I feel like Wonder Woman without the power bracelet. Now, late arriving on the mountain I wander around trying to find out where the kitchen crew bunks and where I am supposed to be. I’m excited and full of apprehension. What does a coffee-ista do anyway? I can make coffee but what is the formula? how much? how often? Does anyone have a job description for me? The character of the Cursillo movement takes charge and I am quickly absorbed into the mood of the weekend. Constant work, constant prayer, constant smiles and help and a sense of joy that we are all exactly where we are supposed to be on this particular weekend.
Since coffee-ista duties start at 4 am and end at 10 or 11 pm I am in for a big weekend. Excitement wins out when I meet my roommates and they are incredibly welcoming to the newcomer to the room and I meet the other coffee angels and we start planning our weekend activities.