March 21 was the first day with over 20 hikers by my place.  Since Wild (the movie), I have become increasingly ambivalent about the herd. Group dynamics among hikers change dramatically when there are so many of them, and they seem less interested in engaging with non-hikers in any meaningful way. (The herd is also dominated by younger men, who often have less to share of interesting life experience and seem increasingly fixated on their smartphones, at the expense of direct human interaction or experience of the natural world around them.)

I was glad last week to have two PCT thru hikers staying over at my house, waiting out the rainy/snowy weather. They came as strangers and left as friends. I just don’t seem able to have those sort of interactions when the herd is moving through.

Just got a note from the couple that maintains the water cache two miles south of me that they have set it up for the season, so that will decrease the pressure on my water tank, at least for access to water for drinking. Of course, water for showering is another matter …

Fearless leader Don led three days of work — mostly cutting back encroaching vegetation with brush saws — to make Live Oak Spring accessible. I can’t wait to ride Gracie down there, now that the trail corridor is wide enough for stock.

Meet Alex and Horsey, first thru rider and mount of 2018: