Half on My Own

Was just waking up when John called.  Again, he is not doing well.  It is the 5th of May, and he has been hiking for 5 days total.  However, he can't eat, and is getting very weak.  He wants me to meet him where the trail crosses the road.  I break camp, which isn't too difficult, as I only had a red and white checkered tablecloth on the picnic table, held down by several rocks.  Everything else was already in the van, so just took off and drove to Julian, which is a great little western town.  John will call when he gets close to the road where I can pick him up.  I spent most of the day in Julian, just walking the streets, sitting in the car reading, and generally looking suspicious.  John had not called.  Finally, I drove out to the place where I believed the trail crossed the road.  Saw some Border Patrol there, so figured I was pretty close.  Parked the car near the Border Patrol and waited, and waited.  No John.  Finally, I got out and asked the kindly Border Patrol guy if I could use his porta-potty, which was perched on the back of his pickup.  Nothin' doin'.  Umph!  Nevermind.  I drove down the road and did my own thing.

Finally, John shows up with a fellow hiker and we spend the rest of the afternoon shuttling worn-out hikers back into town, where we discover that Mom's Pie Company, which put Julian on the map, has free pie and ice cream for hikers (and hiker supporters!).  Apple crumb with vanilla ice cream.  Almost worth the (all-day) wait! We are sharing a long table with some young men who are also attempting the hike, but detoured when they heard about the free pie.  I remind them that this Sunday is Mother's Day~~call home.  (Busybody!)

We get a room at the Julian Lodge, get cleaned up and retired (as they say in the old western movies) to the Julian Grille for a great dinner.  John was asleep by 8.