CDT 2024 - Day 25, Hikers arrive in Cuba

Runningbird, E-Rod, Chukar Bird, and Alligator come to town.

Alligator, Beau, Chukar Bird, Runningbird, and E-Rod in front of the Cuban Cafe.

Last night after ten PM things got REALLY loud. Evidently the cloud cover that had moved in was the prelude to the thunder clouds that would follow. And then the thunder storm, and boy did it thunder and lightning! The storm was right on top of us and I kept thinking about the natural gas border station just on the other side of the fence from us. Then came the heavy down pour, but only briefly. Beau was head up on the bed and his heavy panting was shaking the rig. Runningbird had cell service and even took the moment to text that she was experiencing the same event just ten miles south of here. She was snug and zipped up in her tent. It's kinda funny how safe one can feel in a tent. After the storm had passed I noticed how quiet the barking dogs had gotten.

On waking this morning the skies were clear and sunny and it was a beautiful day. The folks that had come in to the RV park during the evening were repositioning to the grass field near the natural gas substation fence as the site they were in was reserved for tonight to someone else. We spoke briefly while I had Beau out for his morning walk. They were Theresa and Carl from Lake Forest Park just north of Seattle. Later we would find that they knew the house that Peggy had lived in and their kids went to the same elementary school Peggy went to.

After some morning house cleaning I noted on the SPOT that Runningbird was making really good time so I grabbed my book and Beau and headed out to our rendezvous point so minimize the road hiking just a little bit. By time we got there and put our flag up I could hear voices and saw several hikers off in the distance so we started walking up the trail. We met Runningbird and her two friends, E-Rod and Chukar Bird whom I had met yesterday, and another hiker, Alligator. E-Rod and Alligator took us up on our offer for a ride into town but Chukar, more the purist, opted to walk. In town we dropped the guys off at their hotels and, after agreeing we would all meet for dinner, we moved on to Theresa's RV Park. There Theresa came out to greet Runningbird and then we took a few moments to relax a bit before Peggy went in to use the shower.

Peggy, her three hiker buddies, and I met at the Cuban Cafe' for dinner. It was fun to hear about the events of the last few days on the trail and how grateful they were for my water placements for them. They had hiked together into the pouring rain and on very difficult mud trails where the mud would just stick to there shoes, getting thicker and thicker, and very hard to remove. It was good for them to be able to laugh about it after the fact.