First ZERO and Being Pamper by Hubby (starting at Trail Mile 101.5 - elevation 3479)

I'm going to try to share elevation with you.  The spring I camped at was at 3479 ft, and Warner springs was at 3040.  I've been climbing up and down, but you may be interested as I get nearer the Sierra's, what type of elevation I'm experiencing.  The hike from the spring camp to Warner Springs is fairly flat prairie, so with an early morning start, I made the short 8.1 miles in 3 hours and 40 minutes, which included a stop at Eagle Rock and visiting with day-hikers along the way.

Beautiful circular web leading into a hole.

Path across the prairie.

Pretty Prairie Flowers

There is a famous rock formation about 3 miles from Warner Springs on the trail, called Eagle Rock.  From the trail you have to walk around the back to see the eagle. 

Looks like an eagle to me!

 There were lots of day hikers, so I ended up visiting with many as I hiked.  Again, they were the ones with no pack or a small pack and they all smelled nice.  When they see a grungy hiker with a larger backpack, they want to stop and find out all about you.  There were 4 older couples (mid to late-70s, the oldest was 83) hiking that day who stopped to talk.  When they asked where I was from and I said Seattle, one gentleman said, "oh, so you've decided to walk home."
At Warner Springs there is a community resource center that really caters to hikers.  It is only 0.1 mile off the trail.  They serve meals three times a day, and provide "bucket showers" in the back.  Since I didn't think Marv would be able to stand my odor for the hour long drive back to the RV, I took advantage of filling up a Home Depot bucket with water.  You go into a stall, and stand in an empty bucket for your shower.  They provide shampoo, conditioner, body wash etc.  They do have a donation jar.  Looks crude,  but felt like heaven!

Shower stalls for bucket showers

Community Resource Center

They have 3 large stainless sinks next to the stalls that hikers can use to do their laundry.  There are clotheslines provided for drying.  They also have a nice shady area to pitch tents.  I ran into several hikers I'd camped with at Mt. Laguna.  While I took my shower, Marv played Trail Angel and drove a hiker to town to mail off a box of items he decided to send home, as they were not worth the weight, for example, a pair of binoculars.
On the way home, I was craving a burger, so we stopped at In n' Out.  Marv usually eats part of my single burger and some of my fries.  I ordered a double cheese burger, devouring the entire  burger and all of my fries.  Marv was astounded, saying that he'd never seen me eat that much food that fast.  Guess the hiker hunger has kicked in.  I was still hungry.
When we got home, I soaked the aching dogs in an Epson soak and then ice water.   Everything comes out of the pack and into the washer.  I had to do a prewash, because the prewash was nothing but mud. As I started my laundry, Marv waited on me and cooked dinner.

Tired hiker soaking tired feet

Loving hubby cooking dinner

My first Zero Day was wonderful.  I slept like a rock, loving being on a mattress that was wider than my body for the first time since starting my hike.I slept in and had a real breakfast of egg, toast and coffee.

While I'm hiking, Marv follows blogs of hikers ahead of me on the trail, so that we know what the weather and hiking challenges are.  At this time, it seems prudent to skip a large section of the trail that includes the Mohave.  I wilt in the heat, my traveling speed nearly cut in half.  With my late start, it is getting dangerously hot over that section of the desert.  I can always flop down to it later in the fall.  This seems to be what many of the people I've been hiking with are doing as well.  This will allow me to catch up with the hikers going into the Sierras from Kennedy Meadows.
With an adjusted plan in place, I started repacking supply boxes that will take me to into Yosemite at Tuolumne Meadows.