Day 112: Green Springs Summit to Road 2520

Jeff drove us back to the trailhead and we said our goodbyes, this time until the end of the trail. Having just spent time in Ashland, home of the Shakespeare festival, I spent part of my morning contemplating the quote, "Parting is such sweet sorrow."  Nope. Nothing sweet about it.

Returning to the trail, we walked into a wall of smoke. We could only see a short distance down the trail.  Beyond that, our view was clouded by smoke.  My eyes burned.  We meandered through the forest, the smoke our constant companion.

Approaching the Grizzly Creek crossing we spotted a new butterfly: mostly white, with a black outline and two pink dots. Soon afterward we heard shrieks and giggles: Balls, Mother Teresa, Sunshine, and Butterfly were hiking down the trail to meet us. They had spent the day at a nearby road crossing, providing trail magic to hikers.  Several of our friends had passed through just ahead of us, including Lil' Bear, who left a note for Sierra. 

Balls and Mother Teresa drove around to the next dirt road crossing, while the girls hiked with us. The girls had fun playing while we made dinner and set up camp. After a quick dinner they disappeared again until dusk, when we all headed to bed.