Pct Chapter 5- Great Quests (unnecessarily undertaken)
Mile 266- Mile 455
Pct Chapter 5 -Challenges, Tasks and Quests (Self-imposed)
At this point I am shortening the daily descriptions to a minimum and will be focusing more on bigger thoughts and alternate essays which (I promise) are soon to come.
-In this section it seemed like there kept being reasons for me to push farther than before and I kept accepting the challenge and as I write now, my feet hurt.
Day 15 [266-280.2] Big Bear—>Campsite
Sleep in at hostel (beds are awesome!!!), sent pack home/switched to alternate pack at post office, sat at Starbucks all day to wait out the heat and wrote a couple updates
Day 16 [280.2-314.3] Campsite—> Joshua Inn (The Bar!!!)
Upon waking up I realized that there was a bar that would let me stay on their back porch—I have never moved so hard and so fast. I made it a career high 34 miles!!! But like in the attaining of all good things I was harassed by wicked forces. Luckily, they only sent a rattle snake and I had a knife. The bar was great and all the rednecks loved my rattle. All small town Americans are the same no matter where-they’re beautiful.
Day 17 [314.3-341] Joshua Inn—>Cajon Pass (McDonalds!!!)
I woke up on the stage behind the bar where I had camped. Impressing the rednecks with my love of beer was great for making friends and memories, it was bad for rehydrating after a big day…. I didn’t get back on trail until 10am. Quickly upon arriving to trail, I realized that there was a McDonald’s .5 miles from the trail just 26 miles ahead. My hangover quickly turned to ambition and around 9:30 pm I arrived to my feast of Big Macs and nuggets before retiring in a a creek bed barely back on trail.
Day 18 [341-366] Cajon Pass—> Wrightwood Resupply
The sequential hard days had gotten to me, as had the effects of the McDonald’s slop, I was feeling slow. So I made my way on over to McDonald’s again for breakfast (duh). After that was my worst day on trail, 24 miles all uphill, and I managed to step in a puddle to start the day so my foot was wet. Somehow Mcdoinks made me feel worse than my already unhealthy diet of Ramen? Also, some Mexican kids almost shot me while testing their new pistol in the woods and I thought they were cartel. The day ended with me atop a peak, looking down at Wrightwood (several hours later than planned) and I had a brutal 3 miles of switchbacks off trail just to get to town. My knees hurt too bad to walk, so recklessly I just ran down. At the bottom I got a very cozy hiker hostel, a box of captain crunch, a half gallon of milk, took a shower, and absolutely crashed into the depths of sleep.
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Day 19 [366-379.5] Wrightwood—> Baden-Powell Summit Campsite
In Wrightwood I woke up and went to the local Methodist church (see essay linked here) left Wrightwood restored, road walked 4 miles to meet the trail and happily walked along. I also decided to bring myself hot dogs for dinner which I never regret. I went through a spooky burn zone, passed the 1/7th mark!!! And even sat on a burn surviving bench and tried to write a poem about it. Then I joined my family for a zoom call from another beautiful bench (lots of great benches), and then as the sunset was fading I made it to the summit of Baden-Powell. I watched this for some time then I hiked in the dark and fell asleep in the well of a fallen tree.
I also took the best pictures of the trail yet today.
Day 20 [379.5-411.8] Baden-Powell—->Campsite
Day 20 had more friendship than the rest of the trail combined. After my solitary morning prayer walk I caught up with Sparkles the 40 year old ex Mormon and we talked for several hours. Then I met ex marine and cannabis enthusiast-ultra marathoner “Ounce”. Then at camp I met a bookworm ski-bum my age “perch” to cook dinner and camp with. Friendship was very fulfilling and energizing
Day 21 [411.8-444.5] Campsite- Creek Campsite
I woke up alone because I overslept (7:00 am) and then hiked 33ish miles alone. This sucked. My stomach hurt, I had some “indegestion” which is especially unpleasant without a bathroom, and I felt lowly. Inevitably by the evening I was feeling good again and I ended up hiking into the late night in the dark (which I loved) even cooking dinner at sunset before continuing. I later lay down on the ground in some random place and slept.
Day 22 [444.5-455] Creek Campsite—> Agua Dulce Resupply @Serenity Oasis
I woke up to the sounds of a train horn blast, terrified. I scrambled up afraid I had fallen asleep on the tracks to be run over… I had not. Some hours later I got up (7:30) and then slogged the 10 miles to town for hot food and resupply. Here in town I got a full pizza, ice-cream, Gatorade and tacos (some of the best) all in the Mexican grocery store. The Campsite is run by a hippie redneck “Farmer John” who loves giving out some Mary Jane and only plays reggae. Its a very hiker vibe, and although its not necessarily my vibe they let me take the bike to buy some beer so I am very happy.
{For anyone who needs a laugh, just imagine ultra conservative koon with his cross and flag befriending a multitude of very hippy hippies] (I’m working on my tactics)
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The trails is something very different for each hiker. For Sparkles it is because she is unemployed, got dumped and was evicted. For “Ounce” it is because he wanted to put his body to the test and smoke all day while doing it. For “Perch” it is something to do in between Ski seasons. For me I think its something else entirely, although that’s mainly my ego speaking. To think reductively would be to find whatever it is that each person is running (or hiking) away from. Perhaps to think positively is to ask what each person is moving towards.
Ultimately, everyone’s life is running from something and to something else—the languages of movement away is just usually used as a pejorative.
I think as a Christian we are foolish to ignore the spiritual underpinning of such drastic action. People hiking thousands of miles especially must truly be searching or running from something if they have taken such drastic action. As a Christian and as a man who is (I hope) here as he is searching for Christ, I am increasingly encouraged by people who are courageous enough to search, to admit their lostness. Although they don’t necessarily think their longing is for him.
How many people live lives in which they are totally lost and too proud to be seen searching?
How many Christians are searching less eagerly for the transcendent beyond than these loser hippies ?
My apologetics need serious recalibrating towards hippies but I think we’re making progress. Most of all the mountains are stunning.
God Bless,
Treebeard