Although I am anxious to get on the trail, what with so many delays thus far, I decided to take a zero here in Big Bear City. First and foremost, the sunburn I got after Idyllwild got rubbed raw by the bottom of my waist band, and I wanted to give it a day to heal (pictured). Besides, the hotel room is cheap and I had a lot of prep work to do with my veggies. Finally, there is a storm coming, and I want to be fully rested before I head out to meet it head on.
Frank rolled into town today, so we are sharing the room tonight. Tomorrow he moves over to his time share, and I hit the trail. We ate veggies, fruit, and a half gallon of cherry vanilla ice cream for dinner (to which I added a whole container of cottage cheese and a tin of smoked oysters). Tomorrow he wants to take me to breakfast as we may not see one-another again.
We talked late into the night about any number of things. He thinks that in the 40 or 50 years of the PCT we may be the first hikers to sit around a hotel, eating ice cream and discussing Andrew Lloyd Weber and the differences between various ballet movements.
We also talked quite a bit about what it is like to be out on the trail this long. I have now completed 10% of the trail, which is good and bad in certain ways. But we talk about the good times and the bad, how the mood swings from day to day. We talk about how time is fluid, in that you can feel simultaneously that you have been out here forever and yet for almost no time at all. On a personal growth level I have to say it feels like years. The attributes that you learn so quickly - patience, endurance, humility, appreciation - make it feel as though you've aged years. This is not necessarily a youth thing. I am 28, but Frank feels much the same way and he is 60. Yet, at the end of the day it is barely over three weeks so hardly any time has passed at all.
There are certain lessons that you really only grasp through hardship. It doesn't have to be something like the PCT necessarily, but I think the trail has been the right school for me. Humility is a big one. I am at the mercy of the elements, and subject to the kindness of strangers. Yesterday I sat, dirty and tired, against the wall of a supermarket, waiting for the bus to take me back to my hotel. The whole time I was keenly aware of the looks I was drawing. Confidence is another. You would never guess how far your body can take you. Every day I gain my "trail legs" and become more aware of the functions of my body. I sense when my digestion is the slightest bit off, and know which muscles will endure and which ones need rest, often before they even begin to complain. More importantly, I have less and less apprehension about the wilderness each day. I know what the rigors of the day will require, and I even know what it would take to survive if an injury occurred. I also know that my body would rise to the occasion.
Finally, and closest to my heart, you learn appreciation for the multitudes of wonderful people in your life. I could write an entire post on that alone, and will when the right words come. Until then, thanks to all and goodnight.
