Apparently sleeping in on the trail has a whole different meaning than back home. At home I could push 9 or 10 before feeling the need to get up. This morning I was determined to sleep in, because I figured my legs had earned the extra rest. Besides, I had a short hike into town (7 miles on trail and 3.5 on road) so there was plenty of time for lounging. I made it to 7:30 before the need to get up was too powerful. I took a picture of my view from camp.
As it turns out this was perfect timing. I was just getting on the trail when another through-hiker pulled around the bend. His trail name is "Pockets" because he made all his own gear, including backpack, and every inch of gear conceals another pocket for storing socks, bandanas, maps, etc. Pockets and I enjoyed a nice stroll for the 7 miles of trail I had to go, and we talked about everything from education to PCT to women. He mentioned that he lived in Chico briefly and I asked what had brought him there. He said he moved from Mt. Shasta to live with a friend who was attending Chico State. He went on to say that his friend was an Anthropology major. Hmmm... "What year was this?" I asked. He told me it was early 2000s and that his best friend's name is Tim Carr. Small world. Tim and I had a few classes together. Most notably was an archaeological site survey class. We took a trip to northwest Nevada to do some surveying. Due to delays and a flat tire we arrived at 1 a.m. in the bitter cold. Tim, myself, and a couple others stayed up around a bonfire, exchanging stories and drinking tequila from the bottle (typical archaeologist job description). Tim was the one who found me in the morning curled up in my sleeping bag, using a pile of horse shit for a pillow (more comfortable than you might think).
Anyway, Pockets was a very interesting guy, so I'm hoping to run into him again down the trail. He had just finished two zero days in Big Bear and was on his way out as I was headed in. If you would like to check his blog go to pct-footfalls.blogspot.com.
Speaking of blogs, thank you all for following! I just checked my stats and found that for 41 posts I have had over 1500 views. Interestingly I've got views from the contiguous US, Alaska, France, the UK, Indonesia, and what looks like the Czech Republic (sorry the map is small and hard to decipher). I'm notoriously lazy at maintaining a journal, so thanks for keeping me motivated. By the way, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to send them to james.shimp@gmail.com and I will reply as soon as I can.
After bidding Pockets farewell I. Took his suggestion and hiked down to Nature's Inn in Big Bear City. After 3 miles of road I. Was once again saved by the kindness of a stranger. Debbie, a local of 20 years, picked me up without me even having to ask. She said it was good to see the hikers again. I guess she looks forward to it each year, which brought to mind something Pockets had said. He pointed out that everyone you meet as a through-hiker seems to want to be a part of the story. They have big dreams too, even if it isn't the PCT and they are genuinely friendly and supportive. Want to reaffirm your faith in humanity? Go take a long walk and keep an open mind and heart.
Nature's Inn is a funky little place, with advertisements and homemade signs covering every square inch of the office walls. Ed, who runs the place, was quite a character. He owns a ranch up by the wild animal place I saw yesterday. He told me that the tigers were featured in Gladiator, with Russel Crowe, and the grizzly was in some movie with Will Ferrell that I'm sure nobody cares about. He showed my to my room(s). I have a queen bed, fireplace, and spa tub in the main room (pictured). Then there is a partial kitchen, a bathroom, and a separate room with bunk beds. Usually the whole thing gets shared by up to 4 hikers. But tonight I am the only one here, and the whole thing is mine for $25.
After checking in and showering I walked 2.5 miles to the shopping center with a grocery store and laundromat. I wore my rain gear as I washed all my clothes (pictured). Then I headed to the grocery and proved why hungry hikers should never shop alone (pictured). I ended up with carrots, sweet peppers, oreos, pringles, wine, broccoli, cucumber, limes, bananas, crystal light powder, radishes, green beans, grapes, cilantro, celery, avocados, green onions, pearl onions, beets, hummus, carnitas, iceberg lettuce, bleu cheese dressing, tomatoes, and an anaheim pepper. Now before you say I went overboard, consider that this is dinner tonight, food for all day tomorrow, and resupply for the next 60+ miles of trail. I know the fresh food will be heavy, but it will be worth the weight!
Back at the room I made an indulgent and altogether inappropriate spectacle of myself as I ate. Iceberg wedge salad with bleu cheese dressing, tomato wedges, and a side of carnitas. If I had filmed myself and that scene of utter gluttonous delight I would have to slap a warning on it for adult content. It was that good. I also found time to take a knife to my pack, cutting away any straps that haven't been used so far (pictured).
My evening wasn't all bad either. I sat in the spa tub with the lights out and the window open. I watched the stars as cool mountain breezes blew in across my face and chest. The warm water worked wonders on my knotted muscles, and I fed myself chilled grapes and oreo cookies. I washed it all down with glasses of Beringer chenin blanc, which was on clearance and is, if you pretend really hard, almost like drinking real wine. At $4 for 1.5 liters it's the most expensive water I've ever payed for. Still, six glasses put me in a happy place, from which I now wish you all a very pleasant night.
