Alright, I have no excuse for not posting a blog this last week. I came off the trail on the 12th and have been relaxing with the Henderson family. I've been trying to cram so much food and so many fun experiences into such a short time that I guess my blog fell by the wayside. Bit this afternoon I head back to the trail, so let me get you caught up.
12th
I woke and, with just a short 13 miles left to hike, I tried my best to sleep in. I still can't make it past 6:30 though, and I was excited about my rest in Sacramento, so I moved on with a growing sense of anticipation. The first 2 miles were a steep 1000+ foot climb, but my excitement carried me to the top with no problems. From there I had beautiful panoramic views of the mountains south of Donner Pass (pictured). The trail was then a cruise along the ridge top before dropping into Donner Pass with its view of Donner Lake (pictured). Since the hiking was easy I thought about some of the questions I might get from friends when I arrived in Sacramento.
I got a message from Andy (Wolverine) that he dropped off the trail back in Mammoth Lakes. He's headed back to Australia on the 20th. I knew people would ask why I'm doing this hike, and what I've learned. I don't want to go to much into that yet, because I still have a long way to go and a lot to learn. However, I did wonder why I am still moving and someone like Wolverine is done. I don't consider myself physically very tough. I really think, in that regard, anybody can do the PCT. Plus Andy is a much tougher guy than I am. I decided that age and wisdom have a lot to do with it. I certainly appreciate the natural beauty of the trail, but I also value the personal insights that come unexpectedly as I hike with my thoughts all day every day. Andy is 44 I think. He is wiser, and has had more time to figure himself out. With that in mind, I have more to gain by staying on the trail. With 900 miles completed, I could see why he was ready to call it enough.
These thoughts kept me occupied all the way to highway 80, where my focus immediately shifted to the toilets and running water of a highway rest stop alongside the trail. It was here that Erin and her dad would be picking me up, so I set about cleaning up as best I could. Yes, I was one of those smelly guys trying to cram their whole body under the faucet in a roadside bathroom. I had some limited success, but was grateful when Erin arrived with a change of clothes and some deoderant.
The Hendersons had dinner planned out when I arrived at their house. I must admit I had dreamed selfishly of all kinds of goodies. Somehow they must have read my mind, because I was given a delicious steak dinner, followed by a glass of bourbon on the rocks and a soak in their hot tub. The effects were revitalizing. Still, the Hendersons were worried about me because of my condition. First of all my brain was unable to process social interactions as quickly due to my time on the trail. Accordingly, I was apparently struggling pretty noticeably to find the words I was looking for. Physically I was a wreck too. A week of 30+ mile days had left open raw spots on many of my toes, so I limped a bit. I weighed in at around 130, compared to my normal 155. I looked like a walking skeleton, what with my withered upper body and my ribs clearly showing. To top it all off I had the sore on my hip. At the rest stop I had time to drain the wound, removing a teaspoon of pus and another of pus and blood. It was getting red rimmed and pretty gnarly. I did manage to remove a little foreign material from the wound, complete with some stringy material that might have been the beginnings of scar tissue. Still, it looked pretty bad that evening.
13th through 17th
I began a mission to regain as much weight as possible, heal my feet, and fix my hip. The Hendersons were great, taking me out to eat and providing me with hydrogen peroxide for my hip. They also had a couple of surprises for me, including another resupply box, which I'll get to later, and a trip to the buffet at Thunder Valley Casino on crab night (I ate two whole crabs along with a mass of other mixed foods). But by far the best surprise was taking me into San Francisco to see the Giants play the Astros (pictured with Erin in front of AT&T park). That is how I came to be in the crowd of 42,000 screaming fans, in awe of the energy and excitement, as Cain pitched the 22nd perfect game in baseball history and the first in Giants franchise history (pictured). The game was incredible, and the result was something most people never get to see in a lifetime of attending the games. It was not lost on me how much my grandfather would have loved to see that game, which made it even better.
Erin has been working and attending rehearsal for an upcoming show (of which she is the star). My schedule, then, has been pretty open in the mornings and crammed full once she is free in the afternoon. We went to see Wicked, the musical, several nights ago. Though it didn't quite live up to the San Francisco production, I still thought it was immensely entertaining. We also went to see some old friends in a local community theatre production of Willy Wonka the musical, and drove up to Durham to check on my house and pick up my passport.
This last errand was crucial, since I haven't gotten my permit to enter Canada on the PCT yet. Unfortunately, as I discovered, my passport expired in February. Luckily I delayed getting back on the trail, which was supposed to happen yesterday. Now I have this morning to renew my passport and finish up some last minute details. FYI: passports now cost $110!
Getting back on the trail is weighing heavily on my mind this morning. I have been spoiled by the hospitality of the Henderson family, which always makes it harder to go back to living out of a backpack. I'll definitely miss spending time with them. Still, there is good news to report. My cough is gone and my hip is healing nicely. My feet are back to 100%, thanks in part to my first ever foot massage from Erin (who gets immense credit for even going near those train wrecks). My pack is also much lighter. The ice axe and bear canister are gone, and my rain gear has been replaced by a lightweight poncho from the Hendersons' resupply box (which also included freeze dried ice cream!!!!!). Since I am leaving the Sierras the guidebook is staying behind, replaced with a smaller and lighter book for pleasure reading. Finally, I went to REI to replace the filter on my gravity fed filtration system. They didn't have the filter, so I ended up buying a different filter altogether, which ended up being about half the weight of the old one. I would guess my base weight just lost 6 pounds. Even better, I am back to a stretch of trail with more frequent resupply, so I am only carrying five days of food. I'll let you know how it goes.
