Episode 51: Day 100-101 (and 2 days off trail)

Day 100 (and 2 days off trail):

I’m alive. And pretty exhausted from last night’s episode.

The goal for now is to make miles as quickly as possible since I’m working with a limited timeline. Obviously not catching the bus from Chester, but I’ll find another way to get to Chico.

By the way, good news ya’ll! I made it to the PCT midpoint marker – 1325 Miles! I have come a long way, and I have a long way to go.

Anyway, as i’m walking along the trail, I hear footsteps behind me, and lo and behold, its another hiker! Feels like I haven’t seen a human in forever, although its only been a couple of days.

“Hi, i’m Fart-Bag” he says… Gosh, I love trail names.

Apparently, his sister section hiked with him in Southern California, and she started calling him Fart-Bag in retaliation for a mean nickname he was calling her, and in the end, his name stuck. What goes around comes around people.

Fart-Bag and I hiked for a while together, as we were both enjoying the novelty of speaking to another person. He gave me some great advice on hiking faster, mainly about elongating your stride by just a few inches, as it makes a big difference at the end of the day.

During one of our breaks, I took advantage of some cell service and called several taxi-cabs in both Chester and Chico until I got a relatively reasonable price. There was no other way as far as I could tell. I gave him a time and a place, along with my credit card number, hoping that it would work out and I wouldn’t have to spend the holiday stuck in Chester.

When we got to the road, Fart-Bag and I said our goodbyes, and headed off in opposite directions. However, before we split, he gave me the link to his Youtube channel, where he documented his hike. Best part, I was going to make an appearance in the next edition. (The entire clip is almost 19 minutes long, but my 15 seconds of fame begins at the 4:34 mark. Check it out: https://youtu.be/cx-_5RMrj_M?t=4m34s)

Unfortunately, the taxi-cab would only meet me at a proper address, so I had to walk a mile down the road to a lodge. We agreed to meet at 6:00pm, and I arrived at 6:10pm. No cab. I kept calling his number, but it went straight to voicemail… he must not have service out here. Roughly 45 seconds before I start freaking out, a cab pulls up at 6:20pm! I hopped in and we made it to the Chabad of Chico 15 minutes before the Sabbath began.

18 Miles today.

Always time for some LOLs:

PCT Midpoint:

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Day 101:

It’s Monday, and its time to get back to trail.

I was slow leaving town since I went to post office to send some things home. Got back to the PCT at 12:30pm – lunchtime.

As I was eating, two older hikers, probably in their 60’s, stopped to chat. Although they were just section hiking today, they were both triple crowners – meaning that they have hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail – they were elite.

Once they realized I was a thru-hiker, they tried persuading me to flip – take a bus or train to Canada and hike south. This way, I will still get to hike the entire trail this year, without running into the winter weather up north. They know what they are talking about, I get that, but I’m stubborn, and I want to do this my way. I kept hiking north.

TRAIL MAGIC! a few hours later, I came across a wooden box and cooler filled with all sorts of snacks and drinks, courtesy of the Thompsons- THANK YOU!

After chowing down on some Gatorade and Oreos, I hiked on.

Set up camp at 8:40pm.

14 miles.

Still going the right way: