Hello again, and thank you for following along! I can say with great excitement that each day has been beyond my wildest expectations. I'm starting to make some lifelong friends out here, and I'm truly enjoying the welcoming trail culture. The more I open myself up, the more im able to take in, which, if you know me, is incredibly difficult. This is the only place I've ever been where it really doesn't matter who you are or where you come from. Today, I was taking a shade break under an overpass with a clean shaved heart surgeon and a young but weathered looking woman who previously worked at a gas station, and they're the best of friends!
I had a feeling that the trail angles would steal my heart, and indeed they did; to a degree I can't articulate. I've had heart to heart conversations while hitchhiking and shared deep belly laughs about how stinky we all are. It simply amazes me how selfless people can be. Before hiking the trail, I lived through others' experiences on virtually all media types and witnessed how grateful they were to meet and share stories with folks like this, but actually experiencing it almost moves me to tears.
The last few days have been an absolute adventure. From hiking through the snow-covered alpine peaks to experiencing the relentless heat of the low sandy desert. There're also off trail experiences worthy of mentioning like the time I was almost shot while taking an alternate route around San Jacinto. A friend and i were taking a seasonal road off the mountain to the highway and heard gunshots. Nether of us took much stock in it until we heard a whirling sound just about our heads! We soon discovered we were hiking into a recreation area with careless hillbillies shooting into a backstop with the road we were walking at the top. I'm not certain if it was our yelling or my blaze orange pack that ceased the shooting, but I'm thankfully nevertheless.
Of course, I'm still learning from my seemingly daily mistakes. I've learned that throwing rocks at rattle snakes is not the best method to clear the path, and I'm still trying to understand my bodies needs for nutrition and hydration. It has taken a great deal of effort to make sure to eat and drink enough to churn my legs for hours on end. I would normally just run my body until the wheels fall off and deal with the consequences on the following rest day; not out here! I know I need to scale back and treat my body and everything it's telling me with the utmost respect.
I can't wait to see what's next! Every day has offered something new both physically and mentally. I'm so happy how the hike has unfolded thus far. Thanks again for following along, and I wish you the best in your endeavors and dreams!