Day 91 to 93 – Recovery

The proper term is “grief.” The PCT is closed. It is simpler for California to focus on fighting fires and preventing new ones if they close all the national forests. Except for the occasional section that runs through private land or a national park, the PCT runs through national forest land. My thru-hike is done…until further notice.

Hikers react in their own way. Some shift into problem-solving mode. Some seek solace with their friends. Some retreat to a quiet corner to think. I observe them all, searching for clues.

I reach out to my friends, Wander Women, Nico, Moving Target, Robert, Dave Weston (running buddy). Options present themselves. None win my heart. I am monogamous to the PCT.

Patti thinks I should stay out here and wait it out. She knows me. I will regret not finishing if it is remotely possible. But waiting is not enough. I have to maintain my conditioning if I hope to hike effectively on the difficult Sierra section when it opens. I need to hike while waiting.

Colorado

The Colorado trail is the trail most often discussed by PCT hikers who want to keep hiking. It is a long trail and relatively close. September is the perfect month for hiking that trail and a permit is not required.

Many Westerners have connections in Denver. I am lucky to have one too – my friend Dave Weston. Dave has deep connections in Colorado and especially Denver, the place where the Colorado Trail starts. Dave is a native of Colorado. Dave’s son Zach lives there now.

After a few texts, the plan is settled. I am heading back to Reno where I will catch a train to Denver. I will spend the night at Zach’s apartment and start hiking on September 3. I will hike until the status of the PCT changes. With luck I can return to the PCT and finish my hike.

Getting off the trail

They say that petting an animal has therapeutic properties. It lowers your blood pressure and has a calming effect. I don’t have a dog to pet, but Kennedy Meadows is a real ranch with over 150 horses. Watching them run is calming, even if I don’t get to pet one.

The breakfast is good here. I sit on the porch in the sun and watch the horses. The manager has to come and find me at 10:15, because checkout is at 10, and they need to clean my room.

The hikers at the resort gather under the hiker tent. Christie (who else) has arranged a ride for all of us to the nearby town of Bridgeport. We make last minute preparations and then gather for a photo before departing.

Bridgeport

In Bridgeport, we eat and relax. Our rides to Reno are coming tomorrow. My hotel is over 100 years old and charming.

I get to talk to Patti. Her phone had been broken for a few days. We were only able to text during my evacuation. Both of us were stressed by this, so now we talk for hours. She is the only one for me. Being apart from her has been the hardest part of this hike. I cherish our conversations.

Reno

In the morning the Wanders and I pile into the car of Crystal, a women acquainted with the Wanders through social media. Crystal lives in Reno and has driven 2 1/2 hours to pick us up. Actually, the Wanders offered to include me when my bus reservation fell through. They are so thoughtful. Here is Crystal dropping us off at the Reno airport.

The Amtrak station is less than three miles from the airport, so I decide to don my pack and walk there. The two T-shirts I have been wearing since Robert gave them to me five days ago are sweaty by the time I reach the train station. I walk to the nearest thrift shop for a new shirt to wear on the train.

The train station is small but classic. There are hikers in the train station. It appears that many hikers are going to the Colorado Trail. The station clerk confirms it. Many hikers went through yesterday.

I meet a 21-year-old hiker named Micah. He is hitchhiking across the US and hiking trails wherever he goes. His parents are all for it.

Micah has the laid-back intensity of a 21st century hippie. He is into foraging and music. He plays the drum he carries with him to make money sometimes. Zach recently participated in the national Rainbow Gathering in New Mexico. Rainbow Gatherings are counter-cultural meetings held in remote forests around the world for the promotion of peace, harmony, freedom and respect. Now he is heading to Salt Lake City on the train because his family is hiking together and he wants to join them. He would hitch there but it would take too long.

In the near future he and his uncle are taking his grandfathers ashes to the Redwood Forest. His grandfather’s lifelong dream was to see the Redwoods. Unfortunately he died on his way there. Micah is going to fulfill that dream. I can think of no quest more noble.

Trail drama

I am a confused lover, blind-sided by what she said. “I’m not ready for this,” she said. “I feel like things are moving too quickly. Perhaps we should stop seeing each other for a while. I’m sorry. I know it’s not fair to you. And seriously, I haven’t been leading you on. If you want to see someone else while I get my head together, I completely understand. In fact, I know someone that would be perfect for you – the Colorado Trail.”

I don’t want the Colorado Trail. She is no one special to me. I was never really attracted to her. I want the PCT. But the PCT is in turmoil. The only way to return to her is to give her some time alone, even though I fear our relationship my be over.

If I knew right now that the PCT is closed for the year, I would return home. But, because there is hope that it will reopen, I will wait. Biding my time has one other benefit: I will be in the West when Sammy and Matt come out to hike in October. Still, the disappointment is real. But, things change. The Colorado Trail may yet win my heart. Time will tell.

I suppose I will continue to write. What am I saying? Of course I will.

The Colorado River

I had not intended to write anything about the train ride to Denver. Nevada, Utah and Colorado are certainly beautiful. But one feature can not be ignored: the Colorado River. The beauty of the River goes without saying. But I have one nagging question. Why do people rafting the river feel compelled to drop their drawers when the train goes by?

Denver

In Denver, at the kindly insistence of my friend Dave Weston, I am staying at the apartment of his son, Zach. I have never met Zach, although I know much about him from Dave. This is going to be fun.

The train arrives in Denver a few minutes before 8 pm. By the miracle of Uber I am at Zach’s apartment at 8:15. There is a security door that stops me from entering. I text Zach that I am here. A young man shows up and opens the door. “Zach?” I ask. No, he slides past me. Another young man appears. It’s Zach. I don’t even need to ask. His speech and mannerisms are unmistakably that of his father. Zach says, “I was going to say that I wasn’t Zach.” Yep, he’s a Weston.” I say, “It would have been better if you said that guy that came through the door before you was Zach.” Mutual acknowledgment.

In the apartment Zach wrestles a big air mattress into the room and drops it on the floor. It’s so big it could be a bounce house. Luckily, Zach produces a little machine to blow air into it. So, he is not completely like his father. Dave would have suggested first that I have to blow it up with my own breath.

Anyway, we go out for dinner and we get to know each other. I like him even more when he says one of the things he would like to do is teach English in a public school. English teachers played a pivotal role in my education. We discuss English education over fried artichokes.

At the apartment we call it a night. Tomorrow I will start hiking the Colorado Trail. I have the usual pre-hike misgivings. I go over everything dozens of times in my head. Just sleep now, Doolittle. It’s gonna be fine.

• August 31 to September 2
• Starting marker: 2653
• Ending marker: 1016
• Miles hiked today: 0
• Total miles hiked: 1242
• Animals: western horses