Quincy

Last night I settled in among the festival folk. Turns out that it was an electronic dance music festival. I referred to these folks as stoners before. That wasn’t really fair. The folks I camped with were named Matthew and Sean. They were super nice and offered me some of whatever they had. I took them up on the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale! The rest…nah!

And here is our camp.

There really was no other option but to camp with festival people. The town is like one long driveway with the businesses bunched up at the front and a park at the far end. On one side is a mountain and the other side is the Feather River. The park area is a jumble of bushes and trees with spots for camping between. The whole town was completely taken over by 1500 people and their tents and RVs. Every flat spot was occupied. Imagine a four-day tail-gating party fueled by every recreational every recreational drug known to man.

I was trying to keep a low profile, munching on Ramen and Fritos in camp. Security was roaming the grounds checking for wristbands. I narrowly escaped ejection by telling one man that I was a hiker just passing through (mostly true).

I decided to hitchhike into Quincy in the morning. It’s about 24 miles away. There are three dentists there. I hope one of them can fix my now-throbbing teeth. My goal is to be out at the road by 6am. Festival goers that are not camping are filling the hotel rooms in the nearby towns. I had hoped to get a room in Quincy but that may not be an option.

The Hitch

Hitchhiking is a lost art. I have done my share getting on and off the trail. You have to work from a spot the gives drivers plenty of time to evaluate you and ample room to pull over after they pass. If helps if traffic is not moving to fast. In the morning I station myself on the Highway in front of the entrance to Belden. It’s not an ideal spot. Traffic is moving to fast and there is not much room to pull over. Four out of every four vehicles is a PG&E company truck.

A nice lady going the wrong way pulls over and tells me about a better hitching spot a mile up the road. I walk up there but have no luck. Ninety minutes have gone by. I duck into a rundown trailer park and chat with a stranded PCT hiker getting a ride to the post office 10 miles away. His ride is coming at 10am. That is too late. I need to go 28 miles starting right now!

I get back to the road when a rickety van drives by. I am not even on the right side of the road to get his attention. I throw my thumb out and he stops. Get in, he says. Relief washes over me.

The driver is 31 and his name is Harrison. He is in music production and is trying to get into the festival at Belden where he is contracted to work, but the credentials people at the gate are disorganized, so he is going into Quincy for coffee while they sort things out.

He is a Jewish kid from New York City. We talk about everything. I am just so happy for his generosity. He drops me off in the heart of Quincy.

Teeth

I walk into the office of the first dentist on the map. The receptionist says they are booked for the day but she will ask the doctor if he wants to work me in. I am looking up the next office on the map when the receptionist tells me that all dentist offices but theirs is closed on Friday. My heart sinks. I resort to abject groveling.

They ask to see my bridge. They examine it like it’s a dead bug, poking it and turning it over. Ten minutes later I hear the words I long to hear. The doctor has agreed to see me.

He was a super cool dude: very knowledgeable about the PCT and the area I am hiking through. We chat about hiking and his Bob Dylan record (his debut album) hanging on the wall. Ok, it’s mostly him talking as I grunt and not in a prone position. In 20 minutes he had me back together and on my feet.

The Plan

I could go back to the trail today, but I have a planned campsite by the Feather River 18 miles away. I can’t get there today so might as well just go shopping for food, do some laundry and upload some posts at the motel.

It’s a hard hitch to the trail in the morning, but it’s still the best option.

No miles today, but it was the best zero day ever!