And then Barbara came to the rescue

When I woke up in the morning after a windy, painful night, I was incapable of moving. Frozen in a deep depression, not able to do anything anymore!
After lying there for 2 hours, I decided to hitch a ride to the next town, Tehachapie, take some days off and decide whether I am going to give up the trail.
I was at the end, physically and morally!

5min. After I put my thumb out, a driver stopped and drove me straight to the center of Tehachapie (50kms out of his way). I got out of the car, and a lady stopped next to me and asked if I needed a place to stay for the night. She knew a trail angel who could take me.
So we ended up at BARBARA'S HIKER HUT.
Barbara is 80 years old and has converted the barn of her cider factory into a camp for hikers. A kitchen, bathroom, refrigerator full of food, drinks, and ice cream and her energetic smile and voice brought me back into this world. "The Trail provides" is a mantra of the PCT.
I stayed for four days and one after the other my friends arrived. We cooked and laughed together, talking and sharing, and I felt carried by the community. The clouds disappeared, and my heart opened again.
These 4 days were the greatest of the whole trail so far.
A particular person was Heiko, a born comedian and unfortunately a bit lost in his life. His stories and performance while telling them had us howling with laughter all day!
Such a wonderful person!Read more