PCT 2023 - Day 34 - Bikers Rock!

The one with the painful Achilles, a hug from a stranger, and staying in a bizarre hut!

📍 Location: MM 474.2 to Hiker Town (but took a ride for 11 miles of the trail).

🥾 I actually walked: 6.4 miles
💰 Money: $40 in The Rock Inn, $40 to stay at Hiker Town and collect my box.
⛑️ Health: I’m so gutted! My Achilles on both feet are tender to touch and it’s incredibly pain going up hill. I’ve rested for most of today, and may take a day off tomorrow (depending on how I feel).

☀️ Weather: Overcast again whilst walking. As I lie in this little hut the wind is roaring outside! I’m glad I’m not camping tonight.

🍲 Food: Breakfast bar & snacks on trail. Eggs, sausage and hash brown for brunch. I also treated myself to a big ad of cherry pie and ice cream (thanks Trina). At Hiker Town they fed us hikers with hot dogs and salad, and I also ate some noodles. A big food day!

💤 Sleep: Not great. It was windy and the hot sweats are back! I may sleep better in the hut tonight on a proper bed. Fingers crossed 🤞

😃 People update: Disco continued walking. I’ve heard from Bloom who is now in Lake Morena. Charmer aka Jesse is also at Hiker Town, and I caught I with DJ and Sketch today. So people are around me, which is great.

THE LONG WINDED VERSION:-

🥾 6.46 am - and we are off. It’s freezing and I’m in pain. My Achilles heels on both feet are killing me and the day starts with an incline. This is going to be a long day as I gobble up the hill.

💬 7:10 am more of those little statues. I chat to Disco and he quieted if all these little statues was good for the environment ie: Leave No Trace. He has a point! We go to great lengths to make sure that we leave no trace of anything when we have been in nature. We put the rocks back where we found them, we even bury our toothpaste froth! So scattering little statues over the environment makes you question if it’s entertainment or destruction of nature?

🏡 730am - I’m feeling very homesick today. I think it’s because I the family attended a wedding yesterday that I really wanted to attend. It’s been over 5 weeks now and I miss the comfort of home, my gorgeous daughter and very supportive husband. I miss little Alfie and his funny ways and Ava and her moodiness. The more I think about home the deeper I get into a funk. This is the first time I’ve questioned what on earth am I doing out here?

🔥 8:30 am - I made it to the trial register and the fire station is literally just down the road. Disco is waiting for me and Sketch was there in his tent. I’m very grumpy and I just want to get out of this awful wind and have some real food. It’s been a week since I slept in a bed and

🛻 9am - A wonderful lady called Sissy picks me up in her massive Chevrolet Truck. We chat in the truck as she drives me the 6 miles to the post office in Lake Hughes. She lives with her grandfather up in the mountains and reminds me of Heidi with the stories she tells. Sissy waits for me, then drives me to The Rock Inn, but is now worried about me. “It’s gets rowdy in thereon a Friday and Saturday night. I’d let you stay with me but my grandfather is a chain smoker and that won’t work. Hold on, let me make a quick phone call”, she says. While we are chatting in the truck she calls a guy called Mike to see if he has any room at his rental places. No joy, but I am gobsmacked by the generosity of the locals at these places. She gives me a big hug and tells me to call her if I have any problems, but with all the kerfuffle of getting my pack out of the truck I forgot to grab her number. I give her a big hug and she wishes me well. Americans are kind hearted.

🍺 9.40am - The Rock Inn is aptly named in more ways than one. The building is made from large stones and is dark inside. They also have a stage where I assume bands play. As I walk in the busyness of the place goes quiet and all heads turn to check out the hiker that has just walked through the door. Initially, this felt uncomfortable, however a friendly waitress who I later found out was called Jamie, told me to put my pack in the back yard and then find a seat.

I find a cosy booth and quietly take off my shoes. My feet are saying thank you as the pain in my Achilles reduces substantially. Plugging in my power pack for more juice and then Jamie takes my order of two eggs, sausage, hashbrowns and coffee. I tried the vanilla cream this time and it was lovely.

🥚 So things always turns out well. I’m gutted as they have no rooms available here (they stopped providing accommodation during Covid). I was at a quandary when Jamie said “I can give you a lift to Hiker Town after my shift, if that suits?”. She doesn’t finish until 4pm but that gives me a full day of resting in the pub and catching up with videos, blogs and emails. The Wi-Fi is painfully slow, but during uploads I’m entertained by the clientele in this establishment. First of all, two ladies walk in and I recognise them instantly! They are the two mums from Canada who are meeting their sons and gave me and Disco a ride a few days ago. They are both wearing new sun hoodies and loving their trip. They excitedly tell me that tonight they are staying at an ostrich farm which is just down the road! I’m so tempted to join them, just for the experience, but my body is saying “Julia, you need to sleep in a proper bed and rest your body”. In need to listen to my body!

🤠 Everyone here is dressed like a cowboy (not kidding!). One woman has a massive cowboy hat and a Mexican shawl. The guys at the bar just need guns hanging from a holster and you would think you were in a Western Movie. Country music is playing in the background and as the back door opens sawdust floats inside…. You can’t make it up! I love it!

🏍️ Then I smile as I hear a roar from outside and a group of Harley Davidson riders pull up. They are all old boys and travelling across the country, East to West. They are fascinated that I’m walking the PCT and ask me loads of questions. It passes time as I’m waiting for another YouTube video to upload.

📸 So, the Harley Davidson group call me over and would like me to participate in a group photo. Sure! Why not? So I head outside into the sunshine and they unravel a big banner that says “have bike, will travel” I pose with them all behind the banner and they all then take turns to fist bump 🤛 me! I’m having such a surreal day! 😂

🥧 3pm - I’m not that hungry, but I do fancy pie! I call Jamie over and order warm cherry pie and vanilla ice cream. I wash it down with a non alcoholic beer. I check with Jamie that she’s still ok to give me a lift and she nods happily.

4pm - I wait patiently for my ride.

4.30pm - I’m still waiting patiently for my ride. The “mums” return with the boys. They are all settled in at the ostrich farm and quite excited about it. They tell me that the Jamie, the waitress, is cashing up so she shouldn’t be long. I wait patiently.

5.35pm - I’m still waiting patiently but now I’m thinking that I’m a mug and have been taken for a ride! (Or not taken for a ride as the case may be). I’m now outside as I need some fresh air. I’ve been in the bar for a good proportion of the day, I’m in pain and extremely tired. I’ve tried Uber, to no avail. So if Jamie doesn’t give me a lift soon then I’ve no idea what I’m gonna do. I’m kicking myself for not getting Sissy’s number earlier today.

5.50pm - I grow a pair, and head back inside to ask Jamie if she’s still happy to give me a ride. I need to know either way as I still have nowhere to sleep tonight. She’s sitting at the bar wrapping cutlery in napkins. “Are you still here?” She says. “Someone said you got a ride. “I’m still here, I was just waiting outside in the fresh air. Are you still able to give me a ride or should I try and get a hitch!”. She hesitates (not sure why?), but says “I’ll be outside in a minute”. I turn and head back out of the door after politely saying thank you.

🚗 6.10pm - “Are you ready?” Says s voice from behind me. It’s Jamie with her car keys in her hand. I nod enthusiastically and grab my heavy pack, and my bounce box that I’d collected from the post office. Finally we are off! It’s literally 11 miles down the road and I could have walked it if I’d left after lunch! Jamie is s as talker and I sat listening to her stories about her son and his illness. She’s adamant that I’m not to mention her phone number in any blog or Facebook group as she doesn’t want people calling her for rides. (I understand and promise not to do that as she shouts out her number).

🍉 6.40pm - We arrived at Hiker Town and I’m not really sure what to make of it. After waving goodbye to Jamie I stand in the middle of what can only be described as a makeshift Western cowboy village. The sheriff office is to my right and across the way is a hut saying “doctors”. There is another one labelled “hotel” and the place has all nation flags flying. I see a familiar face “Charmer” and walk over to where hikers have congregated. As I’m chatting a little Mexican lady appears from nowhere “Are you new?” She asks, I nod. “My name is Watermelon Sugar High” and to prove it she points to a hand written name badge that is hanging around her neck. This lady has long dark grey hair and is about four foot tall. “You want some watermelon? And some Mexican hot dogs? Come, follow me”. I leave my pack with the hikers and follow Watermelon into her house. She opens the fridge and sure enough she hands me a plate of fresh watermelon, “you take” she encourages, so I grab a big slice of cold, mouthwatering watermelon and bite into its deliciousness. “Follow” says the lady and I let her lead me out of the back door and into another cabin where there are a few more hikers. Another Mexican lady is busy cooking sausages and making hot dogs. In the cabin is another familiar face, DJ, who I’ve not seen since Julian. I’m now sitting down on a sofa, stroking a golden retriever and eating hot dogs with guacamole and mixed salad. Watermelon says “come find me when you are finished” and again I nod to say thanks.

Watermelon showed me to my hut, named “Cristal”, for the night. It has a bed with a clean sheet (I need to use my sleeping bag. There is also a chair. That’s it! No electric and no room for a bedside table. There is black paper at the window to keep out the light. DJ is in the hut next door. “You are here. Put your pack here then find me in the house and you can have a hot shower”. I thank her and sit on the bed, feeling grateful for the rest.

🚿 7.30pm - Heading back into the main house in search of a hot shower, the lovely Watermelon with Sugar gives me a clean towel and soap then points me in the direction of the bathroom. “You take as long as you want. Hot shower is good for the soul as well as the body” she says and then pats me on the arm. Her kindness is overwhelming and I feel rather emotional as I lock the door, turn in the shower and piping hot water cascades over my rather pathetic looking beat up body. Dirty water washes away from my body and slowly I’m feeling my energy return.

🛌 8.40pm - I’ve eaten some noodles and brewed a hot chocolate and now I’m snuggled up in this cozy hut with just the sound of the wind blowing a hooley out there. Thank his I’m not in my tent. Thoughts go out to Disco Daddy, DinkyDi and a few others. I wonder where everyone is tonight as I close my eyes and let sleep take over.

Thanks for reading another waffly journal entry. It’s been a surreal day. Signing off for now… JukeboxRead more