PCT 2023 - Day 42

The one with the hire van, terrible blisters and happy hikers.

📍 Location: Walker Pass
💰 Money: $574 on a mini van rental for 11 days( which I can also sleep in). $84 on trail magic supplies and food for me for the next few days (Walmart is cheaper when you buy in bulk). $10 on pancakes and coffee in a cafe.,

THE STORY SO FAR:-

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has followed along with this adventure. I have loved reading all the comments and messages of encouragement and support. It’s truly appreciated. 🙏 ❤️

This will be my last entry as I will simply be driving and doing trail magic for the next week or so. I may add some extra photos to Facebook, especially from Kennedy Meadows. 😃

🍳 8am - I’ve been wide awake since 4am. By 6am I needed to get out of the hotel room as I was feeling claustrophobic. I walked to a cafe and lounged around eating pancakes with syrup and two large coffees. I’ve edited all my videos and written up the blogs. I’m feeling quite productive this morning! The walk here was 1.4 miles and is literally around the corner from the car hire place. I can not put my right heel on the floor today which solidifies my decision to get off trail. I made the right choice.

🛻 10am - I arrive at the car rental place and a nice guy called Eric takes my details. In 10 mins I’m standing in front of a Toyota Sienna with the keys in my hand. “It’s all self explanatory” he says, and leaves me to it! I’m now thinking that this car is huge. I tap the open button and climb into the drivers seat (which is on the wrong side!). Apparently it’s a hybrid car but I have no idea what that actually means. I’m chuffed that it’s an automatic. The key doesn’t go into an ignition, it’s one of those push button starts. The most scary thing is that it’s brand new with less than 200 miles on the clock!

👋 I turn the engine on and try to link it to my phone. If I’m going to be driving for 700 miles then I need my audio books, Waze, music and podcasts. I can’t get it to work so I turn the engine off and then head back inside to ask Eric for a lesson on the various aspects of the car and to see if he can sort out the phone.

🏬 30 mins later… I’m all sorted. I’m driving like Miss Daisy and I head down the main road. This feels so weird! I make my way to Walmart and park in a spot miles away from the entrance so that no one can dent the car! (Good training from my hubby!). I then hobble into Walmart and purchase stuff for the day ahead. For trail magic I get cans of pop, bottles of water, Gatorade and fruit. I’m looking forward to seeing their faces! Everyone loves a bit trail magic. Now that I’m not worried about the weight of things, I pick up a big bag of fresh cherries 🍒 my favourite.

🪄 Walker Pass Trailhead is about 30 minutes drive from Ridgecrest. Bloom, Sketch and possibly Disco daddy will be arriving there sometime today. By the time I get to the trailhead I’m feeling more confident with the car. I set up the polystyrene cool boxes that I purchased with ice and added the drinks. It wasn’t long before my first lot of hikers came through. I was so happy to see their faces when they saw the trail magic in the hatchback. They all had a drink and one lady called me the Root Beer Angel! 😂 have you tried root beer? It’s disgusting, but the Americans seem to love it! (For me it tastes like perfumed medicine).

😃 By 1.30pm I was greeted by a very exhausted Bloom. She has done so well and smashed the last few days with big miles. She looks tired and needs a few days off. She grabs a Dr Pepper (her favourite) and then sits at the picnic bench for a well deserved rest. More hikers come through. One guy grabs some ice from my cooler then pours some bourbon over the top. He then takes a coke from my cooler and adds this to the mix. He took one look at me and said “heaven” with a cheeky wink! These are my people and I feel right at home. I know what it’s like to receive trail magic after a hard day of walking in the blazing heat. I’m in my happy place right now.

🕺 2pm - A familiar bright yellow figure dances down the mountain…. It’s Disco Daddy with Miles not far behind him. I greet them both with a big hug and offer them a well deserved ice cold beverage.

🏨 4pm - I’ve dropped everyone at their hotels in Ridgecrest and then receive a text from The Royals. They are in Ridgecrest and currently resupplying at Walmart. “Do you need a ride back to the trail?” I ask. “ are you sure?” Replies Amber. “Happy to help” I say. I tell them that I need to get something to eat and will collect them from Walmart at 5pm.

😮 It was so good to see The Royals. Three Brits in a car and not one of us noticed that I was driving on the left until another car approached us head on! Oops! We dialled down the chatter so that I could concentrate on the road. I’m sure it will be second nature in a few days!

🦶 At the trail head Amber and Harry grabbed their shopping bags and the decanting of produce started on the side of the road. With boxes opened, cheesy Mac going into zip lock bags, electrolytes and sachets of hot chocolate put into snack piles, coffee removed from jars. It was a big mess to start with but it all came together in the end. Rucksacks organised and now it’s time to sort out body parts! Harry declares that he needs to sort out his blisters. I thought mine were bad, but blimey his were really gross (see video). Amber has a painful rash on her leg caused by Poison Oak so she had bought cream to help reduce the irritation.

🚌 As bodily parts are being looked after, a little noddy bus pulls up and six more hikers disembark. I recognise Sketch and give him a hug. Amber grabs nail polish from him and paints her nails bright blue as she was still waiting for Harry to finish draining his blisters. As I’m here I offer everyone drinks and they all take a mini Gatorade.

👋 Eventually I wave them all goodbye and head back to Ridgecrest and the comfort of my hotel room…. On the right side of the road I hasten to add!!

🌙 7.20pm - Just as I’m pulling up to the hotel car park I receive a WhatsApp message from Bloom. “I have a whole roast chicken from Walmart. Feel free to join me, room 210.”. I stop off and enjoy some warm roast chicken and fresh orange juice. We chat about the day. I can see how drained she looks so I thank her for the chicken and then say goodnight.

It’s been a great day! I know it’s not hiking but I still feel very much connected to the trail. I’ll catch up with more people over the next few days.

Night night and thanks for following along. I didn’t know whether to keep writing now that I’m off trail but I think I’ll just see what stories will unfold.

Signing off.

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