PCT 2023 - Day 45

The one with emergency trail magic, a near costly mistake and a sad farewell.

📍 Location: Kennedy Meadows
💰 Money: $60 for fuel, $35 for food.

PART TWO… THE JOURNEY CONTINUES.

💤 5am - I’m wide awake and I slept really well in my van last night. I could get used to this van life! There is ice on the windows but I am still nice and toasty.

☕️ I brew a coffee and make some chocolate Quaker Oats using my little stove. I get dressed (I can nearly stand up in the van!) and then hear voices from the store. It’s 6.30am and people are awake and moving around so I decide to mingle and join them. I sit with Joey, Maddie, Amber & Harry and they are all chatting about their plans to move forward. I’d already told Joey (now Toasty) that I wanted to hang around at Kennedy Meadows to see my trail family arrive at this monumental place so had told him and Maddie a few days ago that I couldn’t give them a ride to Ridgecrest. They had arranged a ride with someone else who would take them all the way to Chester, which was a result for them. Amber and Harry were also discussing their next plan. I listened (earwigging) quietly to Amber saying “I don’t want to get in the car with that bloke again. His driving is irrational and he just scares me”. Knowing that Amber nearly lost her life in a car accident a few years ago and had to have her spleen removed, I knew how difficult it was for her to feel uncomfortable in a car with an irresponsible driver. “Was he that bad?” I asked and interrupted their heated conversation. “It was awful said Amber. “I had to sit in his trunk of the car where he slept. His blankets smelled of piss and everything was so disgusting that I didn’t want to touch anything. He drove so fast that I was just praying for it to be over”. Harry said “it wasn’t that bad”. Amber have him one on “those” looks and said “you even had to tell him to slow down”. Harry couldn’t argue with that.

❤️ I then had a touch of the selfish guilts. This is my trail family and I have a 7 seater car! I can’t let them go with this guy so I have a change of heart and tell them I’ll give them a ride today, but please can we leave asap so that I can get back here to see Handyman, Kodak and Charmer walk in to Kennedy Meadows. “Are you sure?” Says Amber. I nodded . I thought she was going to squeeze the life out of me with the bear hug that she gave me. Bless, they paid for my breakfast as we all tucked in to blueberry pancakes, sausage patties, hashbrowns and scrambled eggs. (I need to slow this eating lark down now that I’m no longer hiking!).

🚗 An hour later, I have four Brits in the car. Me, Amber & Harry & a guy called Steve. We are off to Ridgecrest which is just over an hour away.

🙏 The Royals (Amber & Harry) order a car from Avis and then I drop them at Motel 6. Saying goodbye to Amber and Harry was emotional for me. I met them both at mile marker one and Amber did the Chandler dance with me. What a journey we have had together. I’m looking forward to following them both on social media to see how their journey pans out. They are two very special people.

Steve heads off to The Half Mile Cafe making plans for his next step. I hug them all goodbye and they each give me some cash for fuel. Fuel!! Do I need fuel? I look at dashboard and I have just under half a tank. I’ll fill up here, whilst I’m in Ridgecrest and that should hopefully last me for a few days.

⛽️ I pull up to the Shell Garage. I put my card in and it says “begin to fuel”. I grab the green hose but it won’t fit in the petrol hole in the car. I’m super confused. I keep trying but it’s just not working. I must have looked a bit frustrated as a soldier pulled up next to me and said “hello ma’am, are you ok?”. I told him that I don’t understand why the nozzle doesn’t fit my car? “You have a regular unleaded vehicle ma’am, not a diesel” he said. “Oh! So green is diesel?” I ask, looking for reassurance. “It sure is. You need the black hose ma’am “. The labelling was weird but I put the green hose back and picked up the black one and it fitted straight away. Phew! $60 later and I’m good to go.
Lesson learned… in the US the fuel colours are the opposite way around!

🍺 Fully fuelled, I now drive an hour or so back to Kennedy Meadows. Loads of people are here and they all clap for me as I walk up the steps as if I’ve just arrived as a hiker. 😂 that made me smile. TourGuide, Handyman, Charmer, Sketch, Chill, M&M. Brad (now SilverFox) and others. These are my people. High fives all around and they already have purchased packs of beer to celebrate.

📸 The afternoon is similar to yesterday. I’m now filling up my little ThruNote book with photos of people that I don’t want to forget. I meet more new people and geek out with a French guy called Fred and his wife Lilly. I say “geek out” but he is into technology and we chat about drones, Osmo pocket cameras, Insta360’s and much more. He loves my little Polaroid printer and takes a photo of it. I also spend quite a bit of time chatting to Mike who I met yesterday. He is such an interesting character. I’m my book he wrote “Flow” - Don’t push the river, it flows by itself. I love this. In life, our best days are when we simply let the journey unfold.

🔊 As the day turns to dusk the youngsters are playing garden Jenga and it’s getting very loud. I think the beer is flowing well. Handyman & crew have gone to camp at a Grumpy Bears where they are planning a karaoke night. It’s gonna be messy!

🍷 I’m chilled with a glass of white wine and listening to their pure happiness. I’m tired, so say goodnight to everyone and retire to my van.

😴 I slip into my Jim jams, load a film “The Tender Bar” but I don’t watch it all as my eyes are heavy and I’m struggling to stay awake. I can watch the rest tomorrow.

Night night everyone. Thanks, as always for listening to my rambles.

Signing out.

Jukebox
XxRead more