Home Sweet (?) Home – The Trek

I finished the PCT on September 14th and returned home to Seattle the afternoon of September 15th. It was strange.

It was strange going from having everything I need to fit in a small backpack to being surrounded by so many things I didn’t need. Within a few days of being home, I gave away almost all of my clothes (most of them were too big anyway) and cleaned out a few more wagons full of junk I had but didn’t need. I took a break to fly to New York to see my daughter and felt peace living out of a small suitcase for a few days.

My legs and feet were done with the trail, but my mind was not.

In the days and weeks since then, I’ve traveled a little and traveled a little thinking about going back to work. I started going to the gym every day (something I did before trail running), but now I take the long way home, adding another mile to my walk home. Sometimes if it’s not raining I’ll stop and play pickleball with seniors for about an hour. I discovered that I don’t really like being inside. I get nervous if I sit still for too long.

But it’s becoming more and more normal. My riding buddy LP and I are in frequent contact and are both getting back to life in the real world.

Last week I did my first hike since finishing. Somehow my legs and lungs are still intact, as I was able to do a 10 mile hike with 4000 vertical feet of gain in just over 4 hours (with a very light backpack).

Things are getting back to normal, but I still lose track.

I probably do day hikes almost every weekend, with the occasional urban meander mixed in if I don’t have a car or transportation available. And next summer I’m already planning another long hike, either the JMT (when the snow and mosquitoes disappear) or the Long Trail in VT. Plus plenty of short, fun hikes close to home.

It was an incredible journey that doesn’t seem to be over yet.

Because maybe it’s not.

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