Déjà vu and a piece of cake

Having a zero at the beginning of the journey is probably a bit exorbitant, but waking up in a real bed was very necessary.

Even better is that I was able to wake up to my dog ​​snoring at the foot of my bed. The rest and relaxation made me feel like a new person and I was looking forward to getting back to my little trail family. I gathered my supplies and clean clothes, said one last see-by to Mica, and headed back to Julian.

In town, I met everyone outside Mom’s bakery. Sitting on the benches outside Mom brought instant déjà vu to me at 10 years old. When I was 10, my father and I, along with my fifth grade class, biked from Yuma, Arizona, to Carlsbad, California, on a weeklong bike trip inspired by the Ride Across America. I always remember this California Walk as the reason I am the person I am today.

That trip taught me a lot about patience, perseverance, community, strength, and where to get the best apple pie in the smallest little mountain town.

My first adventure made me the person confident enough to be sitting on those same benches, eating the same piece of pie 20 years later, now as a PCT hiker.

After soaking in a few moments of nostalgia, I came back to reality as the next 2pm ferry approached. The ferry was taking us to the Stagecoach caravan park, where Straight Up, Penguin and I were sharing a cabin to rest for one more night before heading back on the road.

Stagecoach RV Park is a little hidden oasis in the middle of nowhere. There’s an ice cream shop/mini market, a swimming pool, scattered cabins like the one we’re staying in tonight, and seemingly endless places for hikers to pitch their tents.

We spent most of the afternoon around the pool getting to know everyone and soaking our worn out feet. One hiker so generously set out to coordinate a group barbecue dinner. Armed with dozens of hot dogs, vegetables, beer, and even cookie dough, we gathered around a couple of camp barbecues to cook up a feast fit for 20 hungry hikers. Some nearby campers were curious about our crew, and after talking to the fearless leader of our group, they let us sit around the fire and even gave him this amazing knife. As a result, it earned the name Dundee.

After almost a week on the trail, people are starting to get names for their trails. A trail name is a nickname given to a hiker, usually because of something they say or do, thus creating their fully evolved trail personality. Some of the new ones coming out this week include Penguin, named after his swagger while walking with blistered feet, Floki for his Viking hat and trail motto «fluidity is the key», and now Dundee.

Penguin and I walked back to our cabin talking about how special this little group feels and how nights like these are the moments that make the reality of being on the PCT sink in a little more.

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