Stillness and the race: a Nero in Julian

Nothing beats a hot cup of instant coffee next to a canyon, while watching the sun slowly come into view. Maybe it’s the way the scalding titanium cup cradles our hands, or maybe it’s the lingering aftertaste of “last night’s taco” still embedded in the rim; Whatever it is, there is always a moment of solace before the day begins.

As a long-distance hiker, these windows of stillness are rare. Aside from these few and far between, our bodies and brains are in a constant state of activity: tending to blisters, stuffing duvets, rolling sleeping mats, and hyper-focused on logistics: adjusting daily mileage, calculating water reserves, obsessing about the next resupply, and sticking to a structured schedule.

It is a common mistake to think that we have nothing to do but walk. At home, household chores can be spread throughout the day; On the way, we have a ten-minute window to shove food into our mouths and pack our entire lives away. At night, the routine is just as rigid. Once we choose a campsite, one of us cooks while the other sets up the tent. The next two hours are spent frantically reversing the morning: unpacking, inflating mattresses, scrubbing dirt from head to toe, and swapping sweaty layers for dry ones. We finally collapsed around “hiker midnight,” which is 9:00 pm (or earlier!).

It was another windy and sleepless night, at least on this stretch of trail. Our tent was tucked away in a corner near a group of hikers who started a few days before us, and they all seem to have come down with a case of the «ick.» We spent the night listening to them cough from one tent to another.

We normally don’t like camping in groups. We preferred to find a secluded spot since we are light sleepers and get up early, but this was just one of those stretches where things didn’t work out in our favor. Keeping your distance is not about being antisocial; It’s about self-preservation. The disease spreads very easily from one hiker to another, and we really don’t want to be left out.

We woke up at the usual time, had our coffee and breakfast and hit the road at 6:00 am

With just a nine-mile “sprint” to Julian ahead of us, we ran into Ghost (a ’24 AT student like us), and the prospect of our first “nero” was all the encouragement our fresh morning legs needed. We’d heard the gossip about free cake in town, but as vegans, we’ve learned not to get our hopes up. Honestly? We’d happily settle for a hot cup of real coffee, with a splash of oat milk if we’re lucky!

Within five minutes of arriving at Scissors Crossing, we gave a thumbs up and a truck pulled up. We threw our backpacks into the bed of Rangel’s truck, stuffed our «mature» bodies inside, and were whisked off to the post office to grab our resupply and a spare charger for my backpack.

After a brief stop at 2 Foot Adventures, the two of us, along with Ghost and the Netherlands team, who fuel their miles on mayonnaise and peanut butter, were “pushed from the nest” to explore Julian.

Located in the Cuyamaca Mountains, Julian is a historic gold rush town and a legendary stop for PCT hikers. Our second stop was Mom’s Pie House, where they really take care of the hiking community. We were presented with free cake and coffee, we shared an apple slice and a Bumbleberry slice, both vegan!

While the town is filled with gift shops, boutique hotels, and several bakeries, Mom’s is definitely the sweetest.

After drinking several cups of coffee, we went out to look for fresh vegetables that looked edible and didn’t cost a fortune, and we chose both. A bag of soon-to-be-expired lettuce cost $17.57!! No thanks, we politely decline. Hence the reason we send each other food. We walked a mile to our Airbnb to rest and prepare for the return to the trail tomorrow.

On day 1, NoCaffeine stubbed his toe and wrapped it in leucotape. Today, five days later, he finally removed the tape and found a black and blue nail that was barely attached and had many blisters. Spent the afternoon draining and soaking to prevent infection. We are crossing our fingers that he will be allowed to walk in the morning.

While she tended to her wounds, I did the laundry. We stink!

All in all, it was nice to take a break, but we’re more than ready to get back on the trail.

To be continued…

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