There are no useless uploads

It seemed to have been between bubbles during the last stretch. There was not a single human soul for a full day, and very few on the other days. I saw a gray fox and a scorpion, which was really cool, if only I had my phone ready. But a deer mouse and a horned lizard let me take a photo of them, so that makes up for it a bit.

Anyway, there is not much to highlight other than the tranquility of the mountains. I had a bit of magic on the trail and met up with Bear who took me out of Stagecoach in week 1. But what I want to write about is this guy called Zen.

A dry and exposed stretch

Before meeting Zen, I had to get a ride from some hikers returning to the trail after a fruitful day in Tehachapi. The backpack was heavy because it carried more than a gallon of water. It was a 16 mile water haul to the next source. So even though the Sierra is so close, the desert isn’t done with me yet.

There isn’t much to highlight about the day other than the umbrella that you grab on the exposed, windless days on this stretch of trail. A few pines and joshuas for shade, but enough to mock you. The water fountain at the end of the day was nothing special, if not for who I shared it with.

Forgotten old wisdom

Zen is an older guy who doesn’t move too fast down the road. Zen isn’t much on the surface, a gray beard on a rugged face, but that’s the point. Zen got the name of his trail because he used to complain every day about the climb, the weather, the water, the bugs, and so on. Then one day, Zen decided to just let it be, accept the path as it is. And you know what? He says it’s been easier since then. “The path did not change; I did. And that is zen in essence.”

At that moment I nodded and congratulated him for having found inner peace. But later, as I walked on it, I realized that it answered a question I had been asking myself. How was my mentality different from that of others?

Common complaints

It seems very common for hikers, both new and experienced, to complain about useless ups and downs. Or hikers mention that they are simply trekking through the boring desert to tour the Sierra. Or hikers take easier altitudes to avoid a few miles of «steep» trail.

I have always found it interesting, since from my point of view, they are all useless ups and downs. That’s what I’m doing here; That’s hiking. Or that the desert seemed beautiful to me. It’s not that the desert is boring, you just have to value it more and stop comparing it.

red line

Or that I never skip miles just to have an easier time. From my perspective, I came here to ride the PCT, not any other road. Sure, that blue glow alternative might be easier, but if I wanted it easy, I would have driven to the top. It doesn’t have to be hard, but I don’t want it to be easy either.

Online, purists (people who don’t deviate from the official path) seem very vocal. But here I have been called a “red liner” (a mild insult for someone who stubbornly sticks to a single red line). I find it funny that I’ve never been mean to anyone for not taking the official tour, but I get it for taking the official tour.

And it’s not that I never deviate from the red line. I did San Jacinto, which is a blue fire, and I’ll also do the Tunnel Falls blue fire. Not because they are easier, which San Jacinto definitely wasn’t easier, but because they have points of interest worth seeing. I have chosen the path and I can always leave if I wish.

A realization

It took Zen’s explanation to answer the question of why others seem so concerned about easing the way. It’s because I already had the zen, the mentality of accepting the path as it is. That I don’t question the path, I simply let it guide me to the places it wants to show me. The path will provide it, or so the saying goes.

I might wonder why the path goes a certain way. But to appreciate the path more deeply. I’m not a saint and sometimes I complain, but by default I tend to stay in that state of Zen, of appreciation. I remember a time when I didn’t have this zen, but I don’t remember when I learned it.

Class IV

I am not going to travel from Mexico to Canada; I’m going to travel the PCT. I accepted the ups and downs, the pain and happiness, the emotions and the downs, the beauty and sadness, the tranquility and disturbance. All before setting foot on the track. And that’s why there are no useless increases.

Well, I’ve thought about it enough. My vehicle is here and I have to take a Class IV whitewater rafting trip later today.

Blainville’s horned lizard

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