Against The Routine

I am in Tehachapi in a hair salon! Even though we are “Hiker Trash” (more about the term “Hiker Trash” later in another blogpost), I think I want to keep up some sort of style! 

So, my hair looks almost civilized again!

We take a few zeros here in Tehachapi, as Felix’s dad came out with his friend Bruce to visit Felix and to help out with some trail-angeling.

They have rented a whole house! And they invite me to join them!! I am so lucky and just keep being happy and amazed about everything that is happening to me. I must have had acquired/assembled pretty good Karma in my life so far! (Or my former life, who knows!) It is so fantastic to be on the PCT and I love how nice and welcoming my trail family is!

Have I mentioned yet that my trailname is “Happy Heidi“ :D

My PCT is much more than I ever thought it would be! Felix and Andy make sure I learn a lot about the American (food) culture! My trail food is so much more varied thanks to them.

Felix’s dad and his friend Bruce are amazing! They both are witty and funny and make me feel so very welcome.

We do our typical town chores like bringing our super dirty, dusty, stinky cloths to a public laundry!

But enough hanging out, we need to get back on trail. Again, we can comfortably ride in Bruce’s car and we get dropped off right at the trailhead.
No hitchhiking, no worrying about how to get back to the trail, I just sit in the car and get driven out!

“THANK YOU GUYS!”

It feels so good to be back on the trail, which indeed has become my home.

We are at mile 566.4. It is the start of a new section (section F to be precise). It is a dreaded section as it is known to be very dry.

We realize that this is the section where the famous Cheryl Strayed started her PCT! (I am sure you have seen the movie WILD with Reese Witherspoon!). So poor Sheryl missed out 566.4 amazing trailmiles!

This section starts with quite a climb. Good job that we have developed some sort of “Hiker Legs” by now, so the up up up is not too hard.

We speak our own trail language by now, so all the steep mountains and ridges we have to climb are now named “fuckers”.

“Right, let’s conquer this fucker”.

So dry out here and the path is rocky and uneven.

“Ohhhh Outch!!”

“Fuck!!”

I slip and crash on my right thigh. My full body weight together with the pack makes for a good load of pain.
More pain! DAMN IT!

I plot along with a very sore body. This was my forth PCT accident/fall. I seem to be the only one who keeps stumbling and falling. Maybe I should concentrate more on the path, rather than looking around, breathing in the landscape….

My poor body hurts quite a bit and during my next pee-stop (aka watering the plants as we call it) I examine my bruise. It has the size of my hand and is rather colourful… I am very sore and a bit miserable. But the PCT is not the right place to feel sorry for myself…

Just keep hiking, despite the pain!
And there are Felix and Andy of course who cheer me up with their smiles and humour, and their big hearts.

I chuckle when I think of Andy saying “this sucks!”. He says that rather often, specially when it is HOT, and specially in combination with a “fucker “ we have to climb.

“Pardon me for my language dear reader! But it is rough out here and so becomes our language!”

Felix’s dad and Bruce drive ahead and stay in Ridgecrest. It is the plan that they “trail-angel” and pick us up at mile 602.5 to drive us to Ridgecrest for the night where we can shower, have a float in the hotel pool, and sleep in a bed. It has been two very hot, dry, dusty and exhausting days, and my body is super sore from my accident, so this trail-angel-break is super welcomed.

Exhausted, we heave ourselves up the last hill and see Felix’s dad and Bruce and the car (which is covered in dust).

“Guys, we need to talk”, says Felix’s dad.

“It took us three ours to get here and the last bit of the road is very dodgy, we hardly made it out here… “.

Oh my!!

We quickly have to come up with a plan B, as there is no way that they can drive up here once more to drop us off again! No way!

I suggest that we just skip a few trail-miles and that they can drop us off at the next upcoming trailhead which is more accessible by car. We realize quickly that we hence will skip almost a full day hiking that way.

“Let’s take another zero tomorrow then!” Andy suggests and we all happily agree!!

In normal circumstances I would say it is a shame to miss miles, but as I had said in a previous post, this trail is so much more than just “the miles”! For me, it is much more important to make wise decisions, stay flexible and be safe out there, and most importantly have a good time, have a good life. One has to evaluate situations as they come and be smart about the decisions. There is no place for stubborn-nes out here!

We climb in the car and ride down back the mountain on this very bumpy, steep dirt road!

“OH. My. God!“

“How did they even make it up here??”

The road freaks me out! I would be absolutely terrified if I had to steer the car myself.

We get out of the car twice to make the car lighter and to make it possible to drive over the humps and bumps!
Such an adventure! I have never driven on an adventurous road like this one here. I feel so sorry for Bruce’s car every time the bottom hits a bump or rock!

Bruce does a fantastic job and we give him the trail-name “Steel Nerves”. We are finally “out of the woods” and everybody applauds!

Phiuuu! Another adventure I get to be part in!

I simply love it!

We drive into the sunset on a spectacularly scenic road and get to see already what is coming next up the trail!

We check into the motel 6. Bruce explains that the night in this hotel used to cost USD 6, hence the name!

Off to the shower! Off to bed. I am too tired too eat dinner.

I pass out right away.

The night went by too quick (as always!). Felix’s dad brings me orange juice in the morning (so nice!).

We all climb into the car and drive out to have breakfast.

Felix caught a flu (poor Felix, it must be dreadful for him to hike in this damn heat, up and down the fuckers, with a flu.) He says he has difficulty breathing!

So he takes advantage of being in town and visits a pharmacy.

It is in fact a “Drive Through” pharmacy!! How incredibly amazing!!

America is full of cool surprises!