SIKE. We have gotten off trail. After resting my IT band for 4 days and nights in Bishop, we returned to the trail, up and over Kearsarge Pass for a second time. We made it about 10 miles out, close to the fearsome Glen Pass, before determining that returning would be the wisest plan of action. It was a challenging decision to make, especially considering the view from the base of the pass in the morning sun.
However, I haven't left the Pacific Trail behind me forever. The trail will still be there next year, and the year after. I'm not sure what the allure of the trail is, but it exists. I will hike the trail again, and this time I will do it right. In all, we hiked 321 miles this summer. That provided me with a lot of experience, and many ideas about what i might do differently next time.
The summer isn't over though. One of my best friends, Tanner Martin, has really come through for us. He hooked us up with jobs in Yellowstone National Park for the summer, is writing our recommendation letters, and will be picking us up in Bozeman in a few hours. It's great to have amazing people like Tanner in your life.
Oh yeah, by the way: we're in Bozeman now. We really did travel 1100 miles to get here though. Traveling with us was was our companion, Lamp. We picked up Lamp at Hostel California. Hostel California is located in the historical Chalfant House. The place is absolutely the raddest place we stayed at in California. Great people, great atmosphere, and an unbelievable rate ($15 a night). We are "Original Gangster" (OG), as we stayed there the second night of it's opening.
Anyway, at the hostel there was a lamp cache, and we decided to pack one out for our journey across the country. After all, it's not about doing it, it's about saying you did it. And it's a great souvenir. Abby and I travelled 200 miles from Bishop, CA, north to Reno, NV by hitching, and Lamp rode with us every mile.
We met some interesting people. The first guy to show us kindness was Mark Gibson II. He was a trucker who saw us and came to ask us if there was anything he could do to help us out. He was headed in the opposite direction we were, but that didn't stop him from going into the gas station and buying us a large sack of gatorade and candy bars. Thanks Mark!
The guy who took us from Bishop to Mammoth was an entrepreneur in the IT world. He was a hyper intellectual who dropped out of high school to start an IT company. He was incredibly successful and became a millionaire by his early 20s. Now he's moved to CA and drives around climbing mountains and smoking weed. Interesting!
Next was a sweet old man who took us north of Lee Vining. He was a retired ski bum and adventurer himself, who lived a quiet life in his solar powered home in the mountains. Chucky, our next friend, was a full blooded Native American from North Dakota. He told us about how his wife doesn't like him picking up hitch hikers, but that his proficiency in hand to hand combat gave him all the confidence he needed. He then proceeded to demonstrate every scenario he could be put into with thief or murderer in his car and how he would repel my attacks, break my arms, or retalliate. Then he drove us 15 miles out of his way so we could get to Bridgeport. Great guy!
The next morning we got dropped off by the Swezeys in Gardinerville so we could catch the bus to Reno. Unfortunately it wasn't running that day. We had a frazzled walk 4 miles to the north side of town, worrying about catching another ride and making it to Reno in time to get on our Greyhound to Bozeman.
We turn around and thumb for all of 5 seconds and a police officer pulls over, flashing his lights. He tells us not to approach his because it makes him nervous, and asks for our ID's. He wants to make sure we aren't axe murders. Apparently it's illegal to hitch-hike in Nevada. We told him our story though, and after he checked to make sure we weren't axe murderers, he agreed to take us to Reno. This is the second time I have ridden in the back of a cop car this summer. He turned out to be so cool, though, and we had a great time on the way to Reno.
The bus ride from Reno to Bozeman was a wearisome adventure. The quarters were cramped and the people were interesting. For example, I got asked out by a transexual. She asked if I was straight, and I told her yes. The problem was, I wasn't sure which answer she would have preferred to hear. There were also many screaming children on the bus, which made the 30 hours we spent on it quite joyous.
Luckily my friends Jared, Katie, and Barrett came to the rescue, picking us up in Butte, MT, saving Abby and I from an 8 hour layover in the great Butt of America. They took us to Bozeman and life has been perfect. I feel like I am at home here. I'm staying with Jared, Barrett, Katie, and Xan, and have gotten to see Erika, Sarah, Shane, and Jason again. I wish I could have seen more people in my time here, but most folks have gone home for the summer. When you all return for school in August, we absolutely must have a get together with everyone!
I'm really excited for a new chapter of this summer in Yellowstone! Montana is the baste