Adjusting to a New Life (Mile 266-444)

Today marks my one month trailversery. Essentially that means I’ve been running up mountains, through deserts, and into random trail angels homes for one month. Two nights ago I was Journaling before bed, writing ‘it was a pretty typical day’, as I looked over a mountain range dotted with the glows of dusk. I then awoke the next morning to the sun peaking over the snow capped mountains that I had summited the day before. I still have to pinch myself to realize this isn’t a dream. Every aspect of my being has begun to adjust to this new life and I couldn’t love it more.

My mind is adjusting

Waking up at 5:30, packing all my belongings into a bag and being on the road by 6am has now become the norm. Hiking snowy slopes are just specs of the adventures that mark my day instead of the dreaded climb that envelopes the whole day. Pain, which I used to hate, has become just another friend who walks alongside me on trail. Always nudging me to stretch more, or take a longer rest. Pain keeps me aware of my body’s needs, so I am grateful when it presents itself.

 

My body is adjusting

I am hungry all the time. I mean all the time. I lovingly warn nearby campers of my ‘racoon noises’. This is when I wake up in the middle of the night (generally between 12:30-1:30) absolutely ravenous. I begin rummaging through my food bag and start the bargaining process. Can I eat my lunch for tomorrow right now? What about this Cliff bar? The food i hold in my hand always seems to disappear before i decide on the answer to these questions.

Similarly, my dreams have become centered around food. My favorite dream was one where my trail family and I were walking in the heat of the day, surrounded by desert shrubs. Then, it appeared. A glowing, glorious red sign. Trader Joe’s. We rejoiced, jumping up and down, shouting out the items we planned to buy. Beer, salad, ice cream, chips, the list went on.

As a side note, for family and friends concerned about my caloric intake, I’ve increased the calories per day I’m packing out on this next resupply. It’s always a balance between carrying too much food weight and not bringing enough calories. What always saves me is going into town and eating as much as possible. During this past section we passed the legendary McDonalds that is just .4 miles off trail. I quickly added an extra 1300+ calories in one sitting after stopping under the golden arches. I’ve also made a point to consistently check my weight. At this point I’ve lost weight, but a reasonable amount for my body mass.

 

My relationship with the trail is adjusting

At the beginning of this walk, the trail was just a little dirt path I would follow day after day. However, after time, this little dirt path seems to speak to me and encourage me throughout the day. I’ll look at a large hill on a hot, sweaty day. The trail winds up the hill in switchbacks, some so steep you have to crawl instead of walk. When seeing the path go up a massive hill I used to think, ‘oh crap, hee we go again’. Now, it seems the trail is calling me, playfully daring me to see the view at the top of this hill. The steep incline is always stunning, the zig zags in the desert always enjoyable, and the river crossings are refreshing. The trail doesn’t always go the easiest way or the most reasonable way, but now I trust it to go the most fun way.

My friendships are adjusting

Acquaintances are just friends you haven’t laughed with yet. Friends are just family you haven’t shared with yet. Every day is marked with heaps of laughter and loads of snack trading. When I started this a month ago, I was more so interested in personal development then meeting new people. Now I see that personal development flourishes with people. We take care of each other, get advice from one another, and check in on folks we haven’t seen on trail in a while. The people make every part of this experience more colorful.

 

Ill never adjust to…

One thing that I belive i will never adjust to is the kindness of strangers. ‘Trail angels’ are folks who offer help, services, or really anything to hikers. For example, it can be as simple as offering a hitch a mile down the road or as grand as opening up their home to a gaggle of hikers. We come in, smelly, tired, and hungry and for some reason people want to give to us. For example, I stayed at the 49ers, a bar in Acton. The owner gave us a free place to stay up our tents in the back, do bucket showers and bucket laundry. I ate the biggest sandwich of my life at the bar (a triple decker BLT) and finally felt full again. The owner showed us around the place, and talked with us till 10:30 (waaay past hiker midnight) just asking about our lives and sharing about his. The kindness of a good night’s rest, clean clothes, and meaningful conversations is incomparable.

Another day I walked just shy of 26 miles. I was hungry, hot, and (I’ll be honest) a little grumpy. I was sitting with my friends getting ready to get back on trail when one hiker started shouting from down the mountain. ‘Beer!’, he yelled jumping up and down, ‘They have free beer!’. We all started frantically packing our bags and sprinting, yes sprinting, down the mountain. One guy didn’t even bother to take his bag he was so excited. At the bottom of the hill lay a beautiful spread. Fresh bananas, oranges, apples. The girl who set up the spread smelled of shampoo and laundry detergent and was now surrounded by smelly, dirty, hikers. She showed us the drinks in the cooler, gatorades, sodas, and of course beer. ‘I also brought pastries’, she said and opened two boxes full of fresh baked goods. We thanked her perfusily as we ate and drank as much as we could. I don’t think trail angels understand how much their kindness means to me. As I stood over the cooler, I chugged a large Gatorade in about two gulps and put it down, feeling so much more alive. When I looked up I saw the girl who had brought the trail magic staring at me, mouth open. ‘It’s like I could see the energy refilling inside of you!’, she laughed. I laughed with her and asked about her life. I guess that’s what trail magic does. On a physical sense it gives hikers energy and fuel to continue living out our dream. On a deeper sense, it gives me hope in humanity. People just give and give to hikers. I don’t fully understand it, but I’m so grateful. When I get off of trail, I hope to take their kindness with me and share it with others.