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A Calendar Year Triple Crown Birthday Celebration
Last night I stayed up pretty late, but I still felt like I got decent rest. This morning I slept in until after 7 AM and then slowly but surely got up. I headed over to the continental breakfast, where a bunch of other hikers were eating as well. The breakfast spread it wasn’t incredible. But I got the job done. Then I went back to the room to get ready for my 9 AM massage appointment.
There’s a massage place right here in Tehachapi, which is a 10 minute walk from the hotel. Mark was able to fit me in last minute for a 90 minute massage. Which I think my body desperately needs. I headed over there and got in right on time. Mark was incredible and those were probably the best 90 minutes of my life. In reality though I think it was around 105 minutes because he even gave me some bonus time.
He asked if I wanted to focus specifically on the areas that are giving me some trouble. In the end, he wound up primarily focusing on my legs and hips. But he worked on all areas as well. I’ve had a few different massages in the last few years and this one was hands-down. The best I’ve ever had. You could just tell that he knew exactly what every tiny component of your body was. It was very clear while he was working on specific areas that he was incredibly intentionally more delicate or firm. It’s hard to put into words, but his knowledge and expertise was very obvious.
Headed to the hot tub! This has to be the best zero day of all time.
I didn’t realize how incredibly tight my right calf was until he started working on it. He even had to work it with hot stones at one point. That was probably one of the best parts about the massage. I got to get some insight into which parts of my body are sore or tight, Especially because most of the area areas which were tight in the massage aren’t places which have been giving me any pain or discomfort. Sometimes you don’t really know which areas are tight or overused until something flares up. Lately the trail has been uneven and primarily raised on the right side. Which I think has been leading to some very obvious overcompensation.
All in all, it was just the most amazing experience and such a great way to start my zero day. He also does hiker rates so the massage was unbelievably affordable. It was truly shocking for how long of a massage it was. Mark also gave me some stretches. I can do which was super helpful. And gave some advice on different parts of my body, which have been seeming a little bit tight. When I was walking out of there, I felt fantastic. In some ways, I felt a little bit sore. Because he worked out tightness that was fairly deep into some of my muscles. But I felt so good.
After the massage, I headed back to the hotel. On my way back I talked to my mom, which was amazing. I had gotten tons of messages and calls while I was in there. And once I got back, I headed straight into the hot tub. I figured it would be the perfect time for a soak, now that my body was all nice and worked out. While I sat in the tub, I drank 1000 calories of chocolate milk and got some writing work done. It was the best of all worlds. Relaxing and simultaneously being productive. I stayed in there for a pretty long time before eventually getting out to shower. Then decided to finally do my laundry.
Living the dream out here! Happy birthday to me.
While my laundry was going, I got even more writing and video work done. I also got some of my stuff packed away in preparation for tomorrow. I wanted to double check my food and make sure I had enough to get me to Kennedy Meadows south. Which is about 136 miles from here. Then after my laundry was done, I walked down the road to grab some lunch. I’ve gone by a food truck earlier in the day, which looked good. So I got a birria quesadilla and also a churro sundae. I’ve seen the sign for the churro sundae and could not resist trying it.
A churro sundae for lunch.
For the rest of the afternoon, I was just super productive and tried to get as much stuff done as possible. I also really needed to sit down and try to make some plans for the next couple of weeks. There’s really two options on the table right now. I know that the snow conditions through the Sierra are pretty intense. I’ve gone through the Sierra in much worse snow in the past. So I’m not worried about my ability to do it, as much as I’m worried about the extent to which it will slow me down. As well as just exhaust me unnecessarily.
So I can either continue going north past Kennedy Meadows south and just deal with the snow. It’ll slow my daily mileage down a little bit, but wouldn’t be detrimental. I could probably still do 25–30 mile days, but it would once again require hiking for 15 or 16 hours a day most likely. Similar to what I experienced out in Vermont. Or, I can just head back out east and finish New Hampshire and Maine. I have a few connections out there and it seems like the trail is basically a snow free through the whites. I’m sure there are still some patches of snow and what not. But in comparison to a couple weeks ago, it’s night and day. I also had a Trail Angel reach out Who had basically offered to take me all the way from Kennedy Meadows south to the nearest airport. Which is one of the biggest obstacles in this entire mission. That would be an almost impossible hitch.
Soaking in the hot tub today was amazing.
There’s still some logistics to work out and some things that would have to fall into place. But there’s a good chance that this next week will be a transition of sorts regardless of whatever I choose. I’m excited to make it to Kennedy Meadows south, which is such an iconic marker along the PCT. To me, I think Kennedy Meadows south is the real completion of the desert section. Sure, you do get into a slightly higher elevation in the stretch north of Tehachapi. Which I know all too well because the last time I was here, I got caught in a snowstorm north of here.
As always, I felt relieved to be coordinating and making plans. There are so many logistics that go into a hike, such as this one. Every choice you make needs to be balanced in a few different ways. Hiking through slow conditions takes time, and so does traveling. I think the key is considering How much time and energy you will be expending under both circumstances. And then making a personal decision about which situation will serve you the most.
While I was figuring all of that out, I was also coordinating with a Trail Angel named Jay Go. He’s been helping me so much while I’ve been out here on the PCT. He got me in touch with multiple Trail Angel’s who have made my life so much easier. And he also provided me a bunch of information about the fire closure near Wrightwood. Today he’s heading down to Tehachapi to see a friend. And he also wanted to come and celebrate my birthday with me and some other people. He texted me today and asked if I was down to get dinner with a few people to celebrate. And that honestly sounded really nice. We wound up making plans to meet up around 6 PM for some pizza.
It was so nice being able to get work done while I was in the hot tub.
Prior to meeting up with everyone, I got a ton more work on. I really wanted to edit and upload a bunch of YouTube videos in particular. As well as catch up on writing and video work stuff. I got just about everything done which was a good feeling. But know I’ll still have some work to get done after I come back from dinner. Then right around 6 PM. I walked down to TK Pizza to meet up with everyone. Jay Go was there with a couple section hikers and also Nick Fowler, which was a wild surprise. If you don’t know who Nick is, his trail name is Desert Jesus. He said the PCT fastest known time going southbound in 2023. He did it in 52 days and averaged about 50 miles per day. That dude is an absolute legend in the outdoor community and endurance sports in general.
It was so awesome to see Jay Go again! It’s been a really long time since our paths last crossed. Probably since I was around South Lake Tahoe on the PCT in 2022. He’s one of the most positive and fantastic faces in the PCT community. Other than Ghost, who drove me from San Diego down to the border recently, I really can’t think of anyone else who cares as much about hikers and this community. Jay Go constantly goes above and beyond to support hikers. And he does all of it completely out of the kindness of his heart, not for any kind of compensation.
For the next couple hours, I just hung out with all of those great people and had dinner. We got a delicious pizza and I had such a great time chatting with everyone. It was really cool to ask Nick a bunch of questions about his prior FKT attempts and times on trail. He’s a super interesting dude with so much experience out on trail. What an incredible surprise it was to wind up having dinner with him tonight. I feel like I’ve met so many incredible trail legends this year, it’s a really wild and amazing blessing.
Later on in the evening Jay Go surprise me with this incredible dessert calzone monstrosity. It was a chocolate calzone, loaded with funnel cake fries, ice cream, strawberries, and chocolate sauce. The guy saying happy birthday to me and the whole experience was just really nice. This turned out to be such an incredible trail birthday. I figured it would be pretty mellow and not necessarily very eventful. But that really wasn’t the case.
Even better than a cake, it’s a birthday chocolate calzone sundae!
After dinner, I headed back to the hotel. And Jay Go is going to be staying somewhere in town tonight, so he’s actually able to give me a ride back to trail tomorrow morning. Which is absolutely amazing. I had some numbers I was going to text and try to get a shuttle ride. But this just saves me so much time and energy. Plus it’ll just be nice to see him again! Back at the room, I got even more writing and video work done. Plus, got a handful of YouTube videos uploaded and finally did the descriptions for all of my recent videos that I’m waiting to upload. I know it sounds silly, but sometimes the only thing is standing in my way between posting a video and not, is that I haven’t written the description yet. Which isn’t even time-consuming.
I also wound up eating a ton more calories at the room. I still had a big jug of chocolate milk, a piece of cheesecake, and a burrito from last night. So I got way more calories in and watched TV while I did some work. Then just got everything ready to hit the trail again tomorrow. I’m hoping to do around 35 miles tomorrow just to set myself up for the next few days. But we’ll just have to see what happens!
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Comments 19
What a fantastic birthday 🥳🎂🥳. Those desserts looked so delicious and the massage sounded amazing 🤩. So glad you got to meet a few more trail legends – I know you can totally appreciate their true grit. Can’t wait to see what you decide to do when you get to KM. I know those days in Vermont are still fresh in your mind but if you don’t have to do those long grueling days post holeing and have the opportunity to get a ride to the nearest airport, then it’s a win win. Yay for trail angels and all of those helping you along the way. It’s wonderful to hear that so many people behind the scenes, including me, want to see you succeed in this calendar year triple crown 💜. This is your year PL and I’m so very proud of you 💜
Sounds like you couldn’t have had a better birthday. You deserved that and am still pleasantly shocked by the # of people who seem to come out of nowhere wanting to help you out. I’d definitely take advantage of that ride to the airport if it’s still available. Love getting to read your blogs 1 st thing each day.
In your list of options you didn’t consider going and doing new mexico NOBO. Why not give NH and Maine another 3 or 4 weeks ? Just curious. Maybe saving that for November if you’re doing the CDT SOBO? Anyway, sending positive vibes your way. You’re an inspiration!
“Happy belated birthday! I really enjoyed your blog and the beautiful pictures. Thank you for sharing your amazing adventures on the Pacific Crest Trail—truly inspiring!”
So glad you had a great birthday! I really enjoy hearing about all your adventures and I appreciate all the time you put in to keep us informed about your experiences!
Does it get any better having pizza, a ginormous chocolate calzone, and awesome hikers/trail angles on your birthday! Nope! So glad you shared it with others and praying for a healthy body so you can continue hiking the big miles. You go PL.
Can’t go wrong with a great massage! Sending good vibes that the massage and birthday zero help out your hip.
Happy Birthday PL!! Sounds like you had a perfect day! Thanks for all the great blogs and videos!
Happy Birthday Peg Leg. When are you going to show us your Super Woman outfit. You are awesome. As a 73 yr old guy listen to your body and take time to rest if you need to. Take care and God’s speed as you continue to your epic journey.
What an ideal birthday for a hiker: massage, relaxation time and dinner with kindred spirits. Congrats Peg Leg!
Happy Birthday Peg Leg! My birthday is today: May 16th though turning 70 probably will prevent me from ever hiking as you do! However, the fact that your birthday is May 15th lends credence to my oft repeated claim that some of the best people are born in May! 🙂 Hope your 29th was a good as my 70th! Peace and Happy Hiking.
O what a nice surprise birthday party for you!! My suggestion for beating the snow is since your out west already maybe catch the flight to the northern terminus of the PCT & head SOBO in the PCT from Washington. Not sure how the north Cascades are but usually Washington & Oregon are pretty mild & refreshing through the mountains & then get to the Sierra’s for summer. You might see a lot of the others again that you met when you started the PCT. Then head back to NH & Maine for rest of summer. Just an idea for you – not at all telling you what to do!! But you’ll know what to do when you get to KM & it’ll be fun to hear what you decide.
O forget my suggestion – report says snowy trail conditions til July in north Cascades.🙃
O what a nice surprise birthday party for you!! My suggestion for beating the snow is since your out west already maybe catch the flight to the northern terminus of the PCT & head SOBO in the PCT from Washington. Not sure how the north Cascades are but usually Washington & Oregon are pretty mild & refreshing through the mountains & then get to the Sierra’s for summer. You might see a lot of the others again that you met when you started the PCT. Then head back to NH & Maine for rest of summer. Just an idea for you – not at all telling you what to do!! But you’ll know what to do when you get to KM & it’ll be fun to hear what you decide.
NEXT UP ONLY FANS
Go back to 4Chan . . . You are not adding anything here
Did someone say FUNNEL CAKE FRIES??!!! 😍😍😍😍. Omergwd… The snow in the Sierras looks scary to me, as I saw it on Handstand Instagram, I don’t think doing it alone is a good idea.
Happy birthday! You deserve all this pampering!
Happy belated birthday.