It was my birthday and I started the day by meeting a new friend. Gena is from the Olympia area of Washington State. She is a section hiker and will end her journey at Kennedy Meadows South – just before the Sierra. I liked her immediately. She kind of reminded me of my sister Roberta. She’s older than me but is in great shape and is able to put in miles very quickly. We chatted for awhile, then she went on ahead.
The hike into Julian was pure torture for me. Like many things on this journey, pure torture. I was reminded of the cowboy movies where the hero is stumbling through the desert with a parched throat, seeing mirages of grass and water only to see that it is just dirt. I was hot, I was burning and I was so thirsty.
I finally made it to Scissors Crossing – where traditionally PCT hikers are picked up to go into Julian. This was my first time ever to hitchhike. I started off, trying to look as pitiful as possible. Because truly, I was pitiful. I was tired, I was burned, and I was ready to sit down.
Not long after I started, a couple pulled over for me! I was so thankful! And I was humbled. The couple who pulled over, drove the oldest car known to man – hundreds of thousands of miles on it for sure. No air-conditioning. The couple inside matched their car. Well loved, many miles. They were very kind. The woman said, “We passed you coming from the other direction. I knew we had to go back and get you. We just can’t let that girl be so weighted down!” I felt impressed to give them $20. The woman protested at first, but the man acknowledged their need.
I got into Julian and stopped at a hotel. I quickly realized I had chosen the wrong time to visit Julian. It was Memorial Day weekend. Actually, everything in town was full. I really needed to reset. I needed a room to myself. I needed a shower. I needed to wash my clothes. I needed to catch up on my journaling and blogging. I was already a little depressed from yesterday‘s hike to Rodriquez for water. I was already questioning whether I should just go home back to Tennessee. Everything was better there. I could have water anytime I wanted. I could have a shower. I could do laundry. But most of all I was missing my mom and René and Stanley and little Ginger. I was missing special Sabbath breakfast with the family. Also, I was feeling slow and inadequate. How could I ever make it to Canada at this pace? The hot desert sun was giving me PTSD. I just couldn’t imagine going back out there again.
But, I was in Julian. A very hiker friendly town. So I enjoyed it. I stopped at Mom’s Bakery. They give every PCT hiker for free whatever their order is. And guess who was there? Gena and Takahashi! It was good to see them both.
I walked around town a little bit more and then I stopped at a café for lunch. They also had a discount for PCT hikers. Really delicious. Simple, I know, but a grilled cheese with extra pickles just hit the spot.
I was stopped two separate times by total strangers asking me if I was a PCT hiker. I told him yes and what I was doing and how long I thought it would take. I felt seen. It was nice. It gave me a little bit of encouragement. One of those people was Mark Legris. When I told him of my predicament of not being able to find lodging for the evening, he offered space at his private campground on his lot. He said there would be showers and a place to recharge my equipment. All I needed to do was to figure out how to get to his place – 4 miles out of town. I accepted! How kind! So I started off trying to figure out how to get there. At first, I tried Uber, but that was no luck. So I just decided that my only choice was to hitch. Amazingly, a wonderful couple, Shiree and Thomas, pick me up almost right away. They were very kind and they gave me their contact information in case I needed anything else. I gave them some Abundant Life Trail stickers.
The gate attendant at the private campground gave me a ride to Mark’s family camp site in his golf cart – so kind. I set up my tent and then went immediately to the showers. I did a little washing by hand. I then was able to go to the camp clubhouse and recharge some of my electronics. Later, I met with Mark and his daughter Sierra. I even spoke with his wife Grace on the phone. They felt it was a divine appointment because our meeting paralleled what their pastor was preaching on that morning. Such a kind family. I got to bed early that night – I was exhausted.
