Day 44
PCT Mile Marker 1501.93 – 1518.58
Miles Hiked 16.65
Uphill, uphill, uphill, uphill.
Met a great guy named Turtle.
He was faster than me.
I passed a guy who had exploded his pack all over the trail. I noticed, in passing, that it didn’t seem to be PCT kind of gear. Then at lunch, he caught up to me. He said he was new to backpacking. Said it had taken him three days to get to this point from I-5, where Aidan left me last night.
Hiker: “I’m not gonna hurt you. I just want you to know who I am. It’s nice to have someone to talk to.”
He was looking at the stream. I pulled my ice axe close to my side.
Then he started a monologue about how he used to deal narcotics and he’s robbed thirteen banks. But he broke his own rule and robbed a bank down the street from his house and that was a mistake.
And now he’s backpacking.
And now he knows that robbing banks is wrong.
Was I in a movie or something?
I was loading up my stuff. I said very little. He seemed like he was not aggressive, but regardless, it wasn’t customary for me to hang out with drug dealing bank robbers. Or murderers either. Not that he was a murderer, just sayin’ they’re not my kind of folk. I wanted space between me and that guy.
When he stopped for a breather, I kept going. He paced me for a while and told me I had defined calves. I went a little faster and talked about my strong and brilliant husband. After a short time, he said he was beat and was going to camp. I wished him well and kept up my quickened pace for a while.
I saw Turtle on the final leg to my camp. He had the best campsite I’d ever seen. A wide, flat, beautiful space that dropped abruptly off a shelf, leaving nothing in the way of his view. Shasta, Castle Crags, and Lassen all in a row, beaming and brilliant in the evening light. Deep blue skies floating overhead. Not a cloud to be seen. No wind. His was a ten million dollar view. No hotel in the world could match what he had. I was happy for him. I took his picture.
I went a few more miles and set up my camp in a little grove of trees. Golden light fell around me and petted the tips of far away mountains. My own little view of heaven.
I pulled out a beer that Aidan had sent with me and ate my little dinner in the stillness.
I had reception! I called Aidan to see if there was a reward being offered for the Robber. I’d give coordinates for ten grand.
No reward that he could find.
I called my Mom.
The bank robber strolled by.
What the? He must’ve hoofed it to get there. I thought he was going to camp miles ago! I didn’t think he’d be able to make that kind of mileage. I thought I was safe.
The Robber said, “I’ll let you carry on with your call and I’ll camp a little further on. See you later, honey.”
Honey? Ack!
I stressed out a bit then and decided to try to do twenty miles tomorrow.