Southern Terminus to 100 Miles!

So as I lay in my tent for the sixth night in a row listening to frogs croak in a stream nearby, I have been debating how to describe my experience thus far on the pct. Incredible. Sweaty. Tired feet. Compassion. Community. These words all sum up the completion of over one hundred miles, and will.continue down the trail.
The desert wild flowers are all in bloom this time of year. With every step I take, Lena ( known as Honey Bear on the trail and I will be referring to from now on) and I pass dozens of bloomed prickly pear cacti, yuccas, western wallflowers, and other various  flowers.

There are over 500 people on this trail but depending on how quickly you hike and how many miles you want to push in a day allows you to change up the people you are hiking around. From Mt. Laguna, Honey Bear and I have been keep leep frogging, passing, or just behind the same group of hikers. We have been hiking and camping with four other thru hikers: Pit Stop, Ginger, Ring Master and Panama Red. I could go on and on about Ring Master and how much he inspires me. It is quite a humbling experience trying to keep up my pace to a 69 year old man. So many people doubt their abilities especially when us as adults reach a certain age. Why? How come we start to regress and decide we are not capable of certain things. Ring Master was talking about how excited he is to celebrate his 70th birthday on top of Mt. Whitney and how he wants to complete the Camino de Santiago in a few years. He crushes more miles some days than I do as a 23 year old. Truly age doesn't matter, passion and drive keep you motivated.

The trail creates a community and makes me feel at home. This morning I experienced my first "trail magic" ( when people bring food, drinks or any gifts to hikers on the trail). We were surprised with sandwiches, cinnamon roles, cookies, beer, soda and cliff bars. It was an amazing sugar rush that helped me bust out 12 miles before lunch. There have been countless times when I have seen random acts of kindness on the trail. We are all here to support and care for one another to try and reach a common goal.

We are cruising up to Idyllwild in a few days and my mouth is watering just thinking about some ice cream in that cute mountain town!

Next stop after Idyllwild is back home in Big Bear to visit some friendly faces and have old friends meet new friends. So much to look forward to while enjoying each and every day.

So much love,
Adriana