Start: 2654.5
Stop: 2655.2
Today’s miles: 0.7
Total PCT miles: 2370.3
WE DID IT!! We touched the Mexican Border!! I want to yell “WE FINISHED” but that isn’t exactly true. Marquis is going to fill in his gap, so he will be completely finished this year. I’m as finished as I’m going to be for this year, now, too! I’ll just have to fill in my couple of gaps next year sometime.. there just isn’t enough time to get them done before I leave for Egypt. So.. what the hell.. IM FINISHED!! Haha
We didn’t sleep that great, because border patrol trucks drove through every hour or so all night. Around 5-6am, huge concrete trucks and the like were also driving though, to get to their construction site nearby. Since we cowboy camped, packing up was a breeze. We packed and walked that mile so quick! I kept my crocs on instead of switching to my real shoes, because why not?
We took a trillion pictures, I’m sure I’ll post most of them to my Facebook, but the two of us posed and laughed like lunatics, and drank our celebratory wine at 7:30 in the morning. I call it a success! While we were there, two men came up in their Tesla. One guy was going out for a shakedown hike to check out his gear. So, we all four stood around chatting and talking all things gear and base weight. He was really nice and so excited about his trip!
We finally walked back to CLEEF, the feeling of being done not really setting in yet for me. We hung around and ate breakfast while we waited for a trail angel, Kathy, to come pick us up. She took us to her house, we showered, did laundry, and drank coffee. She’s incredibly kind for allowing us into her home, smelly and beat up.
Around 1 or so, she drove us to the transit center and we took a bus to San Diego. We were going to eat a quick lunch, but I think they assumed we were homeless at the one restaurant we went to, because no one would come to serve us. Rude. So, Marquis and I left, then said our goodbyes on the street corner. I already miss him.
I took an Uber to the airport and I’m sitting in the Delta SkyLounge waiting for my flight to LAX. My plan is to fly to LA, then to Orlando. I arrive in Orlando tomorrow morning and will get my rental car-then spend the weekend in a cute town nearby for my sister Michele’s wedding-which is Sunday. On Monday morning I’ll drive back to Orlando, fly back to LAX-since I had already purchased the flight forever ago.
I’ll spend 2 days in LA exploring, then 2 days with Andrea in Reno. I’ll get my stuff I’ve left and I’ve sent to her house, she and I will get all of our Egypt stuff worked out: clothes and flight details and all that-and then I’ll fly home on Friday, 10/20 and show up at my mom’s birthday dinner! She doesn’t realize that I just finished the trail today, and I’m going to hide that fact from her until next Friday when I can surprise her on her big day.
Her actual birthday is Saturday, 10/21-and now that I’m coming in on Friday, I can go with her to the birthday party my grandma is having for her and several of my aunts (they have 4-5 birthdays really close together). I’m super excited to see everyone, it’s been entirely too long since I’ve seen so many of them! I don’t even know who all is coming-but I can’t ask or I’ll risk tipping her off.
Anyway. This is probably my last post until we start our Egypt trip. We leave 10/31-so, it won’t be that long of a gap.. and I’m still super behind on uploading these posts-so it might not be long at all before I get the Egypt ones up! Ha! Let’s pray their WiFi is better than some of the towns on the PCT!
Once I’m back home after the 6 week trip (so December) I’ll go through my PCT budget and give out those details. I’m almost certain I spent more money than I did on the Appalachian Trail. I quit paying attention somewhere in Northern California! But, I’ll get that worked out and let y’all know 😉 For now, the plan is to fill in the gaps I skipped next august-ish, and Andrea might do the Dunsmuir to Etna chunk with me!
Ok. I love y’all. Thanks for following along! I’m sorry if these posts have been simple and straightforward, boring even.. I know they’re not very deep or profound, but sometimes it’s too much to get everything I’m feeling out on “paper” ya know? Please know I appreciate each of you and cannot thank you enough for your support and words of encouragement. It means the absolute world to me and I don’t know that I’d be able to push myself to finish these difficult trips if I didn’t have you to write for-because then I’d feel like I’d be letting y’all down if I let myself quit. So. Sincerely, thank you.
See y’all in Egypt!