Day 13 : A Journey Ends - Big Bear City

Wednesday May 6, 2015
10 Miles Today
276 Total Miles

Last picture on the trail

It's official, I've left the trail. Big Bear City was always a possibility. In fact my plan was to take a Nero (Near zero) day here. I was going to stay over night at one of the  hiker friendly Inns and Hostels here and then head out on to the trail again tomorrow around noon. That's about when then weather is forecast to change, bringing wind, rain, and snow. Most of the hikers I've talked to are planning to weather over here in Big Bear. I would too except that the weather is supposed to clear on Saturday which is when I am already supposed to have walked the last seventy five miles. Ah well, that sometimes happens to 'The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men', at least according to Robert Frost.

I finished off the last five miles of the hike with a highlight. As I was sauntering off the steps to the end, a hiker came speeding up behind me. Zack, a hiker who started about a week before me has found his trail legs and was now pounding out miles in true thru-hiker style. I got sucked into his wake and drafted him out to the trail-head. During that time he and I chatted about all kinds of things, what I found at the end was a companion that I would have enjoyed spending more time with over the next few months. I hope to meet up with him again when he gets to Tahoe which is relatively close to home. Zack's blog can be found here. I look forward to reading about his journey north.

Thru hiking is as much a social event as it is a journey into stretching your boundaries. I learned that on the last day. Perhaps it was the self-imposed parameters with which I enclosed my plans. The tight schedule and large mileage early on did not provide me the opportunity nor incentive to socialize or to deviate from a schedule that demanded that I be at such and such mile by a certain time. Making a choice like diverting to a delightful place such as Idlywild something I didn't really consider. Or having the luxury to hang out with Zack and some of the other wonderful people that I met on the trail.