First Trail Reunion

First Trail Reunion!!

Locations:
Darby= Cajon Pass - Ontario - Cajon Pass - Wrightwood
Me = Orlando - LAX -  Ontario - Cajon Pass - LAX - Orlando
Zero Days:
4
Verdict:
SUCCESS!

Just motivating to sit down and write this blog entry has been harder than with any of the other entries. Writing this is a bit of a struggle because it means I have to admit the perfect PCT reunion is over, and I have to go back to life (and real world responsibilities) Off the PCT, while Darby resumes his immersion in life On the PCT. It's also a challenging entry because so much has happened in the last week that I'm dying to share (but I also don't want to overshare/turn this entry into a novel), and I've wrestled with how best to present the latest updates to anyone reading. Chronologically seems the most... logical, so here goes:

Last I left off, Darby was in Ontario, having fun and being taken care of by the wonderful iFly family out there. He also ended up running into another good friend of his, Eric S.(stuntman/BASE jumper), and they had fun playing in the tunnel and catching up over cookies and ice cream at a bar (no joke- Darby ordered cookies and ice cream at a bar because he is, clearly, perfect for me).

I arrived at LAX Tuesday morning, and after picking up my rental car, I was in Ontario by early afternoon. Initial thoughts: The trail looks great on him.

Darby looks mostly the same, though a little scruffier. He also looks strangely rested for a man who has been walking 20+ miles a day.  Upon closer examination, he has some interesting new tan lines. Darby's neck and hands are about 10 shades darker than the rest of him. He keeps just about everything else covered up for sun protection in the desert.

After dropping my stuff off at the hotel - which was conveniently right across the street from the new iFly tunnel (A+ move, Darby!)- we headed to In 'n Out Burger so I could finally try the famous burgers I've heard so much about. I still think Five Guys makes a better burger, but their shake was pretty tasty, and I was starving after the long flight so it was all gone in a flash. Unfortunately, my pesky ulcerative colitis wasn't nearly as psyched about In 'n Out Burger. After eating and (sort of) digesting, we headed over to the tunnel to say hi and make plans to fly.

It wouldn't do them justice to say the iFly family at the new Ontario tunnel showed us hospitality; they were phenomenal. Chris R. graciously let us fly some of his staff time, and we had a blast playing around in the tunnel with Chris and Nikki B. (both formerly of the Orlando tunnel, and just generally wonderful humans). We also ended up splitting the cost of an hour of standby time to share over the next few days. It's an awesome deal, and - after accounting for the shared staff time we were gifted - we got to fly a half hour each day we were there! By the end of our time in Ontario, there was a drastically noticeable difference in my flying, and I am so appreciative of all of the help from everyone at iFly (Chris, Nikki, Brad, and Darby especially).

When people say a fast tunnel feels different, they really aren't exaggerating. As Nikki said, it's like "She's hugging you" (She= the wind). She is also incredibly powerful and gave me a serious run for my money the first day when I tried to adjust to how much faster and smoother She is (weirdly feels and looks a little slippery?) but just looked like a scared, uncoordinated mess. Adjusting to the difference took some time and was a little frustrating at first, but once I got more comfortable, we were flying in groups and playing new games in the tunnel. I had my first attempts at flying lines (following Darby) and flying in a group (with Darby, Nikki, and Chris), and I loved every second of it. Our time in the Ontario tunnel was truly unforgettable fun.
Some pictures/highlights from the tunnel:

Darby and Nikki outside the tunnel

  

Fun tunnel pictures from flying with Nikki, Chris, and Darby (oops, forgot where the camera was)

 

Enjoying iFly Ontario with Darby

As you can tell from the pictures, iFly Ontario is stunning and SO.MUCH.FUN.

While in Ontario, we also enjoyed the Mills Mall, also in walking distance of the hotel. We discovered a really amazing seafood restaurant called the Market Broiler. I say "discovered" because no one we asked had any suggestions for good seafood in the Ontario area, and we were beyond impressed by what we found at the Market Broiler. They not only had fresh delicious seafood (including some of the best salmon and halibut I've ever tried), but they also started us off with the single best spinach dip EVER. It was served with fresh sourdough bread with melted cheese, and the entire meal was heavenly. We wandered around the mall after, found some ice cream for dessert (obviously), and took some goofy but appropriate pictures in a photo booth. My stomach held up okay under the circumstances, but I honestly couldn't have cared less about the consequences because it all tasted so incredible I knew it would be worth whatever the outcome. Date night out in Ontario was a definite success. I would go back in a heartbeat. 

On Thursday, after we finished using up our tunnel time, we headed up to Cajon Pass, where Darby would rejoin the trail in the morning. We stayed at the Best Western with a bunch of other PCT hikers, and I loved getting a little glimpse of what that life is like while he's out there. The staff at the Best Western was absolutely wonderful to the hikers, collecting resupply packages, leaving out hiker boxes, and providing unlimited iced lemon water, breakfast, and smiles to everyone who stopped by. Darby checked the registry to see if any of his friends had come through, but even with the time off with me, he's still ahead of most of the people he's met. We did run into someone he met (who I read about weeks ago on another hiker's blog, as well) when we stopped at the gas station/Subway across from the hotel. The hiker, Focus, was exactly as described, and it was exciting to meet someone I had read about and heard about through Darby's eyes and the blog of a stranger. I told him I heard/read about him, and he let me know about his blog (http://thoughtthru.com/) so I can continue to follow him, too.

We hung out at the Best Western pool for a while and got to know some of the others staying there that night while Darby did his laundry, but after a few zeroes with me, Darby looked and felt too clean to be a hiker, and I could tell he was ready to get back on the trail so he could once again be dirty, tired, and perfectly content in his element. We finished up at the pool, and Darby got back into PCT-mode. Darby finished up his laundry and laid out everything from his pack to reassess what he had and what he would need for a resupply before picking back up in the morning. We checked out the hiker box to see if it had anything he needed, and we marveled at the amount of barely worn sneakers in the boxes. Darby's packages from Amazon had arrived at the hotel as planned, and he was able to repair his broken poles and cut a new groundsheet for sleeping (he ripped his old one). The gas station in walking distance and the hiker box weren't quite enough for Darby's resupply, though, since he was planning on going forward for the next 4-5 days without stopping in Wrightwood. We made good use of the rental car and drove 13ish miles to Walmart to get everything he needed. As much as I've loved putting together packages for him at home, it was even more fun going through the motions with him in person. We had a blast and made good use of our time before heading back to eat some dinner, reorganize and repack all of Darby's things, and relax with some television to enjoy our last night together.

Getting up in the morning to say goodbye and drop Darby off at the trail was rough, to say the least. I was sad to see him go, but it was a perfect trip and there were only smiles - no tears - when we went our separate ways again.

As soon as I drove away, I started thinking about the next visit during my long drive into LA. Traffic was a disaster, and I worried I would miss my flight. I made it with no issues, though, and then promptly passed out as soon as the safety announcements were made on the flight. I woke up an hour later only to discover we were still on the runway. The plane had mechanical difficulties, and we were stranded for a while on the plane while it was dealt with. All of the food I consumed the last couple days hit me at the worst possible time, and it was pretty stressful being trapped.

I had lots of negative, crappy thoughts about the turn of events after dropping Darby off, but it turned out to be a little bit of a blessing in disguise. When the plane let us deboard to get lunch after a 2 hour delay, I ended up getting a call from Darby! He had some service after doing about 12 miles, and I loved the extra time to chat while I waited on my flight. No big surprise here, Darby said he was feeling great and enjoying the trail again. Once my plane was fixed, it was time to head back to Florida and to say goodbye to Darby again.

When I arrived back in Florida, I heard from Darby with some less than stellar news. He had his first real trail dilemma: chafing. It's apparently pretty common after a few zeros, but the fact that it's not unusual makes it no less uncomfortable for Darby. He was in misery, pushing through over 10 miles in pain. He stopped at a campground for the night and found a kind trail angel who said he would drive him into Wrightwood in the morning. It was his first delay/change of plans on the trail because of a health issue, and I could tell Darby was disappointed.

Despite the setback, as with everything else so far since he started the PCT, Darby found the positive in his situation. He took the zero in Wrightwood, got extra food to cover the day he lost hiking, researched logistics for getting around the endangered frog species closure of the PCT, and found a great place to stay (thank heavens for trail angels!) with about 15 other hikers. The group sounds like an interesting fun bunch, including a couple (Ashley and Stitch) with homemade bags. Stitch has a company where he stitches (creative trail name...) backpacks for hiking. A picture of his logo and bag are included here.

The trail angel housing the bunch loaned them his truck so they could go out for dinner. They found a place with live music for entertainment, and Darby sounded like he was having a blast when he called to check in and say goodnight since he knew it would be pretty late here by the time he finished up with them. Despite the setback and discomfort yesterday, things are looking up, and Darby's attitude is as bright as ever. He'll be starting back up on the trail again in the morning to pick up where he left off, hopefully keeping a strong pace to stay on track for a break early in June while snow melts. All is well that ends well, and no complaints from either of us, on or off the Trail.

One last note worth mentioning: Darby told me today about a woman, Heather Anderson, who has the FKT (fastest known time) for completing the Appalachian Trail unsupported, and I found a Ted Talk by her that I absolutely love and feel compelled to share. It's called "Redefining Happily Ever After", and I found it both relatable and inspiring. She was turning 30, married, with a good job, the life that was the "happily ever after" she was raised to believe would make her happy, and realized she wasn't happy after all. She decided that she had to pursue what "happily ever after" meant on her own terms.  For her, the challenge, mindfulness, self-acceptance, and learning to be present in the moment that she gains from hiking make her happy.  Hiking the AT in under 60 days isn't the journey or the fairy tale ahead for me, but her story sounds eerily familiar. Hearing her talk struck a chord with me because of the ways that skydiving has helped me to grow, and because of the many empowering and exciting changes I have made to my life since I first set off for my solo adventure in New Zealand a year ago, and then came back with the passion for skydiving that I can no longer imagine my life without.

I absolutely LOVE the takeaway from her talk and highly recommend giving it a listen.
"It is not easy and it is not painless to take control of your own destiny. But having the courage to write your own fairy tale each and every day is what defines success for me." Check it out if you have the time:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgDeh2XDNY4&feature=youtu.be&app=desktop