In case it's hard to keep track of the many stops Darby has made in the last 179 miles, Idyllwild is the town where Darby will be receiving his super special package (resupply goods, including my first attempt at homemade jerky, plus other dehydrated treats and meals, and lots of homemade cookies). I let Darby know that the package would be delivered to the Idyllwild Post Office at 3 pm on Saturday, but we weren't expecting him to get there until Monday or Tuesday, depending on weather and how his body was feeling with all of the stress from the trail.
My understanding was that I would not be hearing anything from him until he got into town sometime early in the week, and I had lots planned for the weekend. On Friday, I packed up a bunch of my things and started moving (part 1) into the Orlando condo. Kristen planned to move her things in Friday as well, and I was really excited about starting off the weekend with some roommate bonding. After I unpacked, I met up with Kristen and a bunch of other fun iFly folks at STP to celebrate Jackie's last night in Orlando before her move down to Fort Lauderdale. It was a great night out, and if it's any indication of what this summer has in store, I'm really looking forward to living in Orlando full time (and living with Kristen is going to be a great fit!).
I had plans to go skydiving on Saturday morning (today marks 1 year from when I received my A license!) , but when I woke up, it was like all of the energy had been drained out of me while I slept. I think not slowing down at all this week, despite the infection taking its toll on my body, caught up with me that morning. Since I still haven't been able to tolerate much food (if any), I was feeling really weak and generally pretty crappy, and I decided I needed a day off to give my body a chance to rest. I missed the sky, but I knew it was the right decision to take a "zero" day. On the PCT, a Zero is a day spent walking exactly zero miles (a nero is a day spent walking nearly zero miles). This was my Off the PCT equivalent: not jumping, not socializing, not trying to tick obligations off of a check list. Though I had "zero" to show for my day (which generally makes me feel guilty), I was listening to what my body needed, and I knew it was the right decision. I didn't realize just how well-timed this decision was until I got up from my nap around 7pm.
Shortly after I woke up, Darby texted! He was missing me on the trail and decided to book it to Idyllwild (22 miles in one day, all before 4 pm!) so he would be in a town with service and we could talk. Darby couldn't make it into town in time to get the package on Saturday, but he planned to take a zero day of his own on Sunday so we could really catch up and reconnect this weekend. His timing couldn't have been more perfect. Hearing from Darby was exactly what I needed after an otherwise downer day spent feeling icky, and knowing how hard he worked to get into town made me feel really appreciated and loved. I can't wait for him to get that package tomorrow when the Post Office opens!
We spent a lot of the day on facetime or on the phone, and it felt almost like a real visit to see him. I can't wait to get out there in < 2 weeks! The quality time spent talking this weekend while we both took zero days makes Idyllwild my favorite stop on the trail for him so far. With how I was feeling physically, and with Darby so accessible over the phone the last 24 hours, I didn't accomplish much of anything this weekend off of my to do list. A few notable exceptions to my Zero day(/weekend?): 15 minutes of tunnel time with Carney (such an amazing coach!), iFly fun on Friday night, some bags unpacked at the condo, and completion of a package I'll be mailing out tomorrow for Darby (to arrive in Big Bear at the end of the week). Overall, I love both Idyllwild and the occasional zero day (though not so much the feeling crappy part of the weekend).
Here are some pictures and stuff summing up the highlights of the weekend:
Pictures 4 & 5:
Art in Idyllwild
Pictures 6 & 7: Tommy Lee Jones making it on the wall at Idyllwild Pizza Co.
Picture 8: Package stuff for Big Bear Hostel delivery
** Two edits to add: Received a letter from Darby on the PCT, and it definitely did NOT disappoint! Also, Darby received the Idyllwild package, devoured a bunch of cookies, and actually enjoyed the jerky! I'm not feeling great physically, still, but otherwise all is well on the home-front and on the trail!
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