It was a bit of a rough day Off the PCT for me and for Chilly, but it helps knowing Darby is doing better than ever On the PCT. A call from him as he walked into a town for the night really lifted my spirits.
Since I was able to tolerate some cereal for dinner the night before, I felt adventurous and tried for a second bowl for breakfast yesterday morning. Darby had, after all, just downed chicken wings, chili cheese fries, ice cream, and two dried scorpions (they're salty, in case you're curious) in Idyllwild, so I should be able to handle a couple bowls of cereal over a 24 hour period, right? Not so much. It turned out to be a poor choice, and I had a rough day at school pushing through it. I was particularly frustrated with my situation, seeing the total lack of effort from my students while I struggled through the day to try to prepare them for the AP exam next week.
It's getting harder and harder to motivate to keep working the next 10 days, with the physical and mental sacrifices I'm making because I care about my students' preparation and education, when I keep facing disappointment over their lack of interest in investing in their preparation and education, too. I graded essays yesterday, and out of 38 AP students, only 8 of them bothered to even attempt all three practice AP essays that I had them do in class last week. Most of them just scrawled discouraged statements like "I don't care" or "I can't do this" all over their blank pages. As I held back my nausea and made some frequent and unpleasant bathroom breaks (seriously, teenagers have disturbing hygiene in those high school bathrooms! Was I ever that bad??), the kids just wanted to sit around and chat and beg me for the candy they know I keep around to reward extra-special behavior. I tried to give more pep talks and essay writing tips (especially suggestions for not getting discouraged or quitting the second a question looks challenging), but they said they just wanted to quiz each other with flashcards. I was feeling pretty unnecessary in class, and I struggled with whether I should keep pushing through to teach when there doesn't seem to be much more they can or want to gain from my instruction at this point in their preparation.
As I slogged through the door after a disappointing and uncomfortable day, I was welcomed to the stench of Chilly's equally distressing day. More diarrhea for her. Swell. Instead of taking care of myself when I got home, I spent the next hour trying to clean up her mess with toilet paper since I am out of paper towels and didn't want to replace them with only 2 weeks left in this apartment. Poor Chilly looked so distraught, and all she wanted was a walk and some dinner for her trouble. After an oddly relaxing walk with her in the rain, I planned to get a little packing done and catch up on the phone with some friends. I was optimistic that Darby might get some service last night and call to check in, and he didn't disappoint!
He hiked to the summit of Mt. Jacinto after walking 11 miles on Monday afternoon, and despite my review of other blogs that made it sound daunting, Darby found it to be a pretty enjoyable walk, and not all that challenging. His positive can-do attitude impresses me so much. He let me know that the cookies and jerky helped his trek, and his fellow hiker friends gave my brown sugar chocolate chip cookies a thumbs up. I loved hearing that I could help in some way.
Darby enjoyed some snow on the trail up, and then he had a long 22 mile stretch downhill and into the next town to stay at a famous PCT hiker hostel called Ziggy and the Bear. The picture included is of Mt. Jacinto, looking back on it after he got to town.The last 5 miles or so of that hike was on a mostly level but sandy road toward town, and he had great service while in sight of the interstate. This meant we were able to talk for a good stretch of his walk, and he could fill me in on all the sights and experiences of the last 24 hours. He's such a great story-teller, and I love hearing his perspective on the trail (especially after reading about the perspectives of some other hikers on the aggregation of blogs the PCTA puts together). Darby's view is - by far- the most optimistic and laid back of everything I've read. He takes everything in stride, continues to be relatively pain free and in great shape out there, and he is loving all that the trail has to offer. We talked a bit about all of his reasons for doing the trail and for wanting to finish it, and I'm so endlessly impressed at his motivations and his commitment, even if it means I don't get to see him nearly as often as I'd like.
I am incredibly excited to get out there and visit him, though! We talked a bit about the desire for me to join him on the trail for a bit at some point, and I'm growing increasingly frustrated that I'm just not well enough physically at this point to think about it. I could handle pain, discomfort, etc., and he said he wouldn't mind slowing down because of my stomach issues if it meant I were with him out there, but I just can't consume the calories needed to do that amount of physical work right now. I feel faint half the time because of how nutrient deprived I've been, and I can't imagine throwing in a 20 mile hike under this physical stress. I'm anxious to start treatment under this new specialist in Orlando so I can get my health under control. I really miss enjoying food, and I want to be able to do so much more physically that requires food/fuel that I simply can't provide my body with until my colitis is under control. I'm not thrilled with my body for holding me back, but I'm staying optimistic that there's a resolution in sight if I can just hold out another two weeks.
A few more updates on Darby and his adventure:
Ziggy and the Bear seems like a pretty great Trail Angel hostel. Ziggy and the Bear are an elderly couple that are kind, generous, and open their home to PCT hikers, graciously sharing wifi, a roof, and some other creature comforts. They have a big patio for hikers to stay on, there were a bunch of people all crashing there for the night, and they all ordered pizza and hung out. Lights out early at 9 pm, but that worked out just fine for a little good night chat on the phone before bed (3 hours later here...and to be honest, I was actually half asleep when he called that time, and I may have been a little out of it).
Also, it was fun to hear that Darby ran into someone whose blog I have been following! http://hikingwithjason.com/day-11-a-short-day-out-of-idyllwild/ Jason has been blogging pretty regularly and seems to get great service on the trail. He's also just about on pace with Darby, so it's been really fun seeing his pictures and getting some insight on things Darby will experience or has experienced with about a day preview or delay based on whether they're a little ahead or behind each other on a particular day. I had posted on Jason's blog to tell "Tommy Lee Jones" I say 'hi', in case they ran into each other, and Jason made sure to do so when they met at Ziggy and the Bear's.I love this stretch of the trail where he gets service and we can talk more frequently. He takes a bus today because of the lake fire closure on the way to Big Bear, so I should hear from him when he gets to town later this afternoon. He has his next package waiting for him at the Big Bear Hostel, but I think he may be a bit oversupplied at the moment because of how quickly he's moving right now. We discussed where he will likely be at this rate next week when I get in, and we're not quite sure whether he'll be at Cajon Pass or Wrightwood. I read on the blog of someone who has just passed Cajon Pass that he definitely won't want to resupply there because of how uphill it is, and because of how much water he'll need to carry. It's a better idea for him to plan on doing Cajon Pass in a day without extra food to carry, and then to resupply once he gets down into Wrightwood. If he's moving quickly enough to make it to Wrightwood, maybe I can take him to get supplies in a town when I'm there, and we can save money on shipping. It's fun planning and figuring out what makes the most sense for him as he navigates along this journey. I love being included, and he's really made me feel like his partner on this PCT adventure, even if I can't physically be there for the 2600+ miles he's pushing through. Did I mention I'm really proud of him?? I think he may be the most physically and mentally prepared (and positive) hiker out there, and he has everything he needs to get where he wants to go.
All in all, it was a really positive check in with Darby, and I'm looking forward to his next update!
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