Day 19, May 6: Zero No. 1 in Big Bear
Start: Big Bear (Mile 266.1)
End: Big Bear (Mile 266.1)
Miles: 0
Ascent: 0 | Descent: 0
The group woke up at Ricky Bobby’s place and we broke down our tents as we sipped coffee - such a luxury! We were all getting pretty hungry, so Ricky drove us into town and I had the most delicious club sandwich I had had in a while, if maybe ever (or maybe it was my appetite). We parted ways and thanked Ricky for his generosity in hosting us, and made our way to Stater Bros. for a resupply. I feel like I’m improving on knowing what and how much to get at each resupply, which makes the whole process a lot faster.
G and I went to the post office so he could pick up a package and mail some items home. We then made our way to the gear store, where we ran into Topo and SC. We all picked up a couple of odds and ends, and then swung by the nearby hostel to drop extra items in the hiker box. I ran into my friends from Julian again- Tiptope (aka Autumn, then Otto, now Tiptoe), Danny (whose trail name I forgot, sorry dude!), and Animal Planet (Steve).
G had gone off to take care of another errand, so Topo, SC and I made our way back to the park on the east end of town where the rest of our group was.
I am fortunate to have so many friends and family who have offered to help or come visit me on the PCT, and today was another instance of that. Through some Facebook communication, the principal of my school from Pre-K to 8th grade and his wife, who live in Big Bear, had offered to host me while passing through town. So Leslie picked me up at the park, and kindly offered my hiker trash friends a ride to their Airbnb too.
We dropped them off and Leslie took me back to their house. Bob (my principal, or Dr. Nafie as I referred to him in grade school) was home and gave me a warm welcome! They had a beautiful, comfortable and quiet room to offer me and I showered and did laundry. I’ve never fully appreciated how nice it is to have clean clothes until I now wear the same ones for 5 days in a row.
After relaxing for a bit, the Nafies took me to an absolutely lovely dinner in town, and we had some really nice conversation. We made it back to their home early, which was perfect for my tired self. I curled up in the luxurious bed and drifted off to peaceful sleep.