Date: 7/18/16
Miles: 4.2
Total Miles: 1284.3
Only a few miles today, all descending down a lengthy series of poison oak choked switchbacks into the town of Belden for a day of rest and resupply. Known for raves attended by thousands of people each summer weekend, the town was blissfully quiet and empty on this Monday morning. “Town” is a bit of a misnomer when it comes to Belden. In reality, the Belden Town Resort–an old bar/restaurant/hotel–is the only game there is. With no cell service, no wifi, and very few television channels, it’s a bit of forced relaxation today, but rather than be frustrated by the inability to call home, send emails, and generally catch up with the off-trail world, it’s been an opportunity to eat three square meals of real food, clean some gear, and even squeeze in a few games of pool and ping pong with Beardoh.
The excitement amid the mundane today was the arrival of our long lost friend Gazelle. After spending time off trail with her family, she arrived this afternoon to join us for the hike out tomorrow morning, and hopefully for many more miles to come.
It’s officially t-minus 2 days to the halfway point!
Sadly, this is where my my hike ended in 1997. Thigh problems caused by walking funny with blisters made it too much for me to take. I remember calling my doctor (a sports med DR) and he told me walk through the pain. I then called a friend’s doc (an orthopedic surgeon) who told me to come on in for some surgery. WTF. Ultimately, my friend and I decided to end the trek well short of Crater Lake, OR, our goal. I wrapped my thigh in an ACE bandage and we set up along the highway in Belden with thumbs out and smiles shining. We got picked up by a lawyer from Chico in his BMW and took us all the way to Chico where we caught a bus to Oakland where my in-laws (at the time) lived. We eventually flew back home in defeat. Power on, my friend! 🙂
Ken, I love these stories! Keep them coming. I’ve been looking for someone to ghostwrite some of these blog posts…. 😉