Unbridled Generosity - Monday, May 26

For those of you who have lost faith in the generosity and kindness of the human race please turn off the TV news and come walk the PCT. Everyday, without exception, someone has done an act of kindness toward us and we have tried to pass that act forward. Sometimes the acts are small (returning a liter of water I accidentally dropped 2 miles back on the trail), sometimes monumental (a ride to the hospital and letting us stay the night while I recovered) but always timely and wonderful. Acts that are called "Trail Magic".

Today we experienced such Magic in monstrous proportions.

Three weeks ago when I had finished hiking the Wrightwood to Agua Dulce section of the trail while Sally was healing her foot, she picked me up at "Hiker Heaven", the home of the Saufley's which they open for all comers for no charge. While talking to some of the people that volunteer to wash clothes, fix bikes and orient hikers to the shower, camping and cooking routines we mentioned that we would need to hitch hike from Wrightwood to the Saufley's in about three weeks so I did not have to hike the same section twice. Golly, an equestrian PCT rider volunteering to help at the Saufley's for the day said she would be happy to drive us the hour and a half drive and gave us her phone number to call when we reached Wrightwood. Well, this morning we reached Hwy 2 five miles outside Wrightwood and Golly was there to pick us up. We had called her four days earlier to cement plans and then yesterday to set the exact time and place of the pickup. We loaded in her van and were off. First stop was Mountain Hardware in Wrightwood to get our resupply boxes, a quick stop at the grocery for tortillas and cheese for the next leg of our hike and then the bakery for some yummies (no cherry turnovers) before we headed down the highway for Agua Dulce and the Saufley's.

We found out that Golly's husband is the head of all unmanned spacecraft for NASA at JPL in Pasadena. She offered a tour and a meeting whenever our schedule allowed. I texted Andy and Jeff about our chance encounter and suggested a trip to Pasadena sometime in the fall.

We arrived at the Saufley's sometime mid morning and found a patch of ground under a shade tree to set our tent for the night. We met some old trail acquaintances such as Ninja, Sierra, Jeff, Meg, Just in Time, Tink and others. We rummaged through the hiker boxes looking for treasures that we might need and would be willing to carry and signed up for a shower. There is only one shower and they house up to 50 each night, so at times the list for shower access can be long. Before our turn came around we decided to ride the loaner bikes into town and have pizza for dinner. Sally hitched a ride back to avoid an uphill pedal home on an ill fitting bike. I scored a chocolate chip mint cone before I pedaled back.
We got in the shower about 7:30, which was perfect. The high of 94° had dropped to the low 80s and a shower before bed was just the ticket.

When we emerged from the shower Donna Saufley was pulling everyone to the huge campfire circle to tell the story of how she started Trail Angeling back in 1997. With her husband telling his side they spent half an hour recounting the humorous beginning of what is now recognized as the best stop on the PCT.

In short, Donna was looking for a night out while Jeff was at a bachelor party. All her plans fell through so she settled for pizza alone in town. She saw some incredibly dirty, smelly people with backpacks trying to wash up in the bathroom sinks at the pizza parlor before eating. They approached her for ideas of where they could sleep for the night and she mentioned the hotel just seven miles down the road, which to a tired hiker might as well be on the moon. Eventually, she worked up the nerve to invite them to her guest house (which I am sitting in front of as I type this). She let them in and then went into her house and locked all the doors, fearful for her life should these miscreants of filth turn on her. Jeff came home quite drunk, surprised to find all the doors of the house locked and drunkenly decided to sleep in the guest house where the 5 PCT hikers were sleeping. A period of confusion and misdirection occurred before it all settled out. At that moment Donna decided her calling was to become a trail angel and she has been hosting all comers ever since. She described trolling for hikers and putting notes up on the trail inviting hikers in. Before the season was over the grapevine of the PCT had quickly passed the word from Mexico to Canada about this wonderful place to stay in the desert and it has been the place to stay ever since. They have hosted well over 10,000 hikers over the years. They don't just provide a piece of ground to pitch a tent on. They have 50 cots inside mosquito netted tents, private rooms in the guest house for married couples, do daily van rides to REI an hour away, do all hikers laundry for free, provide a campfire every night, open the guest house kitchen for all to cook at, have a piano and guitars available, a computer tent with five computers for use, TV and VCR with hundreds of title to choose from (today at breakfast someone put on The Princess Bride. A large crowd chose to eat breakfast while watching), showers, water, tables, chairs, bar-b-ques and more.

What brought tears to my eyes was when she thanked us for coming to her place! She said in the 17 years she has opened her home to us she has never had anything taken and has met the most wonderful people. There had been a few grumbling on Facebook from some trail angels that this year's hikers were acting entitled and unappreciative of all the support. She said nothing could be further from the truth. What an incredibly giving and wonderful woman!!

When we started almost two months ago I was surprised to meet quite a few hikers doing the PCT for the second or third time. At first I could not understand why anyone would want to endure so much pain, work and suffering more than once! Now I understand. The PCT is not just 2650 miles of trail. It is a community, a country all it's own where the inhabitants share a common vision and goal. The price of admission to this community is a willingness to walk and give. In return, you receive camaraderie, support, and happiness. Most are kids in their 20s, searching, experimenting and beginning to define who they are. But people of all ages are here. The boundaries of age disappear in the face of the common hardships and goals. Our "friends" from the group we started with are half our age but truly friends nonetheless, as are all we meet on the trail and those who provide support.

A huge shout out to the trail angels. Thank you.

Other events of note on this day.

Sally mailed her beloved chair home along with the boots that have caused her such anguish.  We found she rarely used it, as she was too tired to sit in it most nights. When we watched carefully how many times she sat in it in a week. We found it was less than three times. Not worth carrying for that.

We met the youngest person to ever hike the Appalachian Trail. He did so last summer. He was five years old. He hiked the entire length al 2100 miles. This year he is hiking the PCT, at age 6. His parents hike with him, of course.  Sally enjoyed playing with him and getting a photo with him.