Day 18 - Going Backwards
After a very taxing day yesterday it was almost 6 am when I awoke this morning. I didn’t sleep well last night probably because I was overtired from the previous day's exertions. One thing I was very clear about was the decision I made last night to end my trip here. I was holding Jim back from making the miles he needed in order to honour a deadline he had set to meet a friend at Ashland. I think Jim appreciated my candor and honesty, and we parted on good terms and wished each other well.
I packed up camp, had a quick granola breakfast out of a bag, and set off back down the mountain at around 7-10 am. It was another beautiful morning, and the going was a lot easier heading back to Belden than it had been coming up! Apart from passing 4-5 PCT’ers coming up from Belden the walking was very uneventful, although I was able to snap several interesting pictures with my I-Phone. It only took me around 2 hours to reach Belden where I was hoping to hitch a ride to either Reno or Sacramento, as both have international airports. Unfortunately, as I was approaching the bridge that leads over the river to Belden, I noticed a California Highway Patrol vehicle and was stopped by the officer. There was traffic waiting to come across the bridge, and he asked me to wait until it was clear. This enabled me to have a conversation around the rules on hitchhiking, and I was told it was illegal. I then posed the question around what happens if someone needs to exit Belden without transportation and that I was doing the hike for charity. The officer was very understanding and said in a case like mine that they would probably be able to give me a ride somewhere, which I thought was extremely kind.
After a couple of minutes, I was able to cross the bridge and thanked the officer for his time. The only intent I had for going into town initially was to fill up my water bottle from the tap that all the party-goers were using yesterday. Once that was done, I was ready to start hitchhiking, that was until I met CHIP!! After getting my water, I went to chat with one of the two security guys who were controlling traffic into and out of the park and relayed my story. Like the police officer earlier he was very sympathetic to my plight and advised me to take a seat, and he would see if he could find me a ride, which I really appreciated and told him so. It was really interesting watching all the cars coming and going as half of them were not obeying the rules of the road. It was hilarious to hear security yelling at people to stay right when approaching the narrow bridge. At least 60% of the vehicles were so jammed, with either people or camping equipment, you would not have been able to cram a credit card in!! 45 minutes had come and gone, and I was thinking I should go and have another chat with the police officer when all of a sudden I got the call I was going. I slipped the security guard a few dollars, thanked him, and climbed into the vehicle. The driver was Scott, and his co-pilot was Ismael. I thanked Scott and Ismael profusely for their kindness. Scott is in the music business and making a record called Gentleman & a Scholar under his initials SCS. This would be his third album, and the genre is Hip Hop and Scott’s music is all about social awareness and doing more to save the world.
The drive was really interesting both from a scenic point of view, and conversationally, and we passed through an area that had been devastated by a wildfire a few years ago. There must have been a dozen cars that were in one area, all close together, and I expect they will remain there until they eventually rust out and turn to dust. Scott and Ismael were intent on stopping in Yuba City for lunch, at a Mexican restaurant that Scott had sourced ahead of their trip to Belden. As a thank you for the ride I insisted on buying lunch as it was the least I could do. The food was typical Mexican fare, but Scott had done a great job with his research as it was very good food.
Another interesting thing I learned about Scott was his linguistic skills as he is also fluent in Spanish and French. Unfortunately, the end of the ride was coming to an end quicker than I wanted as I had really enjoyed my time with Scott and Ismael. In one last act of kindness, Scott advised they were going to drop me at a BART station. There I would be able to catch a train out to San Francisco Airport, where I planned to overnight at a hotel ahead of flying home to Canada tomorrow. Scott even told me how much the fare was and the platform I needed to go to. Before I knew it, we had arrived at the BART station, and I thanked Scott and Ismael profusely for their kindness. I really hope Scott is immensely successful in his music career, as he is an incredibly well rounded young man and deserves every success that comes his way. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to know Ismael that well as he slept most of the time, and because he’s younger than Scott, he probably partied harder!!!. Scott, Ismael, if you read this please know I really appreciated meeting you and thank you so much for the ride.
I caught the train out to the airport and quickly found the shuttle to my hotel. It was time to empty my backpack and discard those items that were no longer required. Two lighters and a fuel canister, for example. I also had to do laundry so I would have clean clothes to wear on the plane. While my clothes were being laundered, I showered and caught up with my blog. I then collected my laundry, and after folding my clothes, I repacked my pack before heading out for a quick bite to eat. It was the end of a fantastic journey, one I wish I was still participating in, but I comfort myself with returning home to my loved ones and the fact the trail is going nowhere soon!!
Wanderer.
p.s. I’m already making plans to return to the trail next year, and have several folks interested in joining me!!
