Day 133 (PNT 38)

Stuff happened, but I want to take a moment to put the spotlight on some rockstars

Day 133 (PNT 38): 13 miles

My buddy Gary brought me off trail today to catch up and drink some brews at an awesome grunge bar

Gary and his family are probably the single most generous, welcoming, and selfless people I’ve ever met. I’ve met a lot of incredibly kind people while hiking, but Gary’s family certainly stands out.

We met last year at the gas station at White Pass on the PCT. Hammer and I were hanging out there and Gary had just finished a section hike on the PCT. He was waiting to get picked up. While there, I happened to mention that my shoes were going on well over 1,000 miles cause I kept beating packages to the post offices.

Gary called his mom that was coming to get him and she got a pair of shoes on her way to White Pass which felt like heaven on my feet. As we parted ways, Gary gave me his number and said he might be able to help us with a ride after we finished the PCT.

And sure enough he did that and more. As we touched the Canadian border I got text messages from Gary on my sat phone saying that they closed the nearest road in the US 30 miles back cause of a fire. He then gave us step by step instructions on how to get off trail and to a parking lot where he could meet us.

After he greeted us with Dr Pepper and little Caesar’s, Hammer, Terminator, and I crashed at his parents place before parting ways to head home…or to the CDT.

And this year, I ended up back in Washington. Gary was tackling the CDT, but I crashed with his family for about a week after getting slammed by the Bigfoot Trail to rest up before starting the PNT.

The kindness of this one family has saved me so much money in the past year just in lodging and transportation. And that’s not even counting the great home cooking, interesting stories, life experience exchanged, and the profound happiness in the realization that people are genuinely this good.

You truly meet incredible people while thru hiking, and the Grieve family is at the top of that list. Rather than just recovering in their basement like a hermit, I really feel like they are a part of my life now.

People rock