Day 16

July 3RD, 2019

In the morning, Cosmo and I enjoyed a short trail run to the scenic Lone Pine Lake and then traveled south to Lancaster to fill up on resupply food and prepare for the next part of our summer adventure.

Day 17

July 4th, 2019

We left the hotel and I dropped Cosmo off at the Palmdale bus station, as he would be leaving for a few days to attend a wedding in Denver. Cosmo and I stood on the concrete platform waiting for the train to arrive when the wooden platform structures started to sway side to side around us. Unsure of what was happening, or what we should do, we stayed still. We felt the ground vibrating beneath us and before we could process what was happening, it stopped.

“Was that an earthquake?” I asked looking at Cosmo with a look of confusion. Cosmo shrugged and we looked around at the strangers close to us. Everyone had a look of confusion and surprise. Cell phones came out and whispers verified what we thought we experienced. A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck 60 miles away from where we stood.

The experience left us both feeling a little shaky (pun intended) to part our separate ways. “Is it safe to get on a train right now?” , “Is it safe for me to drive back to Lone Pine, passing by the epicenter?” , “Is it safe for me to hike alone in the Southern Sierra so close to Ridgecrest, where the earthquake originated?” Despite the discomfort we continued with our plans. The train pulled into the station, Cosmo boarded and I drove north.

Hesitatingly I headed back up to Horseshoe Meadows. I was looking forward to some solo hiking time, but the recent earthquake left me feeling a little scared and lonely. I decided to take it easy that night and hike up to Cottonwood Pass to camp.

Cottonwood Pass is a gateway to the Golden Trout Wilderness and Sequoia National Park. The trail leading up passes through a small forest before opening up to 360 degree views.

This was one of our favorite camp spots on the PCT.

I want to say that I was excited to get some alone time. In the beginning of my relationship with Cosmo I felt uncomfortable to let go of some of my “freedoms”. I wanted to set up camp by myself, take up space in the tent and sprawl out as much as I wanted to, spend my down time in any way I pleased, just do my own thing. As time went on I no longer felt like I was giving anything up, rather, I was gaining a far better experience. A shared experience. I softened into the idea that maybe it isn’t so bad to share the chores. I continued to do my own thing, while laying next to Cosmo, and slowly learned that my freedom doesn’t disappear when someone else is around. I practiced taking my space within our shared environment and communicating my needs (which is still a practice). I recognized that perhaps we both have similar needs and when I create a space for myself we are really creating a space for each other. Like me, Cosmo also values alone time and the freedom to do what he wants.

Now that I am actually alone, I must admit…I feel lonely. I set up my tent, watched the sun set, and snuggled into my sleeping bag when suddenly I heard the sounds of footsteps and hiking poles moving closer and closer in my direction. I looked outside of my tent walls and saw a PCT hiker headed my way.

Alexis, a French hiker joined me and we talked until 10pm. His English was not great but we tried our best. He wants to learn English.

Alexis asked if he could camp with me admitting that he also does not like to camp alone. Of course, I gave an enthusiastic “yes!“. Alexis put down his back, let out a big soothing sigh that one would expect at the end of a big hiking day and we struck up conversation as he got settled.

Alexis is from France and while his English is not perfect, my French is non-existent. Because of the language barrier we had to work a little harder to make sure we were understanding one another. This helped both of us become much more mindful in our conversations and through that mindfulness we found depth.

We talked about culture, racism in America vs. racism in France (he told me that in France Portuguese people work very hard, similar to Mexican people in America). We discussed economics and the different value systems between our two countries. He told me that in France if you want to make a lot of money people get very jealous and you can lose friends, where as in America people are proud of success. We discussed the pros and cons of universal healthcare and his experiences with healthcare in France Alexis didn’t like universal healthcare all the way because folks who do not work can remained unemployed for two years while collecting unemployment (which is more money than working at McDonald’s. Meanwhile, successful people pay for those services through high taxes).

Our conversations went deep and then came back to the surface with general hiker talk. I taught Alexis what “just in case” means. He has a theory that after 5 days the sun doesn’t affect your skin. I said I would put on sunscreen just in case.

Day 18

July 5th, 2019

I hiked with Alexis for a few miles in the morning. We passed by two rangers and asked them for information about conditions on Mt. Whitney, and then reached a juncture where we would split ways.

Alexis continued north on the PCT and I headed west into the Golden Trout Wilderness.

I hiked all day enjoying the warm weather and beautiful scenery. Clear streams and rivers meandered through green meadows and followed me along the trail flowing through Kern Canyon.

I was settling into my solo time and as evening started to approach I knew I should begin to consider where I might camp. I was still filled with energy and excitement and wanted to hike as much as I could.

After passing by several great places to set up camp, I found myself hiking up a strenuous climb, switching back and forth on trail feeling like I would never reach the top. The sun was setting quickly and the incoming darkness felt darker as I climbed out of the open meadow and into the pine tree forest.

I reached the top of a climb around 8:00pm. I looked around for a camp spot and took my pack off as soon as I saw a cozy looking flat spot with views of the meadow below.

As I bent over to open my pack I heard a loud BOOM! I jolted up and stood like a soldier at attention. Wide-eyed, I scanned my surroundings. The trees were swaying side to side. The once solid ground I was standing on began to move like tiny waves in the ocean. What was happening?! The whole experience lasted for a few seconds and then everything suddenly stopped. Stillness.

“What the heck?! Was that another earthquake? Would there be an aftershock? Would there be multiple aftershocks?”

I was alone in the woods and I didn’t know what to do. I had never practiced outdoor earthquake drills in school. High up on top of a mountain there are no desks to hide under or doorways to stand in.

After seeing the malleability of the trees by the shaking ground, I no longer felt safe and secure setting up camp. From where I stood I could hop on Trail Pass trail and be at my car in four miles. Rather than staying up all night worrying that a tree might fall on my tent, I decided to hike down. I picked up my pack and hurried my way down towards Horseshoe Meadows.

Once I reached the parking lot I felt relief that my car was still intact and that I was no longer alone.

Day 19

July 6th, 2019

In the morning I hiked down Horseshoe Meadows Road until I saw a few bars of cell phone service pop up on my phone. I made sure my friends and family knew I was safe and called Cosmo to tell him about my adventure the day before. Turns out there was a 7.1 magnitude earthquake that originated less than 100 miles away from where I stood.

The rest of the day I decided to spend exploring backcountry trails that I had never been on. I hiked a 13 mile unmaintained loop through the backcountry of the Golden Trout Wilderness.

The route started to feel longer than I was prepared for. I was still in the woods when sunset hours began to creep in.

This time of day not only brings out the beauty in nature, but it also brings out the bugs. Mosquitos flew around my head, nipped at my thighs and torturously buzzed in my ears. I slapped my skin and swatted at the air as I walked, hoping the bugs would eventually go away. On the bright side, their incessant pestering helped me get a little more pep in my step. Amidst the buggy chaos I looked down and following my gaze flowed a thick, bright red substance from my nose and landing on my thigh. A nose bleed? A NOSE BLEED?! As if the situation could not have gotten worse, it was as though my body had turned against me and shouted, “Hey Mosquitos! Dinner time just got easier, come and get it!

I stuffed my bandana up my nose, continued to hike with blood dripping out of my face and my hands flailing in the air in a failed attempt to ward off bug bites. I must have looked crazy. Luckily, before it got too dark I reached a road and was back in familiar territory. Just a few more miles and I would be in the parking lot where I started. I thought about sticking my thumb out and trying to hitch a ride back, but I was pretty sure nobody would want to pick up a dirty runner, covered in blood and bug bites sporting a bloody bandana out of her nose.

Day 20

July 7th, 2019

In the morning I was delighted to meet up with my best friend Sawna. We went on a scenic trail run to Cirque Lake with some friends (Brian and Val and Eamon and Sawna and Alissa).

I left the group and drove into town (Lone Pine) to pick up permits for Cosmo and I to climb Mt. Whitney in the upcoming days. Then I drove back up to camp and spent the evening having some girl time with Sawna and Alyssa.

The mosquitos were relentless. To avoid their terrorizing ways we set up a tent and continued to hang out in the parking lot feeling protected by a layer of mesh.

Day 21

July 8th, 2019

In the morning we ran along the PCT making a loop from Trail Pass to Cottonwood Pass.

After the run I said goodbye to Sawna and Alyssa and drove back down to Lone Pine. I enjoyed my adventurous time alone and with friends but I was excited to start the next part of my summer adventure with Cosmo. I went to the grocery store to purchase more resupply food and when I thought about where I might camp for the night I realized that I was exhausted! Exhausted, and dirty from backpacking, running and sleeping in my car. Therefore I decided to treat myself to a room at the Dow Villa Hotel. I checked into my room, soaked my muscles in a warm bath, and felt grateful for allowing myself to take some time to breath and get centered.

Day 22

July 9th, 2019

Cosmo flew back to Los Angeles this morning and we met halfway in Ridgecrest, CA. I was happy to see him and he was happy that I came prepared with dinner. It had been a long day of travel for the both of us and an eventful several days apart.

It was dark by the time we left Ridgecrest but we were excited to get going with the HIgh Sierra Trail. We needed to drop the car off in Mammoth (5 hours away) so we drove halfway and spent the night in the parking lot of a rest area.