It is so hard to believe that this is the third week off trail. I’m so glad not to be thrust straight back into regular life, and I would recommend to any future thru-hikers to do something like what I’m currently doing. We’ve already taken 6 months out of our lives, so at this point, what is it to spend few more weeks traveling?

I woke up this morning at Eli’s place in Portland, grateful once again to have this space to base myself while I revisit this city and its people. I farewelled Eli and made my way towards the city. On the way in, I caught up with Shadow, another Portland Local who I’d met on the trail. We met for a quick coffee at Cafe Ume which surprised me with excellent Vietnamese Coffee.

I got in to the city with some time to spare, so I bought some food to bring on the train. This would be an overnight trip, so I wanted to prepare for a long haul with a foot-long sub and a bag full of cookies. This train was the same schedule as what I’d caught down to Dunsmuir from Portland after Trail Days, so I knew what to expect.

The train left in the mid afternoon and took me south through Oregon and into the night. I managed to sleep fairly well in my seat, and when I woke up, we were close to arriving in Sacramento. I had a four hour layover in Sacramento, which I took advantage of to visit Temple Coffee Roasters, and Old Soul at the Weatherstone for breakfast.

Later in the morning, I boarded another train bound for Reno. The train took me across the section of trail where the Sierra Ends, and NorCal begins at Donner Pass.

When I arrived in Reno, Ninja came to the train station to pick me up. I hadn’t hiked with Ninja since Tehachapi, so it was awesome to catch up with him again. We drove to Tahoe, and since he’s a local, he knew all the best spots to go. I was very lucky to get the chance to see Tahoe, this was the section of the PCT which I was disappointed not to see. We visited the lake, and hung out for a while discussing the trail and future plans for more hikes.

I spent two nights in Tahoe, staying at Ninja’s place and checking out the town. While I was there, I got to see more of the lake, Emerald Bay, and a few good food/drink spots, including Tahoe Bagel for breakfast and Slice of Sierra Pizza for dinner.

After a couple of days hanging out with Ninja, the time came for me to keep moving south. Ninja dropped me at the bus stop in Carson City, and I rode from there into Bishop. This is where my trip really started to become intense with memories. The bus ride took me down the northern end of the Sierra, and I recognized peaks and ranges which I hadn’t seen since August.

The view out the window was eerily familiar, yet different. Last time I saw Eastern Sierra, it was peak summer. The bright, clear sky and hard sunlight I remember was now in contrast with the long shadows and snow dusted peaks before me.

I arrived in Bishop just as it was getting dark. When I got to my favourite hostel, I was surprised to find it fully booked. During hiking season, they weren’t taking bookings; walk in service only, but I learned that outside the hiking season I could have booked ahead. Fortunately, there was a campground just down the road which saved me from having to walk out of town and stealth camp, which I at least have a little experience doing now.

In all fairness, it was a good thing to be forced into that campground. I haven’t slept in my tent since leaving Lion’s Den two weeks ago. I slept outside once more, and it was the best night sleep I’ve had since finishing the trail.

In the morning, I got to know a few of the people camping around me. After breakfast, I packed up and walked back to the Hostel California under a beautiful blue sky with warm sun on my back.

There was plenty of room at the hostel this time, and I spent the day enjoying my favourite old place. Without the hikers and the steady stream of familiar faces, the atmosphere was quite different for me. I felt like I was revisiting a place from my distant past and reliving memories which I didn’t even realize had become old.

I spent just one night at the Hostel California, a feat which I didn’t believe possible. The next day, I woke early and caught the bus southwards, down the rest of Eastern Sierra. As we drove further south, older and older memories came back to me. We passed through Independence, and I remembered Sam and Brian who picked me up from Kearsarge Pass to go to Lone Pine that night. The bus continued through Lone Pine, passing Mt Whitney on the way into town.

After a brief stop, we continued south. I could see cliffs and rock formations far above me, and at one point I saw huge cliffs which I believe I’d camped atop early in my walk through the Sierra. I checked Far Out, and my position on the map closely aligned with the campsite I’d stayed at on 22 June, my 2^nd night camping above 10,000 ft, where I’d enjoyed views of the desert and Owens Valley from the ridge.

The bus continued its southwards journey and I was shocked to find myself having a rest stop at the old Torres Steak House. I stepped off the bus and revisited the old shed we’d stopped by on the way to Walker Pass with Fortune Cookie and Star.

Before I knew it, the bus was taking me across the Mojave Desert, past the turn off to Tehachapi, and shortly after that, the turn off towards Hikertown. I couldn’t believe just how quickly these places were whizzing by out the window. I knew the bus ride was going to be a unique experience, but I hadn’t quite realized I was stepping into a time machine.

The bus dropped me in Lancaster, and when I stepped off, the desert heat welcomed me. I was far from the frozen ground, and steely skies in the north. Here in Lancaster, there was no chance of snow, and I had just enough time for a quick walk around town before boarding the AV Line train to Los Angeles.

The ride to Los Angeles was smooth and comfortable, totally different to my experience when I was headed north. The train took me through Acton, past the saloon and around the LA RV Resort where I’d camped with Ninja, Fortune Cookie and Star. I even saw the PCT itself, just for a blink.

Once I got to LA, I had one more leg to go. The Amtrak Ocean Surfliner finally took me from LA to San Diego, where this all began for me. As soon as I arrived in San Diego, I met with Rox at the station. We went out to Bottlecraft in Little Italy and spent the night catching up about the trip. I hadn’t seen Rox since Trail Days in August, so there was a lot to catch up on. At the end of the day, I returned to ITH Little Italy, into the very same room which I’d left from for Campo back on 22 April. The feeling of having made a full circle was overwhelming as I finally lay myself to sleep.