Our first stop after settling in to The California Hostel in Bishop was Mountain Rambler Brewing, the local spot for brews and a filling meal. My tramily sat in the AC, already starting to plan mileage for the upcoming days. A man approached us with a grin sprawled across his face, “PCT hikers?” he asked.
We learned his name was Too Slippery, and he looked like he could be a thru hiker himself with his loose fitting outdoor clothes, 5-paneled hat, and ungroomed beard. In fact, he did thru hike the PCT only a handful of years ago. He is also a backcountry skier, and he was returning from a recent rendezvous in the Sierras. I thought about telling him that we saw two backcountry skiers from a distance a couple days prior; we laughed and shook our heads when we saw them. “They must be crazy!” we exclaimed. I recognized the irony as I thought about the memory in that moment.
It was just our luck that Too Slippery was up in a part of the section of our upcoming stretch. He pulled up pictures and gave us detailed descriptions of what he experienced. We were so grateful that he took the time to chat with us! He left the brewery after wishing us well, but then he circled back to the front of the building. I watched him walk back in the brewery and towards us once again. “Can I get hugs? You guys are just fantastic?” My tramily stood up immediately and we each gave him a solid hug.
Sometimes you meet people in the briefest, most random places and click as two humans seeking and offering help. The reciprocity between people associated with the trail is so beautiful.
- Mantis
