April 21, 2019
PCT Cumulative ~ 189.6 Kilometres
Highlight
Hugging my young man ❤️
My Day
After deciding yesterday that I would make my way home, I got up early, showered and packed my backpack one more time. I emptied the water out of the bladder and left my food bag and boots in the cabin.
In Warner Springs, I crossed the street to the gas station and said goodbye to the people I had met over the last few days.
I stood alongside the road, after being corrected which way San Diego was, and started hitching. A few people stopped to bring me to the resource centre, but I was trying to get as far as Ramona where I could bus or Uber to San Diego.
I chatted with Mom and Dad while I was waiting and was really hoping I could get to San Diego today and fly home tomorrow.
Enrique stopped and said he could get me as far as Santa Ysabel. He was meeting up with his buddies to go mountain biking. Once Enrique dropped me off I checked out the bakery (and resisted) and headed out to the road to start hitching again.
Anne Marie stopped and asked me where I was going. I said Ramona but ultimately was trying to get to San Diego airport. She said I was in luck because she lives by the airport and would drop me off there. Really nice lady. She also stopped at Starbucks when we got to Ramona and that first sip of my Chai Tea Latte was heavenly.
While driving I booked a 1:00 pm flight home from San Diego. I didn’t have time to sightsee more which was too bad. I really enjoy this area and I think this is my favourite picture that I took (see my Day 0 post), the Unconditional Surrender statue of a sailor kissing a nurse. I’ll need to come back here some day, maybe on my Harley 😎
I said goodbye to Anne Marie at the airport and quickly dropped off my pack and got through security. My NEXUS card remains the best money I’ve ever spent!
I blinked and after a couple glasses of Prosecco, I was in Calgary and then off to Edmonton.
I’m home now, in one of my rompers (https://smashtess.ca) relaxing in my new place that I set up before I left.
My feet are a mess, I burnt my legs and my ears yesterday, the tops of my hands are peeling from day 1, I’m fighting off a bladder infection, I have bruises, my whole body aches, I’m tired and I look a fright. But I feel good. Happy that I went and did what I could and came home when it was right for me.
I have no idea what’s next, I have no plans, I want all my dreams to come true. Don’t we all? I’m unemployed with no idea what I want to be doing a month from now.
Tomorrow I’ll be making hair, gel nails, pedicure and waxing appointments. And probably a massage too! I don’t have cable and need to figure out how to watch Game of Thrones online. It’s not available on Apple TV until the season is over. I’m going to rewatch from the beginning.
My PCT goal was to go and spend a night by myself in the dark in my tent. I hiked for 11 days and completed 190 km of the trail. I feel good. Coming home now was the right choice for me.
Thank you for reading my posts. Come visit! Let’s go for wine or tea ❤️
Much love 😘
Scenes
Jackie is “Mom” to one amazing son, an IT professional and an obsessed traveller. She spends her time reading, golfing at Ladies League and implementing software projects. Jackie has travelled to all 7 continents and 93 countries and is always planning the next destination and adventure!
Happy you are home safe and sound!! Loved reading the posts about your adventure, you are one gutsy girl!! Enjoy your self pampering today, you deserve it!! Looking forward to hearing where you next trip will be. 😘 hope to get to see you next month when we are up that way.
Thank you! Hope to see you soon! 💕
Happy your home safe & sound. Enjoyed reading your Blog everyday. You are so brave. Pamper yourself & enjoy time with your son, friends & family. Until next time hugs
Thank you! It’s good to be home 💕
So glad you are home love you had an amazing adventure!! We are so proud of you !! Now rest honey and enjoy home ,family and friends 😘⭐️🏡👍👏🦶🦶🦶🍷🍷
Thank you ❤️
Welcome Back!
Thank you! Good to be home.
Legal way for Canadians to gain online access to it with least amount of fuss is to spend 19.99/month on CraveTV’s (cravetv.ca) premium subscription (crave+HBO+movies) if you intend to watch all the seasons (including 7 and 8). For 9.99/month you get access to season 1 to 6. There are “grey area” ways to watch it as well.
I just don’t have the last season. It’ll be available soon on Apple TV, I just have to be patient. It’ll take me a while to rewatch so it might be ready time I get there.
Welcome home — yes, get Crave TV and catch up on Game of Thrones (or borrow the first few seasons on DVD from me). Come by for dinner one evening.
Yes for dinner soon!! I have the seasons I just can’t get this last one on Apple TV until it’s all over. I’m rewatching from the beginning now!!
Welcome home, hope to catch up with you before we leave. Starbucks sometime?
Thank you! Definitely let’s get together. When do you leave?
Just found your blog yesterday. I was excited to see a fellow Edmontonian doing the trail this year. My daughter and I hiked the trail last year from April 18th to September 18th. Hopefully you enjoyed your time on trail and got what you wanted from your journey.
Congrats on your hike! loved my time on the trail. My heart just wasn’t in it and I have other priorities right now. Would have liked to have done it all too. Some other year maybe 😀
Just got back from leave (in Canada) and returned to work today in Perth… sitting down at my computer looking over a few hundred emails, and quickly found your last post to get caught up on your adventures (funny my first day back priorities ;)). Glad you made it home safely! What an adventure. Someday I will do that trip on my Harley as well!! All the best as you settle back into “adulting”, work, sleeping in the same bed every night, etc… Its been a blast following
Perfect first day back priorities! Thinking of a couple more months on the road to Australia, Vietnam and Cambodia. Not sure if I’ll get out to Perth. Want to climb the Sydney bridge, go to the opera and dive.
Happy for you. A friend of mine used to say that the best moment of a worldwide trip was when you are back home. Is it also your feeling Jacky?
Enjoy your time.
Moho.
Hi Moho, so nice to hear from you! Hope all is well with you and your family. It is definitely nice to be home with my family and friends. I missed them a lot. I’m heading out in a few weeks to Australia and South East Asia for a couple months. My last hurrah and then I need to go back to work. Take care!