Day 12 ~ Hitching, Ketchup Chips & Home

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