12 May 2021
Zero in Lone Pine
No PCT Miles hiked!
By the time I got to the Dow Villa hotel last night, Lone Pine had already rolled up its sidewalks. The pizza place was closing, so I got some MEHxican food.
I grabbed some beer from the store and headed back to the hotel to unwrap the package Half Cookie sent me.
This was all prelude to the best part of a Lone Pine zero: breakfast and lunch at the Alabama Hills Cafe.
I did laundry and bought a new pillow to replace my old one which still has a leak I can’t quite fix.
After resupplying in the store I met Breeze and Paul for lunch back at the cafe and had a beautiful fried chicken Cobb salad. Afterward we talked to a couple of hikers who have already been through the first bit of the Sierra. It sounds like it won’t be too difficult!
Breeze and Paul were waiting for a 5pm bus to Mammoth where they plan to rest for a few days, so I offered for them to hang out with me in my hotel. I was happy to make use of the “deluxe” room I had to book because the others were all taken.
Then I ran some last minute errands and called Half Cookie. We wanted to FaceTime, but both the WiFi and the wireless here have been quite slow, so we just did a regular call.
A weak storm is supposed to hit the Sierra this weekend with some light snow, so I think I will probably skip Whitney (I’ve done it before) and try to get to Onion Valley by Saturday afternoon. We’ll see. I’m taking more clothes and an extra day of food just in case.
Good night!
Today’s Hike-U:
Alabama Hills Cafe
Every hiker
Dreams of Lone Pine’s special place
For a tasty meal
The JimmyJam Hiking Club 
That can is big. I have the Scout and just ordered the Blazer.
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Man, You’re making me hungry. I haven’t had lunch yet, and the Alabama Hills Cafe is legit.
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When I began training for my first marathon I came face to face with the same questions that you are wrestling with. With all of the pain, isolation, and loneliness involved in the daily training why in the word am I doing this? The first answers were solely ego based: I was proving to myself and to others I could do it, I wanted to add the title to my list of self-identifiers, and I wanted other people to say “Wow.”
The question then became why do a second, third, fourth, etc? The answer was that the process itself became the most important factor, not the result. As I spent hours and days and weeks training, alone with my own thoughts, I began to face the truths about who I really was, with all of my strengths and weaknesses. I began to accept myself and the chaotic world around me. Essentially I would occasionally achieve a Zen state that accepts whatever comes without thoughts or feelings. For the first time in my life I achieved peace.
Even though I am no longer physically able to run distance the lessons I learned in that process stick with me and often provide me comfort.
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That’s a lovely thing to share, dad. I don’t know how much farther I will go on my own journey, but it is certainly helpful for me to hear about yours.
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I’m with DAD. I can’t promise a ZEN experience, but I promise you if you finish this quest, it will change you. And in a good way.
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