Tales from the PCT

CamperDan and Strawberry-Mama

This is another personal blog I write to honor people I have met on my hike; special people who are inseparable bound to my memories and my experience of the adventure.

Here’s the story about Linda (strawberry-mama) and CamperDan. I met them on day 2 at Lake Morena. I have just arrived at the campground as I stumbled across towards their little Campervan begging for some water. I’ve left Campo one day ago with only two liters of water and was happy to finally get to the campground when I aimed at the first water-source I could see. It was the hose providing their spot with water and as soon as I walked up, CamperDan welcomed me, filled my bottle with fresh, cold, refreshing water and I drank. Even though we talked only for maybe a minute or two, introduced ourselves, it sure was one with a positive heavy impact noone thought of at this moment. I thanked and went on to the reception-office of the campground. I remember my first thought of him, “What a weird guy. He already has a trail-name.”

Next time I saw them was at Julian Stagecoach RV, the place where I lost my passport and other stuff. They were the ones helping me out there with kind and wise words, helped me with ideas, with hope, with food.
Then I saw them at Warner Springs, where they agreed to store my insane bottle of soap and the extra, extra amount of trail-mix-nuts I carried for too long.
A little time later I met them in Idyllwild it was them how went a crazy long route out of their way to drive me down to the consulate of L.A. to help me get back my passport. Later they drove me back to Big Bear Lake. It took us two days. It was also in Idyllwild, where Linda had sown my tent because it ripped a few days earlier on the trail; she did an outstanding job with her sewing-machine. Later in Oregon she would sow my pants because they became too big.
In Aqua Dulce they paid my dinner because I ran out of money, again…
In Bishop Linda cooked for 5 hikers, we had Pasta in the Park. It was the last meal I had with Akuna and TwoPie, two fellow hikers who left the trail in Bishop.
I met them in Kennedy Meadows and in Mammoth Falls, I met them all the way through California. The last time I saw them was in southern Oregon at a Resort. It was Linda’s birthday, we went out for lunch. It was the last time I saw them.
A few weeks ago on facebook a fellow hiker wrote me that “they saved my ass on the trail”. And they sure did! Whereever I met them they were there for me, helping me out with big things and little issues. The two, CamperDan and Linda, were true trail-angels travelling along. Thank you so much!