(Author’s note: the place I started at is redacted by request.)
Today was bonkers. I woke up around 6:30 to help with things around the cabin. It was all slowly coming to life. I met Rob, Mary and Jess’ father. He was super excited to have a PCT hiker staying for the day and he spared no energy making me feel welcome.
Everyone was making coffee or tea and their breakfast. There was a communal pan that people would cook their eggs in, then wipe down and let the next person use it. It honestly felt really homey and hikertrashy. There was a sense of kinship and familial closeness that I haven’t felt often in a setting like this.
I offered to help work around the place to pay off staying there. They said it was unnecessary, but that I was welcome to do what I could.
I asked Mary to get me online, as there was no cell service, and I needed to get to the Chester Trail Angels Facebook page to post about finding a place to stay for a bit. I also needed to email Nemo about the broken part and start the process of getting a replacement.
I was surprisingly busy for having nothing to do.
After getting a post on the Chester TA Facebook page and emailing Nemo, I cleaned their kitchen. They were ecstatic because that’s the task no one likes to do. They’d all rather be redoing buildings or clearing debris. I needed to stay near my phone, so that suited me fine.
The prior owner of the lodge, Tom, is a family friend of theirs. He was helping as well and, with all his experience managing it in the past, he was obviously a great asset.
Soon a tractor driver came by. This thing had the biggest bucket I’ve seen on the front of a tractor. He was there to clear the snow. He came highly recommended as a super efficient professional who did a great job. He was able to clear out all the paths under four hours, a task that took prior people on lower snow years six hours. It was great to see how excited everyone was to see all this coming together to get closer to opening. With the paths clear, people would be able to drive up to the lodge to help work rather than park on the road and walk over snow fields to get there.
Tom was done with what he’d gone there to do and was ready to go. Rob, knowing about where I wanted to go and knowing where Tom lives, asked if he’d be willing to give me a ride. It ends up that Tom lived only about 20 minutes from Chester in Susanville.
I got a response on my post in the Chester TA Facebook page that there was a free hiker hostel I could stay at, as well. Again, I offered to cook and help out as payment. They said to just get there and not worry, they were excited to have me.
I can’t believe how things came together and turned around. From a low less than 18 hours ago to strangers helping me travel over an hour and a half, feeding me, and letting me into their lives. Trail is just something else.
Tom was excited to drive me to Chester. He hadn’t been through that burn area in a while and wanted to see how it was recovering. Before we went that way, we had to drop off his brother at his car. Helping here is a family affair.
I got to Chester, went to the hostel, and met Michael and Annika Peacock. They are just the loveliest people. Michael wanted to open the hostel so he could utilize his front porch for what they’re made for: drinking beer and talking to people. He had a cooler of beer and a cooler of soda available. They also had honeybees and chickens. Oopa, who I’d met early on in my hike was there, as well, along with her new friend Brandon.
Michael said the best way to help out would be to help get people settled in. He wanted to be able to hang in the front and socialize, and he also needed to go off and run errands.
I love playing host. Heck yes I’m in.
I showered, put on my rain leggings and my rain jacket because they were the cleanest things I had, and went to Pizza Factory for some dinner. I was famished.
I ran into a couple of hikers I knew: Casual Wood (Woody) and Rat Strap. There were so many other hikers there too.
I ordered a meatball pizza with extra sauce and got the all you can eat salad bar. Rat Strap, Woody and I sat together and caught up. The food was mediocre, the salad bar was anemic, but the company and calories were exactly what I needed.
Just before closing, a woman walked in, Nonny. Another hiker. She asked if she could order and they said they were shutting down, but there was a pizza that was paid for and not picked up. It was a “Hawaiian” pizza, with pineapple and ham. She picked off the ham and ate it.
Again, the trail provides.
She was looking for a place to crash, as was Rat Strap, and I brought them to the hostel. Michael and Annika were delighted I was filling their cots and getting them people to hang out with them. I was happy to be helping hikers get settled and the best deal they could.
Back at the hostel we chatted for a bit, then set up and knocked out.