The Magic at Dunsmuir

We thought about it all day. 

We perceived something fantastic. 

We were granted exactly that. 

Moonshine and I were separated from our group that we dubbed "The Magic School Bus". We were on the edge of town, well, 28 miles from town but we hiked at an incredible rate in order to make it to I-5.

We agreed that we wished someone would rescue us, take us away to a better place: feed us, do our laundry, and  give us beds to sleep on. Couldn't it happen just this once? 

Approaching mile 1500, we got a feeling it would happen. As we passed the marker, a blue cooler full of sodas awaited us. We saw a note from our friends who passed through a few hours ago. Just as I reached for a root beer, a Mercury station wagon with a bloodhound sticking its snout out of the window pulled up. I didn't even see the driver but I waved.  A beautiful young woman emerged from the car and walked towards us. Moonshine and I looked at each other with agreement: this is the manifestation. We introduced ourselves as we found out Jessica was the patron of this cache. She immediately offered us a ride "anywhere". We told her our main goal was to be granted a place to sleep free of charge and possibly near a grocery store. Jessica paused and examined the filthy hikers in front of her. The bloodhound named Rosie looked up at her, acknowledging the internal debate. "Ya...I can host you" she said. 

We all walked to her car and drove away, with the windows open to release the hiker stench. This olfactory exposure was not new to Jessica, she was a through hiker. 

She asked us what we wanted for dinner, and then immediately suggested a big pot of spaghetti and meat sauce. "Oh, and maybe some brownies and ice cream"! she exclaimed. Moonshine and I just looked at each other. Are we dreaming? 

We went from the dark woods ruled by bears, to a super market stocked with glory for all. "Ooo and maybe eggs and pancakes for breakfast?" she also asked. "We should get at least two tubs of ice cream, what's your favorite flavor?" I almost began to cry from the plethora of emotions I was feeling. 

Again, I questioned reality. 

"Oh and I don't want you paying for any of it" she said. Sometimes i guess you go with the flow. 

We arrived at her home, and she pulled out towels for us to use and showed us the beds we would be sleeping in...beds. The bathroom was stocked with organic soaps, shampoos, and lotions. The warm water washed away the last 5 days of hiking and a warm towel dried off the newly moisturized skin. I looked in the mirror and saw a clean version of myself that I so rarely see. I was given pajamas to use while my laundry was collected. The smells of comfort food reached my nose from the kitchen. Earlier in the day, I had mentioned how wonderful a meal of home cooked spaghetti would be, and it was on its way. 

Enormous portions of food emerged from the kitchen: Spinach salad, Alaskan brand IPA beer, baked garlic bread, and pasta filled the empty spaces on the preset table. 

Again, I questioned reality. 

 It was then that Jessica's husband walked into the home. A handsome young man who also hiked the PCT, his name was also Ben. We all sat at the table together and ate the delicious food. "How about a movie tonight? Are you guys dying to watch any movies that recently came out?" asked Ben. "To think of it, I wouldn't know what was out because we've been in the woods for so long" I stated. He agreed and said that we should do as we please, if that meant go to sleep or watch a movie on Netflix. I wanted to watch a movie so bad, from the comfort of a clean couch with an adorable bloodhound to cuddle with. As I browsed Netflix, I noticed the movie Kumare, which I heard about from the Podcast Radiolab. Just as I put it to play, more wonderful smells from the kitchen emerged, this time it was brownies, equipped with mint chip ice cream. We watched the movie with dessert and all went to bed. Ben and Jessica, King Street and Moonshine, all slept soundly that night. 

We woke up to the delight of fresh and hot coffee. Jessica wasn't finished with presenting her version of abundance. 10 scrambled eggs, avocado, 2 types of cheeses, salsa, salami, fruit, and steamed tortillas adorned the table. I hate to say it but, again, I questioned reality. 

We ate it all. 

Jessica recently found out she was pregnant and a new chapter in her life was beginning. As a through hiker, she had been experienced similar generosities from strangers and wanted to provide the same for us. We drove into Shasta City, where she had to run some errands and work a short shift at the hospital as a nurse. Moonshine and I ran some errands of our own in this strange town. A Rainbow Gathering had just ended and dozens of transients filled the streets. All of them resembled through hikers and we played a guessing game called "hikers, hobos, or homeless". The simple game consisted of guessing what category a young smelly backpacker belonged to. 

Jessica picked us up a few hours later and we consumed the rest of the ice cream, topped with bananas and brownies. Sadly, we had to return to the trail where we belonged. But first, we washed all if her dishes, cleaned her kitchen, and organized the room we rot in. 

We were dropped off at the trailhead, said our goodbyes and stepped back into the wooded realm of hikerdom.