#Trash on the PCT

[pcttrailsidereader]

Trash on the Trail -- What's Out There

Bandages, balloons, bullet casings: Here’s how much trash is on the Pacific Crest Trail

A pair of environmental scientists who thru-hiked the trail last year conducted the largest known and most comprehensive survey of litter on the Pacific Crest Trail. Illustration by Sophie D'Amato/The Chronicle from No Trace Trails elements.

Their findings reflected my own perception of trash on the PCT. The litter I have encountered does seem to be concentrated around highway crossings, campgrounds, trailheads, and high-use areas with easy road access. The issue of toilet paper along the trail is a more complicated issue . . . one that seemingly combines awareness, behavioral change, and some infrastructure support.

ByGregory Thomas and Harsha Devulapalli

Roughly 1 million people per year venture onto the wild and scenic Pacific Crest Trail, the 2,650-mile hiking route that winds through the West Coast’s soaring mountain ranges between Mexico and Canada.

That includes hikers out for a day in the woods, backpackers on multiday trips and thru-hikers seeking to conquer the whole thing in one long trek. Inevitably, some of those nature lovers leave behind micro-trash and bits of plastic litter. No one has sought to quantify the impact of trash on the trail — until now.

A pair of environmental scientists who thru-hiked the trail last year conducted the largest known survey of litter on the PCT, providing a sharp look at the kinds of materials people leave on the trail, in what concentrations, and where. The project was carried out, mile by mile, by Tori McGruer, 29, who holds a doctorate in environmental toxicology, and Macy Gustavus, 25, who holds a master’s degree in watershed sciences.

Here’s what they found.

A look at a few of McGruer and Gustavus’ findings

Graphic by Sophie D'Amato/The Chronicle from No Trace Trails elements

© OpenMapTiles© OpenStreetMap contributors

McGruer and Gustavus started their journey in March 2023 in Campo (San Diego County), near the Mexican border, the launchpad for northbound thru-hikers. They’d secured $16,000 in funding through grants and partnerships, quit their jobs and hit the trail.

From the get-go, they found significant concentrations of litter — bottle caps, gum wrappers and rubber fragments.

Over the next six months, McGruer (right) and Gustavus hiked the full 2,650-mile trail, which crosses the High Sierra and the Cascade Range, to the Canadian border. They cataloged — and usually collected — more than 1,000 pieces of trash. They found lots of snack wrappers, used toilet paper, Band-Aids and cigarette butts as well as novelties like Mylar balloons, a spent shotgun cartridge and a rusty horseshoe.

The researchers surveyed 1-kilometer segments of trail at 10-mile intervals — a total of 260 survey areas ● (a rate of about 2-3 per day). Each hiker scoped for litter on her respective side of the trail to a distance of about 6 feet from its center.

They handled trash objects with plastic salad tongs for sanitary reasons and deposited them into waterproof stuff sacks, “so if there was something gross we could put it in there and not worry about it leaching out,” McGruer said.

Certain heavy or cumbersome items, like pieces of an abandoned car, were cataloged but left on the trail. They categorized each item using Rubbish, a mobile app that helps users organize and geolocate litter in open spaces.

So, the dirtiest stretch of the entire trail?

A long segment bookending the San Gabriel Mountains on the outskirts of Los Angeles was the dirtiest of the entire PCT, presumably due to its proximity to a major metropolis. One-third of all the trash the researchers logged during their trip came from this region.

A few survey areas there contained hundreds of litter items. However, the researchers set a 100-item maximum when counting litter in a given survey area. When they hit that threshold, they believed they could extrapolate the trash concentration with reasonable accuracy, they said.

Mylar Balloons

Those shiny, metallic, helium-filled balloons are remarkably durable and capable of floating long distances. Strangely, they are winding up in remote wilderness areas at a rate that is concerning to biologists, as the Chronicle has recently reported.

McGruer retrieved several of them in the Southern California desert — one stuck in a patch of bushes, another submerged in a river. Survey aside, she made it a personal mission to remove the ones she found.

“One day I had like three partially inflated ones attached to my pack and someone passing us on the trail said ‘happy birthday’ to me,” she said.

The researchers found trash in about 60% of the 260 survey zones, meaning 40% contained no discernible litter. The hot spots along the trail tended to correlate with areas of easy access and high human traffic like highway crossings, campgrounds and day-use areas.

Brian Feulner/Special to the Chronicle

Many of the zero-trash areas were in remote mountain regions like Northern California’s High Sierra and Washington’s Cascade Range, where few people set foot.

That finding tracks with the experience of Jack Haskel, trail information manager for the Pacific Crest Trail Association, which maintains the trail on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service.

“Much of the trail is pretty pristine regarding trash but you do find hot spots where there’s a lot of it,” he said.

The most common trash materials found were: soft plastics, such as bits of bar wrappers or cuts of duct tape; hard plastics like water bottles and broken trekking pole baskets; brass bullet casings; paper shreds and used toilet paper; cigarette butts; and miscellaneous fragments.

In many instances, researchers encountered single pieces of stray trash, one at a time. But sometimes they’d find dozens of pieces of litter linked to a single event. For instance, in the backcountry of Shasta County they found 50 or more strands of tree-flagging tape used by foresters scattered on the ground.

What’s that?

In some cases, differentiating rubbish from natural ground materials was challenging. Identifying and classifying objects required four of the five senses — sight, smell, touch and, at one point, taste.

Unsure about the makeup of a smooth chunk of translucent detritus they found in the dirt –— was it plastic? glass? a natural mineral? — Gustavus popped it into her mouth and bit down. Glass, she decided.

“That’s not common,” Gustavus said. “I don’t encourage people to do that.”

Toilet paper

Used toilet paper left along the trail — half-buried, stuffed under a rock, clinging to bushes — is the PCT’s single, stand-out trash problem, according to Haskel of the Pacific Crest Trail Association. It is a gross, unsightly bane of trail rangers and volunteer stewards. The trash researchers found a lot of it — particularly in the northern states.

“In Oregon and Washington there was toilet paper everywhere,” McGruer said. “I was like, what is happening?”

In lieu of using a toilet, backpackers and hikers should bury their waste several inches deep in the ground, or use a wag bag and carry it out, and take their soiled toilet paper with them. Poop carries toxins and bacteria that, even when buried, can leach into nearby water sources and infect wildlife, Haskel said.

Biodegradables

Sunflower seeds, pistachio and peanut shells, orange peels — the researchers found them scattered along the entire trail route, and seeing them drove Gustavus “absolutely insane.” Yes, they should technically break down over time, she said, but hikers shouldn’t feel free to dump them in the natural environment.

“It’s kind of a misguided principle,” Gustavus said. “That stuff does not belong out there.”

Pictured: Pistachio shells on the trail in the mountains of Washington State.

The pair completed their thru-hike in September 2023. McGruer (left) and Gustavus are shown here at the PCT's northern terminus in the remote mountains where Washington State meets Canada.

It’s important to note that many PCT users actively beautify the trail each year.

Local volunteer groups, rangers and backpackers are all known to pick up trash they encounter on their outings as a simple act of altruism. Also, eight years ago a pair of young men made it their mission to remove the junk they encountered during their thru-hike; they ended up with more than 700 pounds of stuff, including a mattress.

Extrapolating from their data, McGruer and Gustavus estimate there to be about 200,000 pieces of trash along the trail at any given moment. But that’s not to say the trail feels trashy, McGruer said.

“We frequently saw trash, but often there would be a small piece in one of our 1-kilometer surveys. You wouldn't register that as a ton of trash,” she said. “I think what our survey findings say is that people leave a trash footprint wherever we go with these materials that really don't break down in the environment.”

The survey project, which the researchers dubbed No Trace Trails, was supported by grant funding and financial backing through the Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research in Long Beach via the Richard Lounsbery Foundation in Washington, D.C., and the American Alpine Club.

McGruer and Gustavus are putting together a research manuscript for peer review. They’re also seeking funds to help analyze the microplastic content of a series of soil samples they collected during their hike.

Sarah “Mountain Goat” Steinbauer from Austria hikes the Pacific Crest Trail near Quincy (Plumas County) on June 19, 2023. The heavy snowfall in the Sierra Nevada that year created special challenges for thru-hikers along the PCT. Brian Feulner / Special To The Chronicle

Credits

Reporting by Gregory Thomas. Reporting and graphics development by Harsha Devulapalli. Editing by Yoohyun Jung and Kate Galbraith. Design, development and illustration by Sophie D'Amato. Design editing by Alex K. Fong. Visuals editing by Ramin Rahimian. Powered by the Hearst Newspapers DevHub.

[aroadside-attraction]

Thru Hiker Eddie and Trail Angel Steve

When he was a kid, Eddie used to go on little day hikes with Wayne- it got him out of that awful house, and Wayne always taught him something new about how to get by out on the trail. As he grew older, the hikes got longer, until Wayne was taking him on 2, 3 day backpacking trips. When Eddie finally moved in with him, hair shorn and scarred in ways people couldn’t always see, Wayne took him out for a full week. It took over half of it for Eddie to start acting like himself again.

After that, hiking was their thing. It was what they did anytime they got into a disagreement, any time that Hopper brought him home by the scruff of the neck with threats about this being the last time he’d get off with only a warning- they took to the woods and walked until something in both of them settled.

So when Wayne died, too young but entirely content with his life, Eddie knew what he had to do. He was going to fucking Cheryl-Strayed his grief and hike the PCT from border to border. Wayne had talked about wanting to do it a million times, but he could never afford the months that he’d have to take off to do it. But Eddie was making decent money as a musician and the only real plus side of this whole situation is that he could convince his manager that between the grief and the stark beauty of the Sierra Nevadas, he’d come out of this with two or three albums worth of material.

Becoming a Trail Angel had honestly been an accident, for Steve. Robin had accidentally found herself engulfed in a group of backpackers on a day hike out at Walkers Pass and had endeared herself to them immediately. So when Steve showed up to the parking lot to give her a ride back to town, he was met with a group of ten or so chatting up a storm with his best friend. He agreed to take them all back to town, as long as they were patient enough for him to make trips- he could only squeeze five in at a time, with their packs. It was on his third trip that he realized no one in the car knew Robin, and that they’d just assumed he was a Trail Angel. After they explained what that actually was, he found he liked the idea- it was a decent drive over the pass, and the people were great. So the next day, when he noticed a group of hikers that he had brought down the day before sitting at a bus stop, he pulled over and asked if they wanted a ride back up.

The way it escalated after that, well. Yes, technically it was completely under Steve’s control, but he’s never really been able to help the way he just wants to, well, help people. He’s off for the summer, but the time people start showing up at the pass, so it’s pretty easy for him to go up to the trailhead and perform a little trail magic- in the summer months his trunk is always full of snacks and water and half full trash bags, and he’s always willing to load a few strangers into his car for a ride back to town. Once the crowd thins out, though, that first summer, it leaves him feeling a little hollow. See, Steve’s not a big hiker. Sure, he’s fit enough that he could probably pull off at least being a section hiker, but hiking leaves him too alone with his thoughts for his taste, so taking on the PCT doesn’t really feel realistic. But the way the hikers talk about it? The magic they experience along the way? The clarity they reach? Steve wants that. So, he does something a little stupid. He follows them.

Lone Pine, Bishop, Mammoth, he follows them all the way up to Mount Shasta before he turns back for home. Two or three days in each town, he got real familiar with the people at the back of the pack of that year’s Northbound hikers. And it felt good, to have something to do over the summer, a way to get his own little taste of the PCT.

It becomes a thing, every summer. He does what he can for the majority of the hikers as they enter the Sierras, and then he follows them up California. The towns tend to treat him just the same as the hikers- he takes up odd jobs that none of the hikers seem inclined to take, does what he can to help the communities as he drifts through, even makes friends with the local angels. And it settles something in him, sends him back into the school year ready to deal with the chaos of his fifth grade class.

Steve meets Eddie the way he meets all his hikers- set up with his car at the Walkers Pass trailhead, a friendly smile and a good snack in hand. They don’t exchange many words- Eddie had really just come down for the pit toilet, but he’s still torn on whether it’s any better than shitting in a hole in the woods. Eddie heads back up, expecting to never see the pretty boy with the moles ever again.

Until he’s there at the trailhead just outside Independence. He accepts a ride, then, and trades names with the trail angel. And again in Bishop, where he learns that Steve does this every year. He looses him for a bit, until he snags a ride from Steve down to Meyers. That time, he tells Steve why he’s on the trail- it’s the first time he’s ever ridden down in Steve’s car without any other hikers present, so it’s a bit easier to open up. The ride back up to the trail the next day is significantly quieter.

Eddie’s not quite sure when the songs he’s writing in his old beat up journal go from grieving to longing. It’s hard to trace, when the emotions can feel so similar sometimes. He thinks some of the songs in the middle of it all are about both. He feels a bit guilty about it all- this trip was supposed to be about Wayne, about closure. It wasn’t supposed to go like this, falling for this elementary school teacher turned trail angel who is clearly sorting through his own shit if he spends his summers chasing people who are chasing their own dreams.

But still, Eddie writes. He writes songs like he’s never written before. Sure, he’s got plenty of songs about lusting after boys and those big scary feelings nobody wants to talk about but everyone wants to hear. But nothing like this weird sort of pining for a guy he’s spent maybe a total of 6 hours with.

Still a little reckless in his grief, Eddie leans into it. He fosters his longing little feelings until it blooms into a full blown crush. At that point he’s creeping ever closer to Mount Shasta, the place Steve had told him was his last stop coming down from the trailhead at Sierra City. He wasn’t eager to bring this last meeting closer, but he knew dragging his feet might cause him to miss Steve all together as he heads back down the road to home.

Nothing happens at Mount Shasta. Steve tells him it’s his last day before heading back- he’s got a long drive ahead of him, so he won’t be shuttling anyone up to the trailhead the next morning. He wishes Eddie a shy farewell as he climbs out of the passenger seat one last time- jokes that if he ever finds himself on the trail again, Steve would be more than happy to give him a ride.

The rest of his hike is rough. He’s got a tangled mess of emotions that it takes the next thousand miles to sort through, his grief over his uncle twisted up with this fresh grief of his weird little totally unrequited crush in a wholly unpleasant torment. The last 98 miles, he forms a plan.

He gives himself until the next June. Time to mourn, time to see if the feelings fade, time to put out the album he wrote on the trail. He names it something poetic, maybe something to do with trail magic or the nicknames of the hikers he met along the way. Maybe it’s after Wayne’s favorite trail. Maybe it’s simply called The Pass, a nod to the place he first met Steve.

The next June, when the weird feelings are still there and he missed Wayne but it doesn’t feel like it eats him alive every day anymore, he packs himself into his car and drives the 140 miles up to the Walker’s Pass trailhead. He provides a little magic- food and drink and a friendly face- while he waits for his angel to return. And he does, driving back up that windy road and pulling into the parking lot beside him.

Eddie asks him to dinner, and Steve accepts. Turns out he’s been harboring a crush for the past year too. It goes great, and even though they have to wade through the long distance- Eddie’s got his life in LA and Steve’s not quite ready to leave his town- and the trail- they make it work.

They get married up at Walker’s Pass. It’s Steve’s goodbye to the trail, despite having moved to the city a year prior. His own little bit of trail magic to carry with him the rest of his life.

The trail provides, after all.

[courtneykistheway]

I'm going to be thru-hiking with my partner in January.

We've always wanted to travel the US, and have gone to a lot of places, but finances, and trying to live a "normal decent", life always held us back.

We've been in a spot for a while now, where we have no idea what we want or what it even means to be a part of this world, or what our places in it are supposed to be.

All in all, we have a lot of mental health and lifestyle struggles that have made it impossible for us to be ok with keeping any of our jobs or going back to college to get a better job. Honestly, we've traveled a lot, and living "decently" isn't for us.

So, we've been broke and without motivation for years. This year we got to a breaking point; our housing situation isn't going to be viable forever (slumlord in LA) and we can never seem to get enough money to do anything but pay the rent.

We came to a decision, albeit a hasty one, but one that isn't uncommon for us at all: New adventure that isn't conducive to living a "normal decent" life.

We're going to get rid of everything that's trash and sell what we can, get some secondhand gear and hike the PCT.

Now, we aren't going to stay on the trail fulltime, as we will have to deviate to cities sometimes to resupply. We don't have a dehydrator to make a bunch of premade meals to ship to ourselves, and we really don't have the money to do this at all, honestly. But we have nothing else to do. We have enough money to get gear and permits to make this a very insane thru-hiking adventure rather than just being homeless.

Yes, we could get random jobs and start the circus all over again. But we don't have kids or obligations and are so deeply unhappy living in society, so we're gunna dip for a year and see where the trail takes us. Is it a bad idea? Maybe. It's dangerous. But I'll be fucked if I let money take this from me too. And damn, dude, I just want to get rid of all this useless stuff. Trying to make it in this 'over-consumption workaholic everyone pretends it's ok as long as they get more stuff to drown it out' society and way of life.

Maybe it's because I'm turning 30 next month, but I also feel like I only have so many crazy decisions left to make in this lifetime. I want to do this while I can.

[crowcialist]

Some of my trail writing appears in this collection alongside work from slightly more notable people like Cheryl Strayed and Nick Kristof. Out next year, available for pre-order now!

[ripleylacross]

This time last year I was working what I was hoping would become the Hiker Trash Dictionary Vol.2, but life happened and I had to set it down. Now, several years apart from my fellow hiker trash, I'm feeling too detached to continue it. Am I really hiker trash? I've only spent ten nights in the woods in the last two years. I'm conflicted about calling myself an Adventure Cartoonist at this point. One day I'll be back on trail with my comrades and it'll feel appropriate again. https://www.instagram.com/p/CGFo1oAFUCT/?igshid=174qvfndxjb0i

[livefreeordrive]

Dicks Pass/ Heather Lake

Desolation Wilderness, California

Pacific Crest Trail/ Tahoe Rim Trail (shared tread)

[findingmypeace]

3/27/2022

July 23rd, 2021-My first full day of treatment (residential)

I don’t remember much about that day. I was so sick and I don’t mean with my ed. I woke up around 5am. I was so incredibly nauseous. I went down to the nurses office to get a zofran. I struggle with chronic nausea and have a prescription for zofran. A few minutes after I took the zofran I threw it up. I proceeded to vomit 3 or 4 more times.

I had ect that morning. The person who became my favorite pct in res drove me there. I had to ride in the car with trash bag just in case I threw up on the way. I slept most of the way there. I do think my ed behaviors caused the nausea. I had been heavily abusing laxatives and diuretics and the caffeine in the diuretics caused me not to sleep at all the night before admission. When I arrived at ect my psychiatrist said he had heard I was sick that morning. I didn’t admit the laxative or diuretic use to him but he could see how dehydrated I was. (I mean my lips were sticking to my teeth because my mouth was so dry).

I woke up from the anesthesia with an IV in my arm hooked up to a bag of fluid. I wasn’t expecting that. Giving me fluid after ect became a regular thing after that and EVERYONE at treatment has been hard on me about my fluid intake.

After ect that same pct drove me back to res. I slept the whole way back and then for the rest of the afternoon. They even let me sleep through lunch.

Looking back at that day and where I am today is incredible. I had been trying so hard to keep it together for so long. I’m a therapist. I need to be competent, strong, and know what I am doing. The facade I put on for sessions with clients was in contrast to how utterly miserable I was. Once I got to treatment I completely fell apart. I have cried so much. More than I ever have in my life. I think this is what I should have done after my attempt. This was my chance to heal and I am so grateful I was given this opportunity.

I know, as scared as I am, I am ready for the next step. It is time to try things on my own. I am terrified. I don’t want to be alone. I don’t want things to get as bad as they were. I don’t know if I can do it. But I know I don’t have to have it all figured out just because I’m discharged from treatment. This is just the next step.

[writingpuddle]

“Don’t you ever get lonely?” Nicky asked, digging in his pack for a chocolate bar. To their left, the cliff dropped away precipitously, sheer granite cliffs like sentinels at the end of the world.

Neil stared at Nicky. “No,” he said.

“What, never?”

Neil looked out across the sweeping vista of mountains before them. A speck that could have been a hawk or a raven or a sparrow spun against the sky, too small and distant to judge. He’d stood in the middle of busy cities; he’d gone to school with hundreds; he’d even tried out for a track and field team once. He’d been surrounded by people, and he had been so ferociously lonely it had been like a knife in his chest.

“No,” he said, because he didn’t know how to explain—didn’t even want to, really. He’d felt more alone back in the so-called real world than he’d ever felt in the wilderness, miles from any other person. When there was no one around, there was no one to miss.

~~~The Long-Distance Hiker AU (A Bullet Point Fic)~~~

So after Neil’s mom died he kinda of ghosted around for a while and eventually ended up in a small hiking town in California

He met a bunch of thru hikers and figured, hey, my dad probably won’t find me if I’ve fucked off into the wilderness

So he starts hiking

And pretty soon he realizes it’s the best thing he could imagine

He spends all summer in the mountains and when winter rolls around he finds a temporary job in a skiing town working in a second hand gear shop

He’s an ultralighter in the most accidental sense possible

His gear is weird and cobbled together and his shoes are held together with dental floss

He sleeps under a tarp with a down blanket and a thin foam mat and he’ll eat the same shit day in day out without even registering it while he covers frankly obscene distances every single day

It basically gives Kevin an ulcer

Kevin’s an ultralighter, but in the stuck up, rich bitch way; his gear is probably worth thousands of dollars and he’ll lecture anyone who listens about ripstop nylon and is super snobby and elitist about who is a so-called “real” thru hiker (hint: anyone who doesn’t do it his way isn’t a real thru hiker)

(don’t worry he’ll get smacked around a little by people like Dan and stop being such a little bitch about it but he grew up rich so even though it might’ve been shit living with Riko he really doesn’t always take into consideration the context of how much fucking money gear costs when he’s preaching about ultralighting)

(yes I’m taking out my dislike for pretentious rich ultralighters on him, okay, but the difference is he’ll have character growth versus the people I met are probably still being preachy and self-important to this day)

Andrew’s like the exact opposite

His pack weighs like seventy pounds and he’ll pull a six-inch knife (a gross misuse of smart gear weight management) at anyone who comments

He has a completely contained single person tent that’s big enough to sit up in and a four-inch inflatable mattress

His sleeping bag is rated to like -20 even when he’s hiking in the summer

Nicky swears he once saw him pull a full-sized chocolate cake out of his backpack three days down the trail and everyone says that’s stupid and made up but secretly think its totally true

Andrew likes to hike alone but somehow he’s never more than a day away from Aaron and Nicky and when he keeps showing up near them it gets harder and harder to pretend like he doesn’t actually care about them

Nobody says anything, obviously, but Nicky gets a little teary when he starts to notice the pattern

It was Nicky’s idea; in this universe Erik got him into hiking when he was in Germany so he got the cousins into it as a bonding exercise and then it turned out it was the best family activity they had ever found

This is several years after they graduated and they’ve scrounged together enough time and money to hike the Pacific Crest Trail

Now the upperclassmen:

So Stephanie Walker is a trail angel: one of those people who lives near a long trail and provides snacks and rides and somewhere to stay and basically helps out anyone who comes by with whatever’s going on; she’s pulled a lot of people out of frankly dangerous situations and she’s not afraid of anything the trail has to offer

So Renee finds herself and her faith while living this life of meeting new hikers every day and it’s almost inevitable that she starts to hike and find solace in the wilderness

Allison is one of those Wild types: she’s done some hiking (much to her parents’ chagrin) but she’s never done a thru trail or even much overnighting before, but she’s ready to throw herself into it and doesn’t care how dirty she gets

She totally carries a tiny spa package though

The other women are very skeptical because they take pride in being free from societies expectations and make up and shaving but they come around after Allison pulls it out one time when they’re seven days into a ten day section and gives them face masks and they all have a little pedicure pampering session (so, so needed when your feet are being beaten and bruised by hard terrain all day)

She has a lot of new, expensive gear and is super touchy about people trying to help her (because a beautiful woman absolutely gets people trying to “help” all the time and it’s infuriating and condescending) but she learns to accept help from her closest friends

She was showing off near the beginning of the trail drinking with a bunch of guys and probably got too sloshed trying to act tough (alcohol hits you waaaay harder at high elevations dude, if you’re not expecting it you can get Fucked Up really fast)

It’s Seth who realizes things are getting out of control and pulls her out before the guys can do anything shitty which is how their friendship and eventually their relationship gets started

They piss everyone off with their constant breaking up and getting back together on the trail, sometimes hiking together for days and then splitting up and going to hike with other people but they find a lot of healing out there in the woods

Seth’s mom is totally dismissive and condescending of his hiking, she thinks it’s a stupid waste of time, but she thinks everything he does is a stupid waste of time so at least when he’s out there without cell service he has an excuse to not respond to her

Now Dan

Dan’s trailer trash, right

She’s got no fucking cash but she has this dream in her head to hike the PCT and she’s going to fucking well do it

Her gear is probably most similar to Neil’s except where his is a mess of weird priorities and held together by spit and twine

Hers is meticulously planned

It’s cheap, some of it’s over forty years old, but it’s hers

It’s probably the only stuff in the world that’s actually hers

She accumulated it over about four years, hitting all the second-hand gear events, saving up every penny, packing and repacking and writing everything out in great detail until David Wymack got wind of her plans at a gear event

He’s one of those guys who hiked the PCT thirty years ago back before anyone knew what it was except instead of feeling superior about that it means he knows exactly how much impact experiencing the wilderness can have for disenfranchised people

He approaches Dan and offers to sponsor her hike

She’s resistant at first; she planned this hike, she got all the stuff together, she was going to do it without anyone’s help

But he comes back and says he just wants her to write about her experiences and publish it on his website

He’ll pay her for the work, of course

And she wavers and finally caves because this will move her plans up by about two years if she can make money while she’s hiking instead of having to hoard up enough cash to take six whole months off

Her blog posts are a huge hit

She doesn’t preach about how the mountains saved her, or get too metaphorical about hiking or anything like that

She just talks about the real, raw experience of hiking

The friendships, the trials, the triumphs

The infuriating people whose mental image of the hiking community doesn’t include poor black girls who grew up in a trailer park, who say she’s an inspiration like they actually mean something else

She talks about the days that she flies up the mountains and the days that she can barely drag herself out of her tent and the day she realizes that Allison and Renee, these women she thought could not be more different from her, are the best friends she’s ever had in the world

And she’s takes fucking amazing pictures

She’s also very determined not to have a trail romance

That’s stupid and cliché

Look that guy Matt might be hot but she’s not interested

He’s clearly working through some stuff and she’s not here to be some guys savior or whatever

So Matt then

His mom helped him get sober a couple years ago and he’s been struggling with it ever since

She got him into hiking as an outlet and a healthy hobby and he took to it like a fish to water

He’s got legs for days and he doesn’t mind carrying a heavy pack, he can hike for hours without stopping

(The fact that he’s faster than her pisses Dan off a bit, but sometimes you gotta accept that you’ve got short legs and just hike your own hike, there aren’t any prizes for speed)

He relapsed again a couple months before his hike started and he and Randy weren’t even sure if he was going to be able to do it but he’s damned well going to try

So anyway

Pretty much everyone is trying to actually hike the PCT except Neil

He drives everyone bonkers

His motivation isn’t really about the trail so much as staying out in the wilderness where there are no gangsters to murder you

So he just does whatever he wants and keeps showing up at random points

He’s technically got one of the thru hiker permits but he frequently goes off on side trails not on the PCT and ends up hiding out in the woods so rangers won’t find him

He’ll just hitchhike straight through boring sections or anywhere that you pass through too many towns where he’d rather not be remembered

He keeps coming back to the PCT but it’s more like it’s a rough guideline of where to go than an actual route he’s taking

He’s got his natural colouring back because who’s dying their hair or wearing fucking contacts on the trail?

But also

Who would ever associate a runaway mafia kid with a guy with overgrown hair and a stained t-shirt who’s sitting serenely on a mountain pass in a photo on David Wymack’s website?

Nobody

That’s right kids, Nathan doesn’t have a role in this one because he doesn’t find Neil

Maybe he gets killed in a shoot out or something and some other gangster steps up and takes over, and in the shuffle Neil’s just kinda forgotten

Maybe he finds out months later and he just stares at the computer in shock because he should have known, shouldn’t he? He should have felt it when his father died

He should have realized that he was free

That happens later though

Who fucking cares what Riko’s doing honestly

Kevin has somehow attached himself to Andrew and is driving him up the wall with advice to improve his hiking/base weight/distance/etc and he sees this guy (Neil) who regularly covers like thirty or forty miles a day (obscene!) and is like YES this guy is my people!

Except when he starts talking to Neil he realizes he’s this total weirdo who doesn’t even have a cook set he just eats cold food (a common enough thing among ultralighters, but not like this. Oh god, not like this)

Neil’s just sitting there gnawing on a pack of uncooked ramen like a fucking animal

And he’s not! Even! Hiking! Properly!

You’ll never finish the trail if you hike like this!

Neil just gives him a blank look

He’s got no interest on getting on some “verified” list of people who hiked the PCT, he just likes hiking

Andrew likes him

I mean obviously he despises him what the hell is with that janky ass setup but also he’s so unconventional and unapologetic how could Andrew not be into that?

They’re the kind of people who give wilderness rescue personnel grey hair, but for completely opposite reasons

Neil keeps running into them because even though he covers so much ground every day, his meandering route means he doesn’t actually move down the trail very fast

They’ll be like wait weren’t you like a week ahead of us and he’s like oh yeah I heard about this cool waterfall and took a sixty mile side trail to visit it and nearly ran into a momma bear with two cubs, it was awesome

And they all start to grow on him, and each other, almost accidentally

Look none of them are out there romanticizing the trail as some kind of magical place where the problems of the real world disappear and the people are somehow more pure and true or whatever

People are people and they bring their issues wherever they go

But there is a paring down

When your daily concerns are just mileage and shoes and food and weather, a lot of other stuff fades into the background

And well the truth is a lot of people are on those trails to work through stuff

And they find each other

Gradually, without even really noticing

They team up in June, groups of three or four with crampons and ice axes to get over the Sierra’s.

Neil was planning to just do side hikes and wait for the snow to melt—he isn’t so reckless he wants to go over the ice alone, but Kevin insists he join them and for the first time he hikes in a group with Kevin and the cousins all together.

It’s weird

He’s not used to people talking to him when he’s hiking and he frequently doesn’t respond and it’s not because he’s being rude he’s just so focussed on what he’s doing and what’s around him that he literally doesn’t hear them

And then

Nicky slips

It’s not his fault, they did nearly everything right (Kevin may be a pretentious ass, but he does know his shit) but sometimes shit just happens for no reason

And they’re at the edge of the ice sheet so Nicky’s just untying himself from the rope that links them together, he’s not even moving, and the snow beneath him shifts and he doesn’t even have time to scream before he’s hurtling down the snow below the trail towards the cliff at the bottom of the ice sheet

Neil doesn’t even hesitate

He dives after him, ice axe in one hand like a fucking gladiator and gets his arm wrapped around Nicky’s waist

He slams the ice axe into the snow and it drags behind them, and it looks like it’s not going to catch, and the edge is getting closer and closer—

Until the axe catches something, and Nicky and Neil lurch to a halt, clinging to each other, hanging off of Neil’s one arm and the axe.

Neil looks up and sees Andrew, Aaron and Kevin in various places on the slope above them, their axes dug in and long gouge marks in the snow beneath their heels, strung together by a ropeline that’s still attached to Neil’s waist

That rope is probably the only thing that slowed them down enough that Neil could stop them without ripping his arm clean off

It’s hardly a by-the-book rescue, and in fact it was pretty stupid, but they’re okay, they’re okay, that’s all that matters

That night they light a fire down by a lake and Nicky cries on Aaron’s shoulder and Andrew keeps clenching his fists because he’s never felt so helpless in his life and it was Neil that jumped, not him

He knows that he was at the far end of the line and he would’ve made it worse if he had, but doing nothing while Neil risked his life to save Nicky

They don’t really talk about it

But you kind of can’t help being friends after that

And even after they’re out of the high mountains and back on solid trails Neil keeps tabs on them

And Nicky befriends the others and without even meaning to they start to develop a sort of loose trail family vibe

They’re not hiking together all the time like some of the groups they meet, but they check on each other all the time and wait up in resupply villages and bond over firepits and shitty hot chocolate mixes and swap tips on how to keep the butt-chafing at bay

Neil sticks to the outskirts, mostly, but he starts to open up a little, in fits and spurts, tiny non-specific things that wouldn’t even register to most people but that this particular group knows means more than that

He’s slowing down, too, sometimes hiking entire days with people and covering half his usual distance even when there’s no cliffs or glaciers threatening him

He likes hiking with Andrew the most, though

Because neither of them are big talkers when they’re hiking and Andrew’s pack might be absurdly heavy but he’s got legs the size of tree trunks and endurance to match, so he might not be fast but he can outwalk half the people on the trail by sheer relentlessness

They both like to camp up high, near treeline (so Neil can set up his tarp) and in the places that it’s legal they’ll start a small fire and Andrew will loan Neil his pot so he can actually cook his fucking ramen for once and sometimes they’ll watch the Milky Way rise and share secrets under the open sky, not looking at each other so they don’t break the illusion, and sometimes they won’t say anything at all but it’s okay, because they’re saying nothing together.

It’s nice

It’s maybe more than nice

The summer draws to a close and Neil is starting to realize that he doesn’t want it to

He never wants the hiking season to end but this time it’s different

This summer has been perfect

And he knows deep in his bones that once they leave the trail things will change

The others have lives to return to, and Neil…

The trail is all he has

And if he’s barely hiking alone at all these days, well, who’s going to call him out on it?

The others like having him around because he stops them from getting too fixated on the Trail to see the trail

He still takes side trips but now sometimes people will come along and he’ll stand at the base of a canyon staring up at the glossy white walls and Dan will snap a photo for her blog and smile, because the PCT is just a line on a map, but the hike is all of them; together

He’s hiking with Andrew in September when a storm hits, this time vicious

Neil huddles under his tarp in resignation

Storms suck, he always gets wet, no matter how much he lowers the tarp, but he’s used to it; he just waits it out

But it’s just getting worse

Hail lashing at the tarp and pummelling the ground and maybe for once he regrets camping so high up

And Andrew has to shout to be heard but finally Neil realizes he’s offering to let Neil come into his tent

You’re going fucking freeze, just get in here

Neil goes

It’s weird

It’s instantly weird

The tent is not built for two people, so they’re both sitting cross legged with their heads ducked to not press against the roof

The storms probably not going to let up soon, Andrew says

Yeah, Neil says.

Andrew sighs

Lie down, he says, and Neil does, and Andrew lies down next to him, shoulder to shoulder

It barely works, only because neither of them are very big people

Neil’s pack is outside wrapped in his tarp and all he has is his damp down blanket but he’s not cold anymore, not with Andrew bundled up in his ridiculous sleeping bag right next to him

The storm rages for nearly two days and what passes between them in that tent, nobody knows

If they’re barely ever seen apart after it, well. You only see people so often on the trail. It could easily be a coincidence

And if Neil doesn’t even set his tarp up on rainy nights anymore, well. They never camp near other people anyway, so who’s to know?

In early October the snow blows in, blocking the route to the finish.

They drift around a resupply village for almost two weeks, waiting for the trail to reopen, but finally even Kevin accepts that it isn’t going to

After all of that, none of them are going to finish the trail

It’s a disappointment—of course it is. For most of them, the end of their trip is now a nondescript exit into a village, no fanfare, no closure; they didn’t even know they were done for days

Still, it’s not so bad

They’re all together

Allison suggests Vegas, but they all laugh it down; they wouldn’t even know how right now, bearded and hairy and ravenous as they are

They go to South Carolina instead

It’s not really even discussed that they’ll stay together, they just all go; Allison hosts them at her resort and they laugh at the incongruous weirdness of seeing each other in real clothes, and it’s different, but it’s also okay

They stay for another two weeks, and they don’t hike another fucking inch

We should try the Continental Divide Trail sometime, Dan says

Her blog is so popular now that she’s got sponsorships from more than just Wymack waiting for her

She could make a career out of hiking and blogging and doing gear reviews and it’s a dream she’d never even realized she wanted until she had it

And if she accidentally fucked up and ended up with a hot trail boyfriend? Well, nobody’s perfect

And he has a great butt

(she has photos of it on her blog, from when they jumped into a glacier lake naked back in August)

Everyone is jealous

How about that trek in Iceland? Matt suggests

Or the whats-it-called in New Zealand, Allison says

Oh, I bet there’s some good ones in Europe! Nicky says. You guys can all meet Erik!

And it’s going to be different, but it’s not going away, and Neil feels calm in a way he never has at the end of a hiking season before

Eventually everyone has to start making plans to return to their lives, and jobs, and Neil sneaks out to the back of the house to sit in crisp fall air and watch leaves spiral down out of the trees

Andrew follows him

They sit together, watching the moon rise over the hills, and when Andrew asks Neil to come home, Neil says yes

[saundraswriting]

Need Some TLC Chapter 5: Groceries

SUMMARY: Steve and Bucky decide to step in for your health and a third conspirator joins the ranks

WARNINGS:None

Masterlist // Previous // Next

You stood looking at your front door for a moment or two before smiling and shaking you head. Glancing around, you noticed that your kitchen was clean, but the living room needed tidying up and the bathroom, your bedroom and laundry needed finished. "No time like the present." You muttered to yourself, deciding the living room would be a good start and quickest, you got to work. You straightened the throw blankets and small pillows and cushions. the knick-knacks were organized and DVD's were put away, in their proper cases. you bagged up all the trash and recycling and moved on to the next room.

Laundry was started once more, the bathroom scrubbed and you changed your sheets in your room. You cleaned up the dirty clothes in your room, both you not scrub hamper and scrub hamper, and gathered the old dishes and long-dismissed wrappers and protein shake bottles. You put away all the laundry in your clean laundry basket and dusted your hands off. "Done! That's it!" You cheered to yourself. You transferred laundry once more and got a few things ready for work and meals for the next few days. The clock read 8:00 PM. You had near 20 hours until you had to go back to work again, and your apartment was clean and safe and welcoming again, not the pigsty it was hours ago.

'Watch a movie? or Settle in early?' You thought to yourself. As you looked between your TV and bedroom door a buzz in your pocket distracted you.

'You still up for a pizza and a documentary? We don't want to impose.'  The text was sent by a known contact with the name "Bucky". You changed it to Sgt. Barnes. You thought about it and after everything that had happened today, the walls that had come down and the fire and finally being off, you realized you wanted company. 'Yeah, I can go to bed once we are done. Won't be too much later than usual.' You thought.

'Yeah. Come on over! Both of you, you have a key.' You texted him back.

"I nor Steve would abuse this privilege. We won't use our keys willy-nilly."Sargent Barnes replied.

'I only meant that you could let yourselves in. I know you won't abuse it. Jeez, didn't mean to offend your delicate sensibilities.' You send your message with a few smiles to not offend.

'I will be no more offended than you when I tell you that we already have pizza and am currently trying to get into your apartment.'  He replied.

 'Confident?'  you texted back.

"Yeah, a little. Can we watch and ocean documentary? With Attenborough? Please?" Sargent Barnes asked pushing his way through the door, keys slipping into his pocket.

"Yeah, I have a Blue Planet on Blu-Ray and with my TV it is almost like being there. Where did you learn to text? Not to bad Sargent." You sassed at him grabbing plates and cups on the counter, Sargent Barnes brought over the pizza while Captain Rogers looked for Blue Planet in your expansive collection.

I love this documentary. I just turned it on this morning when I got home to listen to, but I fell asleep too quick. Also after dinner cause it late-ish and I want to get a good night's rest, I am going to take my sleep aides. Just some melatonin. I want to be ready for my next stretch." You told the men in your living room. Captain Rogers and Sargent Barnes looked at you, brows furrowed and lips pursed.

"More meds? Is that a good idea?" Captain Rogers paused loading the first disc.

"Melatonin is naturally produced, I am only boosting my supply a little bit. The Advil will help with the sore legs and back I am sure to get. I want to relax cause I have some aide shifts coming up. I always hurt more after aide shifts." The three of you settled with your pizza and drinks.

"Aide work? What is that?" Sargent Barnes asked.

"Yeah, I am a registered nurse. But my job includes helping the aides-or rather patient care techs as they are called now-but sometimes there are not enough aides scheduled for a shift, usually the evening shift, and I will fill in. Aides or PCT's help with the activities of daily living, toileting and dressing and rehab and bandage changing and the like. I personally like doing both jobs cause it makes me appreciate what they do more and help connect with my patients on a deeper level." You explained. Not many nurses shared you opinion, thinking aides and PCT's were below them, they didn't realize that many programs and curriculums required clinical hours before and during the programs to be accepted. Most aides and PCT's were nurses-in-training.

"Oh. So with the short-staffing you really have to do everything huh? That is insane." Captain Rogers' awe was heard in his tone.

"Nope, When I go in for a nursing shift, I have 26 Patients and my 2-5 aides can have 13-15 patients. Also it builds up aide/nurse loyalty and report. You all know what each others knows and needs to keep track off and become a better team for it, give better care for it. It makes me better and them better." You were firm in your opinion, eyes lit with a determination and fire the men did not often see. They could tell this is a fight you have fought before.

"Does not everyone agree with you? That all makes prefect sense to me and Steve. Why would people not agree?" Bucky asked, hesitant.

"NO! They don't. I have too many aides and nurses come through my unit with this...this...chip on their shoulder. Like they are owed something for picking this job. We all work shitty hours and weekends and holidays. We all miss birthdays and parties and recitals. No one is missed for that, especially in healthcare. I don't get how you can go through schooling and testing and lectures and labs and still come out of this expecting something that you won't get. How can you start this career without knowing what you are getting into? Or staying in this field knowing what it is? You are to help people, They don't want to be here any more than you do. I'm sorry, we get paid well but not that well that the money can overcome the cancelled dates and missed appointments." You were ranting wildly, hands waving and hair flying. Bucky and Steve were in total agreement. They did share a look of confusion and empathy, they were unware of your temper that was hidden under all the pleasantness. You noticed and calmed down significantly. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I was ranting. You can start the show. if you need anything, help yourself." You shimmied down deeper into the couch, eyes blinking blearily at the TV.

"No! it is fine. I like seeing you open up to us. You are in the right. We get it too, not like we have great hours either." Captain Rogers said. You blinked at him and smiled. "If you fall asleep we'll close up for you. Okay?" He said it like a question but you knew it was a statement. The men turned their focus to the documentary and knew that for now, you had lost their attention.

You only paid half attention to the program. The warmth of your blanket and apartment, the relief in having it clean and the silent company of people in a shared space lulled you quickly to a fugue state. Partially formed thoughts swept across your mind but disappeared before they fully formed. Thoughts about your schedule and patients; should you make more meals? The fear of a missed alarm pulled you to awareness enough to check you phone.

Minutes passed. The episode ended. Another one started. You still stare unseeingly into the TV, blinks and breaths slowing and lengthening. The calm narration and soft spoken comments from your friends easing your muscles even more.

You fall asleep between one breath and the next, succumbing to you body's demands with one last thought about packing a lunch for tomorrow.

"Bucky looked over to see you curled up on the couch, quiet and still-pardon your rhythmic breathing. "She's asleep. Finally. I am going to put her to bed in a little bit. She needs to sleep. I looked in her fridge, she didn't have much. What little bit she had, she probably meal-prepped it. She neglects herself too much." Bucky said. He was so worried, over the time of knowing them they'd seen your weight drop and skin pale.

"I don't know. We could order some groceries. Have them delivered using Tony's service? I can handle him afterwards. You can cook like a pro, we can freeze it and meal prep for her." Steve suggested. He saw Bucky's hesitance. He shook his head and sighed. "Buck. Please do it. I know for certain she wants someone who will take care of her, and you want someone to take care of. She has been alone too long. You can change that. I will handle Tony. I told you earlier, do something, do anything. This is both." Steve continued.

Bucky smirked knowingly. "You'll handle Tony alright. You tell me to move but you freeze every time he comes near you." Bucky lost his smirk. "I guess this is something I can do for her." Bucky picked up his phone and put a call into the grocery service that stocked the Avengers' Tower and Compound and their private places. They took calls at all times to accommodate their unusual clients. He ordered tons of meats and veggies, pasta, dairy products, deli things, and junk foods too. He ordered and ordered and ordered. He wanted enough to make enough food for three meals and two snacks for two weeks. He also ordered plastic containers for all the meals and freezer. He billed Tony and gave the address for Your apartment.

"They said in an hour, they pulled everyone together that was available to make it happen so quickly. I am going to put her to bed that way she doesn't wake up. Then we are going to make her food. and a lot of it. Hopefully it will last for two weeks if not it should be a good start." Bucky addressed Steve but was looking at you. Eyes lightly brushed over your figure worried his gaze would wake you.

"Very well. Let's finish what we started. Go, take your girl to bed." Steve waved his hand in the direction of your room, seeing Buck blush out off the corner of his eye.

Bucky didn't-couldn't-answer to busy trying gently to pick you up and carry you to bed. He maneuvered the corners careful to not bump your head or feet. You didn't even twitch as he laid you on your bed under the covers, glad you already seemed to be in pajamas.

Upon returning to the living room Bucky saw Steve hunched over his phone shoulders tense and cheeks pink. Bucky rolled his eyes in silence, for all his advice Steve was just as nervous when it came to one Anthony Edward Stark-Iron Man. "Make a move, punk. Any move. Isn't that what you told me?" Bucky commented from the other end of the couch. Steve refused to give Bucky the satisfaction of seeing him flinch.

"I always give good advice, but very seldom follow it. I can't make a move on Tony. That is ridiculous. I will admire from afar, that's all I am allowed this time. Besides Tony isn't impressed by me in any sense." Steve was matter-of-fact in his words, a weariness hung around his shoulders.

"Then you are dumber than advertised. Tony is in love with you as you are in love with him. Just do something." With that Bucky left Steve to stew and played the documentary once more. Bucky watched and Steve split his attention between the TV and his phone for the next 45 minutes.

When a light knock sounded on the newly replaced door, Bucky and Steve went on alert. They silently paced to the door, avoided casting a shadow underneath. Bucky pulled a knife from his boot and Steve shook his hands before clenching them into fists. Anyone who wanted to get through to you would have to go through them.

"Delivery for Stark? Grocery delivery." Bucky looked at Steve and shrugged. They could take anyone. Bucky opened the door for the three men that had dollies full of groceries. And Tony Stark.

"Tony? What are you doing here?" Bucky asked while he and Steve moved to help unload the bags. After the dollies were emptied twice each then men bid their goodbyes and left.

"Well you did just bill me almost 500 dollars worth of groceries not 3 days after your last order. Steve told me it was for a friend, and I became intrigued." Tony spoke to Bucky but his eye kept flicking to Steve every other word.

"Her name is Y/N. She is a nurse. Lately she has been putting in too many hours. She is...amazing. She checks in and bakes for us sometimes. She constantly is working on bringing us up to date." Steve said, soft and fond. "We spend a lot of time with her when we are home. She understands what we do and likes us in spite of that. She is family." Tony froze upon hearing Steve talk about you so warmly. The fondness he had for you froze Tony's breath in his chest. He saw the ease in which Bucky and Steve moved through your apartment, Tony almost flinched but withheld. Bucky saw the hopelessness on his face and stepped closer.

"Tony. No. Please." Bucky murmured in his ear. Speaking louder he continued. "Y/N came home today and we hear her talking through the wall about sleep aides and next thing we know the fire alarm is going off and we had to break down her door cause she was sleeping through it. After fixing it and making lunch and her napping, I was griping at Steve who was teasing me, so I ordered this to help her. I wanted to take care of her, cause she doesn't take care of herself." Bucky had seen the thoughts forming in Tony's mind that you were Steve's girl leaving no room for Tony in Steve's heart. Bucky knew those thoughts had to be derailed instantly.

"Yeah, she is our only non-Avenger friend. She is alone and needed someone in her life. Today proved that. I am just glad we were home. I worry about her day and night. She works too much and to the point of illness. I gave her a key today so she had a place to go since she denied having F.R.I.D.A.Y. installed in here. It was the only way she would accept help, she refuses to burden others with her needs." Bucky continued. He could tell as Tony's shoulder relaxed and smiled softened he was successful in his mission.

Steve and Bucky moved about this stranger's apartment like they lived there themselves. Steve was putting groceries away as Bucky began to trim chicken to be frozen. It was strange, seeing these two giant men creep around your things to not disturb you, trying to do what they could to help what little family they had. "Steve can you grab the skillet? and grill pan? I will cook up some burgers and chicken and freeze them to be quicker meals." Bucky asked.

"Here and here. I am working on scalloped potatoes, they should freeze well. I will work on some salad mixes too. We can vacuum seal them to keep longer." Steve said, handing over the pans while looking for the peeler. Tony felt out of the loop but wanted to help this person who had helped his people.

"Does she have a steamer? I can help with steaming some veggies. We can make and freeze whole meals." Tony offered. Bucky looked up and smiled, thankfulness shining in his eyes. Bucky nodded and jerked his chin to a pantry. Tony went and set it up and began cleaning fruit and veggies. "I can make some fruit salad, won't keep well but I can make a small batch. We would look at high protein meals with low carbs and sugar. She is a nurse? She needed long term energy. We can freeze some fruit like pineapple and blueberries and grapes. They taste good frozen. she can snack on them too." Tony suggested. Bucky nodded emphatically. "You are right, Tony, snack are a great idea." Bucky's tension seemed to lessen with Tony's participation.

Tony picked up his phone and made a quick call, putting it down quickly. "I just called in another rush order. If we are going to do this, then we will do this right." Tony started working on cauliflower and broccoli.

"Tony, no. This isn't necessa-" Bucky started. Tony cut him off before he could finish "If she is your family, she is mine. I am more than glad to help." Bucky other took a quick breath and sent a small smile Tony's way. "Quick, we need to keep moving. I want this done before she wakes up." Bucky said.

The three men did just that. Bucky cooked chicken, burger, steak, pork, sausage. He froze it raw and froze it cooked. Bucky dated and labeled everything, even using up what little was in your freezer already. Steve made several casseroles to be frozen and labeled. Tony made his veggies and fruits and snacks and divided them up for easy access. He did freeze some bags with directions for smoothies, for the days when food would be too much effort.  They also kept some food in the fridge for easy grab and go for the next five days, hopefully they made enough food for her.

"Thank you both. I am glad she will wake up to see that this was done for her. She may just come to understand that she is cared for. Let's clean up and then we can hit the hay." He clapped Steve on his back and pulled Tony in for a hug. "Thank you especially Tony. For everything. Oh, and, remember he has loved and lost one already." Bucky pulled away, nothing on his face giving away what he had shared. Bucky looked around and saw your lunchbox and packed a well-balanced lunch and then some before scrawling a quick note and putting it on the fridge. 'We did as you asked and made ourselves at home. Steve, Tony and I took care of lunches for you and groceries. Everything is dated and labeled. If you have questions, call me. See you soon. ~xo Bucky.'

He then helped clean up their mess and shooed Steve and Tony out the door. Bucky made one last lap to ensure everything was off, cleaned and put away. He walked down towards your room and paused, fingers brushing the doorknob. "Go in, chicken." Bucky demanded himself. He crept in and watched you sleep for a small moment. Gathering his courage, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to your cheek and again on your forehead. "Good night, my darling. Rest well." He whispered against your skin. He left your room. He left your apartment. He used his key to double check the lock.

Bucky headed to his room and laid down, ignoring Tony and Steve's smug looks. Bucky listened to you faint breathing as he relaxed. Minutes later he was asleep.

Masterlist // Previous // Next

******************************************************************************************* Okay! That is the last update I have ready. Now, I actually have to type everything out. This is going to be fun! I have a Criminal Minds fic that I also have to post on here but should I have it typed out? It is awfully long...I will ruminate on this. Thanks for the support!

[pcttrailsidereader]

Yet Another Reason to Never Underestimate a Bear

Although not directly related to the PCT, this black bear story warrants retelling. This excerpt originally appeared in Outside magazine on December 14, 2022 and was written by Frederick Dreier.

Recently a local broadcast news channel in Knoxville reported the story of a determined black bear that had traveled across four states to return to its favorite feeding grounds, at a campsite in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The initial episode happened in June, when officials received complaints that a female black bear was grabbing food off picnic tables, sniffing trash cans, and even stealing backpacks. Wildlife crews trapped the animal and relocated her 1,000 miles to an area of South Cherokee National Forest in Georgia. Scientists labeled the animal Bear 609 and attached a geolocating device to it.

According to the report, wildlife biologists tracked Bear 609 as she proceeded to walk across Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina and then into Tennessee—eventually returning to the campsite where it had been trapped.

“This was definitely one of the most bizarre movements I’ve seen so far,” Bill Stiver, one of the wildlife biologists who tracked 609, told television station WBIR 10 News. “She never slowed down. She just kept on going.”

Stiver said the bear’s journey is the longest he’s seen among relocated individuals—typically bears will walk upwards of 200 miles to return to familiar territory, he said. Relocated bears returning to a favorite human source of food is, alas, not out of the ordinary. Public land managers often struggle with bruins that have become habituated to human food sources, like trash or unattended campsites. Adult bears will sometimes return to the scene of a break-in or encounter, or continue seeking sustenance from human sources.

Bear 609’s voyage, while impressive, is yet another reminder that hikers and campers should always be careful with food and trash when recreating in bear country. Bears have powerful noses, claws and muscles, and can easily break into cars and homes in search of grub. There are far too many sad tales of bears that were put down due to human carelessness in the outdoors.

[ayearoferewhon]

#Repost @steviegoku ・・・ ATTENTION - I will be hosting a TRASH PICK UP ✌🏿 @ DEEP CREEK HOT SPRINGS APRIL 15 @ 8am Meet up at Bowen ranch ($5$) 6100 Bowen Ranch Rd. Apple Valley, CA. 92307 *** *** It's a 2.6 miles out and back hike. Bring water & beer 😈🍺🍺🍺 *** *** I will supply trash bags and gloves, but I don't have much else to offer, if anyone can help out that would be amazing *** *** Like many of you I take friends and family here and am sadden to see trash all up and down this trail even in the water 💦 THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE BACK AND DO A SELFLESS ACT ✌🏿🤞🏿🤘🏿 *** *** DM ME IF YOU ARE INTERESTED and if you have any questions *** *** #deepcreekhotsprings #trashpickup #hotsprings #trash #cleanearth #anythingcanhelp #packitout #applyvalley #pct #ayearofdeepcreek #trashcan #givingback #feelsgood #amazingpeople #iappreciateyouall #THANKYOUFORHELPING

[hardtimespct-blog]

Chapter 0

I’m sitting here, at work, looking around my space. There’s a bag of stewed Madras Lentils that I’ve refused to eat for weeks. There’s my business card taped to my monitor, because after 3.5 years I still don’t know my work phone number. There are two cards left to me by dear colleagues who also quit. One of them is has “Pobody’s Nerfect” hand-stitched into it, except “Pobody’s” is misspelled, hilariously, “Pobodies.” There are succulents that look cover-worthy for Better Homes and Gardens, thank-you-very-much. There are like 30 tabs open in Chrome. There’s an unread Slack message about a reconciliation report that needs my attention, but frankly won’t get it. There’s all these reminders of career, of money, of upward mobility all nuzzling up to me as if to say, “Honey, don’t go. Homelessness won’t suit you well.”

I’m leaving all this to walk in the desert. Humans sought for millennia to get out of the inclimate, hostile environments we came from. We created language, tools, society, the industrial revolution, ergonomic keyboards, etc., all so we could avoid death and discomfort for just a little longer. And here I am turning my nose up at all this so I can go probably be bitten by a rattlesnake in the goddamn Mojave desert. 

“Atta boy, tiger,” I can hear by school bus driver saying.  

I intend to hike along the PCT for as long as I can this summer. Like Instagram influencers, award-winning (and often besmirched) novelists, and batshit-crazy super athletes before me, I intend to wake up too early everyday to walk too far for a few months in Western America. The computer, the hand-me-down desk chair, the Cisco business-model phone with it’s twisty, obnoxious cord can all wait. I’m becoming hiker-trash, baby.

[crowcialist]

Lots of people have been taking my little PCT book on their own wilderness adventures, and that makes my heart so full.

You can get it here (or at your favorite independent bookstore’s website)!

[greenupwardusa-blog]

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A number of reusable produce bags , just like glass lunch containers, towel napkins and kitchen shower towels, and handkerchiefs, can help save you pounds of trash—and a good chunk regarding change—over the course regarding the season eco friendly product packaging .

Package free shop online

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Life Without Plastic

Well before zero waste was snagging headlines, Life Without Plastic Store -type has been a key source for folks looking for sustainable products that would not conclusion in a landfill at the conclusion of their life. The shop has a massive selection of everyday products and reusables that are typical a hundred per cent plastic free shopping.

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Georgia-based Tiny Yellow Bungalow only sells items that the owner herself has tried out and endorsed. From plastic-free water filters to a Mason jar pour-over java and tea kit, you can trust your purchase won’t disappoint plastic free products usa.

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 .

(Instead of tossing that old milk jug, transform it into a DIY providing water can. Instructions in it below. )

Best outlets for cleaning supplies

Wild Minimalist

A mix of vintage and new, Wild Minimalist carries stylish market baskets, oodles of kitchen storage containers, and eco-friendly, plastic-free pet toys from Oakland, California.

More info - plastic free packaging bags

[hikertrashprincess]

Day 2

I woke up with the bustle of the shelter in the morning. I was nearly the last to leave. I headed out and realized I’d forgotten a tiny massage ball I’d taken along. I even went back .3 miles for it, passing another hiker along the way. I got there and it was wasn’t there. It turned out someone had picked it up to put in the trash and then the hiker I’d passed said he wanted it! So I pretty much did 1 mile trying to track down this ball before chasing the hiker (Habib) down the trail. I caught him and got the ball back, although he sounded so excited about it I felt a little bad taking it back.

I continued on. I met Gutsy, who had section hiked then pct and cdt and completed the at as a thru in 1996. I continued the rest of the way with Drew, who was a chatty encyclopedia of a guy.

I ate lunch and continued on. Shortly after that my energy level plummeted. I was surprised how tired I was. It’s hard not to compare the end of the CDT with the beginning of this trail. Of course I don’t feel as good.

I decided to stop around 6 at a tent site. I ate dinner and another thru hiker joined me, although he never said anything to me after asking if I minded if he camped.

The forest was enchanting and full of wildflowers.

[pcttrailsidereader]

PCT Hikers Behaving Badly

I thought that I would reproduce a recent thread regarding the behavior of some PCT hikers.  It is a disturbing trend . . . the issue of entitlement is one that has long been present but, for the most part, very much the exception in the hiking community.  It would be a horrible shame if it were to become part of the PCT thru-hiker culture.

PCTA has received contacts from agency partners reporting that PCT hikers are being disrespectful (berating service industry people!) to people working along the trail.  This is disappointing. Can hikers address this bad behavior in your ranks?

The latest situation comes from Crater Lake. Just last week PCT hikers started testing positive for Covid-19 in the area.

Mask wearing is mandatory (with some noted exceptions) inside all federal buildings and outdoor venues where space is not possible, regardless of transmission rate—this is a National Park Service policy to protect the health and wellbeing of employees and visitors.

PCT hikers have been congregating around the Mazama Camper Store, not wearing masks, berating concessionaire staff at the store and the restaurant when they make them aware of the NPS masking requirements.

Because so many PCT hikers have exhibited rude and disrespectful behavior, the National Park Service will be increasing law enforcement presence to talk to PCT hikers about the issue; this is a waste of staff resources.

With the backing of the Park, hikers who do not wear masks when they’re required will be refused service at the store and the restaurant from here on out, and the employees at both businesses have been encouraged to contact the Park law enforcement if future problems arise.

Hiking the PCT is a privilege and all who do have the responsibility to Leave No Trace. It’s upsetting that some hikers would insult people working to serve you while you’re on the trail.

When we all started this season, we knew that COVID-19 could, and likely would, pose unique challenges for all of us—hikers and communities.   Please be respectful of and follow all local rules to protect yourself and the health of others.

Drauggib

I’m at wildwood in Seiad valley right now. While talking to the ladies working here they said that group of NOBOS were a bunch of “disrespectful fucks” and a bunch of them didn’t pay their bills and dashed. On top of that, they were arguing about having to take a shower to save $5 on their camping fee ($15 for a place to stay with a shower). It was so sad because she opted on a day that she would otherwise be closed and had been doing catering for someone’s funeral the day before. It was real emotional for her. I tried to pay for a meal that people didn’t pay and she refused saying it happens every year. It makes me angry because these people have been so nice to us. Taking advantage of this hospitality is disgusting. The people doing this need to keep the fuck off the trail.

BigVariation3

These pieces of garbage are the morons who ruin it for the rest of us.

I saw a thru hiker, in his 50s btw, yelling at a teenage girl working at a laundromat in Northern California. She was asking him to follow the rules posted on the wall. We thought we were going to have to step in and we apologized profusely when he stormed out.

Potential178

Unfortunately, no more so than anyone might be able to address the bad behavior of some random other patrons at a pub.

To impact the behavior of any individual, they have to give a shit about our opinion.  So long as they have any ranks of their own, people are pretty impervious.  One shitty hiker, maybe you can talk some sense into them.  Three or more together & they'll have none shits to give.

InsGadget6

Yeah, the group mentality is what really enables this. Going back decades, some of the worst experiences I've had with douchebag hikers have been groups. They just enable one another, and prevent individuals from undergoing the necessary amount of self-discovery and - realization needed to grow up.

vanlandlife

My husband was on trail this year. He said he never would have imagined people acting this way on trail.

The amount of disrespectful hikers we came in contact with was appalling. They take up all the camps as massive groups, get drunk in towns in said massive groups, get other hikers kicked out of small town FREE camp areas, and have shown entitled behavior. We literally saw hikers get kicked out of a free place to stay in Julian because one just could not follow the rules of no alcohol.

Guthook has become Yelp. Bad reviews for no WiFi. I mean for real?? Sorry you can’t update your IG. If you can’t call home you should have invested in a proper safety device that will let you do so from anywhere.

A few trail angels said some of these hikers this year don’t even speak to them when given rides. No thank you, no tip. They just bury themselves in each other or in their phone when they get service. Hiding drinks in the backseat when they were told not to. It’s truly sad.

Now….Not ALL hikers on the PCT are this way. Just SOME. But that some really stood out and made things harder for other hikers who have manners and respect for the trail, towns, and angels.