Realizations #2

Departed Big Bear Thursday, April 26

Detour in Yosemite

Arrived San Diego Sunday, April 29

  

 This last section of hiking has made me realize a few things. I have learned so much more about myself and solo backpacking in the time that I was out on the trail alone. 

   First I will start with my story. I was dropped off on Saturday, April 21. I was on my own for five days four nights, with absolutely no cell reception and no one to talk to but myself. I ran into two people on the trail, but both going the opposite direction so they were quick encounters and they were both at the end of this section. 

    It has taken me 20 days and approximately 300 miles to realize that one of my goals of doing this trail was to do it by myself and it was NOT a good idea. My friends and family know that I am a social person, and I have known this as well, but I believed that I could do this alone. I have come to realize that I cannot do it alone. I got way too lonely and kind of went, for best words, mad. There is only so much that you can talk to yourself about until you start making up characters and then talking to them, and for me, until then I had a melt down on the trail, and then had another melt down when I could finally get service, and got a hold of my family. I just missed people, some people like to call it “home sick,” but I prefer the term, “people sick,” or “social sick,” or just plain lonely. 

  So what I have decided to do is to turn this solo hike into a section hike with whoever would like to join me, so I am calling to my friends and family out there that would like to do any section of the trail so please contact me, and we will make this happen. So, I have decided to take a short break to take care of myself.

   My second reason why I have come home for hopefully not long. In the time I have been on the trail, I have injured my left knee, and it is not just a sore pain, it has gotten progressively worse. There are two different instances where I have taken serious falls on the trail. So tomorrow morning I will be calling the doctor to get it checked out, because one of my biggest fears would be for my knee to go while somewhere on the trail. I don’t want it to be where I do not have cell reception, and I do not want to have to hit the “come get me button” on the Spot. So I am home safe and sound in San Diego and looking forward to getting back on the trail!

-Carl Richardson

Ps. Happy Birthday Dad