I’m done.
Sorry everyone, I tried, but once I broke my thru-hike and skipped, I broke my hike. Not thru-hiking means I’m just backpacking, and I can do that anytime. Four months is a long time to be gone from home and if I’m not thru-hiking the PCT, I see no reason to keep torturing myself, I realized that what I really want is to go home.
Through the magic of friends and relatives in the right places, I was able to wake up at a beautiful lake in the wilderness, hike out six miles, and be home the same day. I called my cousin Bruce in Ashland and he was able to pick me up on the road to Etna, take me to Ashland to get all the stuff I had shipped there, and take me to the Medford airport where I could get a rental car to drive the four hours home. I got home around seven, about twelve hours after I broke camp.
Of course, it was achingly beautiful, tempting me not to go.
It was a kind of cool last day. Just as I was leaving camp at Paynes Lake I heard, “Glide! No way!” It was three of my friends from the desert! Lizzy and Shaggy were some of the first friends I made on the trail. We leapfrogged a lot in the desert, we ate at the Paradise Cafe, but I hadn’t seen them for months. They filled me in on where most of my other friends are, and comforted me about my leaving. They can spread the word that I didn’t die, I just went home. It was a good end.
While I waited for my cousin, my friends tried to hitch… for two hours. I was glad that when my ride showed up we had room to give them a ride to town also.
It’s strange to be home so quickly. There’s a lot to do here to get my life put back together, but that’s what I need to do now. It’s probably too much stuff to get done and go back to work on Monday, which is probably a good thing. I can use some time to digest what I just did and get back to regular life.
A New Place To Dream 
Thanks for sharing your journey with all of us. You hiked a good hike!
Good luck in your future journeys…..where ever they may be.
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I truly enjoyed reading all about your journey, the good and bad. It was so real and sincere.
I’m proud to have known you.
Good luck Adam and thank you for taking so much time to share it with me.
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I’ve really enjoyed following you on your hike. You should be really proud. Most people don’t even have the courage to dream about hiking the PCT. I hope your transition back goes smoothly. Good luck!
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Rest your bones! You had a challenging time.
Ha, back to work? You’re sorry sod like the rest of us again. I think I’ll still go backpacking where I wanted to meet up with anyway. You kinda stuck a bug in me.
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Hey Adam, Welcome back! Wow, what an incredible journey. I’m in awe and just a bit jealous.
You should just stay away from work for awhile and enjoy the great weather on the coast right now… 🙂 work will always be here.
Amy
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Inspirational posts, as I am looking forward to a few days on the trail next month. Hope your car is fixed. Welcome home Adam!
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Welcome Home Adam !!!!!!!!!! Glad you are home safe & sound. So proud of You & You should be too!!!!!!
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Hello Glide/Adam, I’ve been reading about your adventures over these last several months. You’ve done what few others will ever attempt to do. And you went much farther than all the other folks I started following at the beginning of the hiking season. I can imagine what a tough decision it must have been, though I’m sure you thought it through thoroughly (how’s that for ‘th’ again and again.)
Thank you for inspiring and engaging us all these many miles. I much enjoyed each and every post of yours. I wish you all the best, and deep satisfaction in following your heart. That’s an example for us all.
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That darned toe!
I recall before you started your one fear was that some injury would knock you off the trail. That darned thorn sure made for a scary looking injury.
You’ve really accomplished something admirable. Holy shit you walked over 1000 miles, dude! Through desert, hip-deep snow, mountain heights and giant steps you hiked the hardest part of the PCT, and what you did was hard-core. I’m impressed and you should be proud of it.
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Thanks, Jay. Yeah, I thought it would be my knee, which actually didn’t bother me at all. Go figure.
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Wonderful how you shared your journey with us all! Thank you for letting me participate! I love you too much!!!!
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Redcard on your desk. How about jumping some fires for a couple weeks Dress, make some extra money and plan yourself a nice relaxing vacation this coming fall/winter. You deserve it. Great job Adam.
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Yeah, I’ll be eating smoke with you all in a few more days. All in good time.
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