Deja Vu

"It was sunsets that taught me that beauty sometimes only lasts for moments, and it was sunrises that showed me that all it takes is patience to experience it all again."
a.j. lawless







I've traveled this road before, in a different year , in a different day, in a different me.
At times lost , I am certain. At times seeking, I want to think so. At times escaping, perhaps all too often.

I've found being someplace is not truly being, if you long for somewhere else.

And so it is now, I long for California, I long for the trail, I long for the road. I suppose it is how it has always been for me.

"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be practical is madness. To surrender dreams - this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness - and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be"
Miguel de Cervantes

I am tired

" I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands. I will fight no more forever. "
Chief Joseph, Nez Perce

I am struggling to reintegrate into life away from the trail.... Much has been written about the difficulty of this endeavor. So, I will not regurgitate that which has already been covered.

But, I am sitting in a pub in Texas having to refute the idea that illegal aliens (Mexicans , my ancestors) are the root of all of America's ills.

Damn !
"I will fight no more forever"


Rabbit at Home

PCT product review

"It is difficult to find anything more healthy to drink than good cold water, such as flows down to us from springs and snows of our mountains."
Brigham Young


Water is a critical element of the Pacific Crest Trail journey.
In the desert, water was scarce.


In the High Sierras, water was abundant.



But in both venues it was necessary to filter water on a daily basis. The Sagan water filters, specifically the XStream water filter system worked well in both venues.
The XSTREAM system fit two major criteria for thru hiking. One, it was easy to use and two, it weighs only 5 oz.



I found the system easy to use where there was standing or pooled water (not always the case in the desert). It was more conducive to instances where the filtering and carrying of 2 or more liters of water wasn't required.

Coupled with the Journey water bottle, the XStream water filter system is an effective filtering tool for hiking.


Gilbert Martinez
PCT Class of 2016
ACE CPT
NASM CPT
Yoga teacher

Training

"I do it as a therapy. I do it as something to keep me alive. We all need a little discipline. Exercise is my discipline."
Jack LaLanne

I've returned to Texas from my adventure on the Pacific Crest Trail. It is with great pleasure and excitement that I return to not only Texas, but my personal training position at LifeTime Fitness.

I will continue blogging, but now with an emphasis on health and fitness.

I am looking forward to seeing those of you I have trained in the past and those I have yet to train. Please text me, call me, stop me in the street. I would love to share my PCT experiences with you. More then that I would love to hear what you have been doing, what you want to do, how your going to do it. Maybe there is an adventure we can share😊


Gilbert Martinez
ACE CPT
NASM CPT
Yoga 200 HR Training

This is the End

"This is the end
beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end..."
The Doors

And so it is, my PCT journey... Just past Sierra City I reached the 1200 mile mark. I knew I had reached the end of the trail. At that moment I looked up and a van was coming down from the Sierra Buttes trailhead. It was time to hitch back to Sierra City.... My journey complete 😊



"I'm pretty tired....I think I'll go home now."
Forrest Gump



"Happiness is only real if it is shared."
Alexander Supertramp



Rabbit on the way home😊

Confessions of a PCT hiker

"Bless me Father for I have sinned"
Confessional prayer



There are moments on the PCT where an interaction with a hiker or hikers can change the balance of the day. I don't recall the time or day, but it was where the PCT overlaps the Tahoe Rim Trail. I came across a group of young boys hiking toward me. As they approached I heard the clear and rhythmic reciting of the Hail Mary prayer. As they passed, each boy nodded their head in acknowledgement, but continued reciting... Odd? Maybe. Different? Yes. Thought provoking? Most certainly.

It caused me to reflect back on my early years in the Catholic Church. Specifically the idea of confessing ones sins. As a boy I found it difficult to come up with sins worthy of confessing. In my little boy mind, it seemed that it was important to have a sin that would impress, but not offend the good padre.

But, all these years later. I must admit, I've done enough sinning to not only impress, but totally offend even the most seasoned padre.

So, many places I could go with this idea. But, what would be the point? Would I be redeemed and ready to trek on? I realized the folly of that idea long ago. My inly hope, wish, is that all those I touched will forgive me, forgive my folly, forgive my indifference, forgive me my sins.



Hail Mary, full of grace.
Our Lord is with thee.
.............. Repeated 10x

Rabbit on the PCT

Peace

"Instead of giving someone a piece of your mind, give someone the peace of your mind"
Fortune Cookie

The last few days on the trail have found me struggling to be at peace. And if the truth be known, I've struggled my whole life, with finding that feeling of peace.

Yesterday, I was climbing along a particularly steep section of trail up to Tinker Knob, when I was stopped in my tracks. A Cold Play song streamed thru my headset. The lyric, "I counted all my demons, and found I had one for every day", kept streaming thru my head. Mile after mile....






So, there it is, the struggle that goes on at this point of the journey called the Pacific Crest Trail. The physical challenge , the sensory overload, the mental demands.
Will the journey help me to define, deal with and cast away my demons.... That has yet to be determined ... As for now, I will hike on.......

The rest of the Cold Play lyric,

"I put the good ones on my shoulders, and threw the other ones away".....








Thanks again for reading.....
Rabbit on the PCT






My trail angel and friend Tom dropped me off at top of Donner Pass Summit. My old cycling buddy Ed just happened to be riding by the summit this Sunday morning.

Bears

"Bears are not companions of men, but children of God, and his charity is broad enough for both. Yet bears are made of the same dust as we, and breathe the same winds and drink of the same waters."
John Muir


I waited, but no bears showed up in the 1 mile area. Not sure they got the message.


One mile area is optional for bears in this area, but none showed up.


These two were just chillin'.


Now, this is a bear. My cousin Leon Martinez took this picture. Bear was hanging out around camp in Glen Aulin area of Yosemite.

Me? I've hiked 1100+ miles and not seen a bear 😐



This marmot is as close to a bear as I got.

Rabbit on the PCT

Procrastination

"By the streets of "by and by" one arrives at the house of "never."
Miguel de Cervantes

I've spent a life time on the streets of "by and by". Taken so much for granted, taken when I should have given, over-looked when I should have acknowledged. And now with all that, I have somehow found myself spared from the "house of never".



If I have learned even the slightest bit from the trail, it is, that life is worth living. Living with all the heart that is available. Living with all the love that is possible. Living with as little regret as possible.

I've been humbled the last few days on the trail. A few slips, a few falls, lost gear. I've called into question my "why". The trail has a way of testing the "why". That is as it should be.

Ask and find the "why".

I am learning every day...



As always, thanks for reading.

Rabbit on the PCT

Living

"You gotta love livin', baby, 'cause dyin' is a pain in the ass."
Frank Sinatra

I've been thinking about "livin", mostly because so many are "dyin". Frank Sinatra was right, "dyin" is a pain in the ass.

There are so many reasons for livin' ...
A fellow hiker sent me this message found on the trail at Donner Pass .....



Knowing friends and family care...

"That's life"
Frank Sinatra

Thanks Jay, Carrie, Zachary !
Rabbit on the PCT

Kind day on the PCT

"Kindness will fill in the space where love has diminished"
Unknown

Yesterday was a magical day on the PCT. Launched by a perfect breakfast at Kennedy Meadows Resort. Followed by an easy hitch from Kennedy Meadows Resort to the trailhead at Sonora Pass. I was greeted by a friendly employee of Sonora Pass Resupply, who was waiting at the trailhead with a hot cup of coffee and my resupply box. The trail was soft and primarily downhill.



The day was filled with flowers and positive karma....

















Finished up with 17+ miles of easy hiking.


As always thanks for reading.
Rabbit on the PCT

Possession

"If you possess something but you can't give it away, then you don't possess it... It possesses you."
Frank Sinatra

Yesterday was packed with lessons learned on the PCT. Exhaustion as a result of a huge mile day, found me at Kennedy Meadows (Sonora).



It was the descent down to Highway 108 & Sonora Pass that taught me about possessions. I was crossing an area where snow covered the trail for 20-30 feet and took a risky angle. In moments I was sliding and tumbling down a steep slope of snow and ice. My pack and I came to a stop just two feet from a huge drop off. Bloodied and disoriented I came to my feet.



A roughed up leg and a lost trekking pole.
Total lost for the 1st 1000+ miles, iPhone , sunglasses , trekking pole and some skin.

But, even with all that, I am living life, enjoying the world and looking forward to tomorrow. Possessions will come and go, but life, life has no guarantees.




Live like it counts, it does ....
Rabbit on the PCT

Living

"You gotta love livin', baby, 'cause dyin' is a pain in the ass."
Frank Sinatra

Lots on my mind this morning. The trail, life, family. I've been taking zeros (trail term for rest days, no hiking) since 7-1-16. Visiting family in Merced.




Enjoying and revealing California to Tara (my gal).



Making arrangements to return to the trail.



"You gotta love livin', baby!"
I sometimes wonder if I am worthy of this dream I live. But, then I remember, I just need to live it.

Live your dream.... The answer will come.....




Rabbit on the PCT

Looking Back

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you"
Rashi




Reflecting back on the last 46 days on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Arrived at Tuolumne Meadows, mile 942.5, on 6-29-16. It was quite a day, stood atop Donahue Pass at 1pm, stumbled into Tuolumne Meadows at 830pm, 30+ miles of hiking.

It was a crazy end to the Sierras and beginning to some zero days in hometown of Merced.

I zoomed into Tuolumne Meadows just before dark, hoping to catch the last bus to Merced. But, zoomed down the wrong trail, ending up in a high Sierra dude ranch! Me, a sweaty, smelly, dirty, PCT hiker, lost among a bunch of city slickers😐

Not to be deterred, I pushed on, finally finding a road to hitch a ride. Boom! First attempt, I am picked up by a family from Norway in a motor home headed to Yosemite Valley. Lars (the son), handed me a Bud light as I took a seat and away we went. A great start.

But, things didn't go on quite as well as I had hoped. My Norwegian friends had been on the road for as many hours as I had hiked. So, they pulled into the first RV park with a vacancy on 4th of July weekend. Unfortunately, with no formal space to pitch a tent. The only available option was a teepee which I could use for $30 :(

So, with 30 miles still existing between me and my hometown, I cowboy camped between a couple of bushes.

Next morning it was time to hitch a ride home. Car after car buzzed by me without stopping. Then, trail magic happened, a car pulled over. The driver was a PCT hiker I had met a few days prior. He had been taking zeros to visit a girlfriend. Yes! I was dropped off at a breakfast cafe located across the street from the bus stop. A large breakfast and a short walk and I was on my way.

I am in Merced visiting family and friends.
It's time for some much needed zeros 😊







Rabbit on the PCT

Sanity

"Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be!"
Miguel de Cervantes


Saturday, July 9th. 26 miles, Tuolumne Meadows to Benson Pass + 😊 A long day on the PCT.
Sunday, July 10th, 22 miles, Seavey Pass and a bunch of climbing.
Monday, July 11th, 25+ miles, Sonora Pass.
Feeling strong 😊

















Saturday , July 9th. As I lay here in my tent I wonder if sanity has returned to Dallas , Texas. ( I claim Texas as my home) I've lived within 25 miles of Dallas for the last 3 years. Has the madness subsided in Dallas and the rest of our country? I can only speak for myself, so I will let it be known here and now, I choose, "life as it should be". I choose to work to make my family life "as it should be". I choose to make my work life, "as it should be". I choose to make my relationship life, "as it should be". I will choose to make my relationship with other human beings, "as it should be". This is the path forward for me.





Let's not accept life "as it is" , let s choose to do what we can to make it "as it should be"






Rabbit on the PCT

IPhone drowned

Hello from PCT !
Wow, soooo much has happened, summitted Forester Pass, Kearsarge Pass twice, Glen Pass and Pinchot Pass on same day, Muir Pass with mile long snow fields on both sides, Selden Pass, Silver Pass and will do Donahue Pass on Wednesday. What a last few days it has been. But a price has been paid, my iPhone fell into the North fork of Kings River and is dead. My sunglasses are somewhere in the Evolution Wilderness wondering what happened to me. So, this is it , no more updates or pivs until I get a new phone, so much to cover :)

Paths

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I ,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
Robert Frost

This quote was my mantra when I began this journey. There certainly wasn't the thought that I was lost, most certainly not the admission of having taken the wrong path.

Now, 942 miles into this PCT journey, I am finding that I am certainly wandering and at times lost. Perhaps, have been for quite some time.

No need to hit the panic bottom, I am not so lost that a trip to a psychiatric ward or prison is imminent or required. I am just not as adamantly certain that my way has been the best way.

I've taken the proverbial "least" traveled path, not always has it made a favorable difference.








Choose your paths, for we must all choose one, but step lightly......





Found this unfinished draft, must have been a tough day in the trail.

-Rabbit on the PCT

Gilbert N Martinez

" can't help but think, we could have been so much more "
Me



I've missed you since I was a child
How could you have known
I've missed you since I was a child
How did you not see
I've missed you since I was a child
How did you leave without knowing
I've missed you since I was a child
How will you know me in heaven

I've missed you dad, I've missed you forever.



A quiet night in Lone Pine..... Thinking about my dad....

Catching up, I was out of Internet range for last few days😐
Rabbit on the PCT

Forest

"Leave city, leave reality; enter forest, enter fantasy!"
Mehmet Murat ildan


Turning my back on reality and living in fantasy, hiking the PCT. I suppose one could make that point. I would argue, that in fact I am facing the reality of life and its conclusion, death. I am hiking to live. While at the same time, the vastness of the wilderness around me, is a reminder of the minute space I fill in time. Trees and mountains on the PCT have existed for thousands of years prior to me and will exist for thousands of years after me.


I would say that I am rejoicing in the human spirit, the physical being, the emotional and mental capacities.
Uncovering the beauty surrounding me and perhaps residing in me.

Search out your trail, it is there...



It's Saturday nite and I am camped out next to a flowing stream at the edge of Crabtree Meadows. It's been a glorious day living this wilderness fantasy. Flowing streams, green meadows, snow capped mountains.



Numerous wildlife on trail today. A pica (worth a Google search), two herds of deer 10-15 in each, two large bucks(male deer) and a ton of marmots.




As always , thanks for reading 😊
Rabbit on the PCT