June 29, 2018 One Big Happy Tramily

Tramily: Your trail family. The people you meet and hike with along the way become a significant part of your life on the trail.

Just like any family, the PCT tramily is so influential to a thru-hiker. Meet a small part of Mission’s tramily, Sprinkles, Picnic and the already famous Burp (Gimli).  These trail siblings and others like them have shared food or supplies with Mission and Burp prayed with him about his hurt feet. Picnic loves pancakes, as you can see, but also really likes campfires so together they built some small campfires in the high country (fires are restricted above 10,000 ft. in National Forest land and about 9,600 ft. in Yosemite National Park.) It is nice to have neighbors and friends nearby when the sun goes down and Hiker Midnight arrives.

Hiker Midnight: 9:00 PM. The time by which through hikers are usually asleep.

Trail names are fascinating to Granny Hat and already she can tell why they are so important.  Imagine Granny Hat and dad venturing on to the crowded back porch at Kennedy Meadows store to ask for Steve or Jim or Ryan.  Confusion immediately sets in.  But if you ask for Burp, everyone from Campo, CA to Canada will soon know who he is.  When we asked for Mission, one guy named Houser piped up and said, “Mission?  yeah he’s here somewhere, we just had lunch together at the diner!” This kept us from driving on up to Sonora Pass to find Mission.

The trail names help Granny remember the stories too.  Mission met Dino Man, a guy who hikes with an inflatable dinosaur which he blows up to keep guard at the door of his tent every night.  He says this was his solution to a situation in which a bear was pulling his bag out of his tent while he was still in it!  Mission isn’t 100% sure about the accuracy of the story after meeting Dino Man but it does make a great tall tale.  And the plastic dinosaur just might scare off a bear, who knows? Another European through-hiker named Flamingo carries the inflatable pink bird on his pack.  When Mission said, “hey man, I dig your flamingo,” he replied in broken English, “you WHAT my flamingo?” One of the hikers that hitched with Dad and Mission to Sonora Pass is named Alcatraz because he has completed the famous Alcatraz Swim 26 times and the professional hiker woman who rode with them is named Sailor because she has sailed around the world two times.  Granny Hat imagines that Mission is hearing some unique stories as he hikes with people like this.

Together, Mission’s tramily sang Christmas songs about snow to help ease the burden of trekking the icy mountain passes on the JMT.  PCT tramilies are also proud together of their mutual accomplishments and look down on the step-family, known as the JMTers.  The John Muir Trail is a 211 mile portion of the Pacific Crest Trail.  It is arguably one of the most beautiful parts of the PCT and is known as one of the most difficult sections.  It is impressive to complete the JMT and Mission did just that with dad two years ago. But most PCT thru-hikers see the JMTers as more like day hikers with heavy packs and lots of extra food.  It is common for a small PCT tramily to conspire together to “see if we can yogi some food off of a JMTer.”

Yogi: A means of obtaining help or supplies from a non-hiker, often without directly asking. From Yogi the Bear, who managed to obtain picnic baskets from unsuspecting campers, though yogiing does not involve the same techniques that Yogi the Bear used. Yogiing is often done “Columbo style” by striking up a conversation with a non-hiker, asking leading questions, (How far is it into town from here? Is there a bus that could take me there? Are there any restaurants open this late?) and allowing the person to decide whether he wants to offer help.  Also the trail name of a well known double triple crowner and repeat offender. Yogi is the author of Yogi’s PCT Handbook, a compilation of trail information and advice used as a resource by many PCT hikers.

Repeat Offender; Someone who through hikes or attempts to through hike the Pacific Crest Trail more than once. The Pacific Crest Trail has been through hiked as many as 12 times by one individual. (Scott Bryce’s PCT glossary)

Just like a family, a tramily has all sorts of folks, some who work and some who are between jobs , some who are easy to talk to and others who keep to themselves, college students like Mission, retired career people, professional athletes, globe trotters, teachers, medical professionals, high class vagabonds all.  Some are braver than others, or brash, as Granny Hat would call them.  Summer Solstice is known as “hike naked day” and Mission admitted that while he had no desire to participate, he was disappointed not to come across some hikers that decided to express themselves in this way.  There was one dude standing on top of a far away hill shouting “I’m free!” in his birthday suit.  Granny Hat is thankful for HYOH: Hike Your Own Hike. An encouragement between hikers to hike according to your own dreams, goals, expectations, etc., and not have your hike determined by other hiker’s expectations. This is your hike. Hike it your way.

So carry on Mission, HYOH!  Granny Hat is glad though that you have a Tramily and back down here in the level lands, you have a Family and a Framily of people following, hoping, and praying.  Treasure the ties that bind, they offer encouragement even when miles away.

The amazing Ritter Range of the Sierras which includes the Minarets and looks down on Devil’s Postpile and Reds Meadows where the pancake breakfast above took place.

And gorgeous Glen Aulin, hiking down the Tuolumne River out of Tuolumne Meadows!

Mission’s nephew, Finn Blanton, hiking in Montana yesterday, the next gen thru-hiker!

And Mission’s NOBO view this morning of the Lake Tahoe basin!

NOBO: Northbound.

Mission Control over and out, until Granny Hat is ready with more stories!