Dan and Walt
Dan is sixty years old and doing John Muir Trail again with his friend Walt. He is from Chicago, and the boys latched onto him at Curry Village. He and Walt passed us a few times in the first 50 miles, and showed us kindness and guidance; since I don't know what I am doing. I hope we see them again, but if not, happy trails guys!
Larry
We have passed and been passed by Larry along the trail. Always a friendly face and sweet to the boys. "Ah my favorite hiking family!" was his smiley greeting to us.
Annie and Judy
Annie is seventy and taking her "baby sister Judy" (67) to Mt Whitney. Awesome.
Matt et al
Grad school aged guys who cheered the boys on, and later fished in a creek under Donahue Pass with Max. They were flying through the trail before school started, and most likely will finish in 20 days. Max adored them.
Oeuvre (totally could have the name wrong) from Germany
Super nice guy on sabbatical who was meeting up with his family. Had traveled many of the trails between Canada and Mexico, running through CA, and was planning on showing his kids the west, the Grand Canyon and Monument Park.
Christian
Everything everyTHING he says is positive, happy and educational. He was truly aiming to soak up the beauty and drive of this journey. Did you know that dragonflies hatch their eggs in the water? He knew that. So nice, such a cheerful guy.
Al and Mark
I believe they try to steal time each year to walk this trail. They were our saviors at Donahue Pass, when they literally donated a week's worth of meals to us, just out of niceness. I was so surprised by this that it moved my faith in humanity meter to the right; humans are winning again. Thank you.
Vermont Couple
Atop Donahue along with many marmots, we met a retired couple from Vermont. They spent a sunny part of the afternoon telling stories of camping with nieces and nephews. He had hiked many of the trails, but this was the first time for his lady friend.
The Juggling Guy
We only saw him a couple of times but we talked about him a lot. He had juggling balls sticking out of his pack, in case he needed them. He was always smiling when we saw him.
San Diego Fireman and the couple from Chapel Hill
We met these guys at the restaurant at Reds, and all three had seen us on the trail. We are celebrities. They included us in conversation, making our breakfast feel like a big family party. All taking time off to see this amazing trail.
Three Guys and a Fire
We were in a low morale place when these three invited us to share a campfire and commiseration. Nick decided in Jan to walk the JMT and sort of forgot about the plan, come July. As it approached, he sprung into planning mode, and asked two friends to join him (two weeks before the start date). They hope to finish in 21 days. These guys made us laugh and feel normal for the first time I'm a while. Their bear story is a family favorite now, and we tell it to everyone who asks , "Have you seen any bears?" Have fun and keep your feet blister-free!
Devan and Brad (?) totally forgot your name, but I do that; please don't be offended!
The great people of Reds Cafe. They are getting married soon and traveling the world. Unfortunately we found our camera, but I was hoping it might turn up there and help record their adventures. Have a great trip and thanks for making us feel at home.