"TOWN DAY!!!!" the phrase would get shouted randomly as we left our cow-pie camp and hiked the final 13.1 miles into Patagonia - our first town stop on the AZT and where we would say Good-bye to Jen and Erika.
On town day, everything seems a bit easier. Hills aren't as steep, the sun isn't as hot, even the blisters seem to disappear along with the weight of the pack that is no longer carrying a supply of food. It was windy - the AZT is nicknamed 'The Windy Trail' by Patagonia locals - which complicated my One Eyed Jack situation. I eventually taped the broken side of my sunglasses with duct tape so my eye wasn't exposed to the wind and sun. I must say, it's one of my better looks.
Duct Taped One Eyed Jack
Our final day as a foursome took us through the last stretch of the Western Canelo Hills and into the town of Patagonia. Aside from the wind, our only obstacle between us and a shower and bed at the Stage Stop Inn was a 3 mile road walk. While a flat, paved road might sound like a welcome break to the otherwise rocky terrain we'd encountered - the idea of the unforgiving hard surface sounded like a final and cruel assault on our tender and sore feet.
First view of Patagonia before making our final descent to the road.
We decided to take one final pack break in the shade of the trees right at the junction where the trail hits the road, attempting to give one other a bit of inspiration to make these final hot miles. As we approached the road, Wildflower noticed a plastic bag laying next to the trail marker. After spending the last few years hiking with Wildflower, I can tell you there are few things that bother her more than trash left by careless hikers. She immediately walked over to the plastic bag to see what had been left behind and as she reached down said, "Wait, there's a note..... wait..... it says 'Wildflower'!"
Hikers, specifically thru-hikers, have an amazing and supportive community. It's a family, really. An experienced thru-hiker - Wildflower's trail family might be bigger than most. As it turned out, friends that she knows from her Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2003 happened to be visiting Southern Arizona and went out of their way to leave a bit of what thru-hikers call 'Trail Magic.' On this day, it came in the form of a plastic bag with 2 beers, 2 Gatorades and a note that said they were sorry they'd missed us. Absolute Trail Magic.
Thank you Sherpa and Rita for the magic!
I'm not sure how we would have made it those final 3 miles into town without Sherpa and Rita's thoughtfulness. I don't know that we walked - as Jen, Erika and Jessica shared the warm Coors light and I sipped the Gaterade - I'm pretty sure we floated into town.
Yogabird and Wildflower floating into Patagonia. As you can see, Border Patrol has already been alerted to our arrival :)
There was business to attend to, of course: checking in at the Stage Stop Inn (the best and only hotel in town), taking turns making laundry runs and showers. We managed to quickly slip into town mode, checking in with spouses and family before focusing on our real mission: Town Food. We snacked on chips and salsa (provided by Jen, of course) before heading to the hotel restaurant for burgers and fries - the meal we'd been fantasizing about for 4 days.
We had about 24 hours in this sweet trail town before we'd have to part ways. In a town of one hotel and one main street you might think that finding a Bikram Yoga class would be impossible. However, we are 4 yoginis (3 of us teachers) and when we come to town - we can make the impossible happen. Erika had reached out several months ago to a woman who runs the small Bikram Yoga of Patagonia studio. She agreed to hold a special class for us while we were in town and after a lazy morning and hearty breakfast, we headed to the end of town where, in a room the size of my living room, is the 'smallest studio and best studio' owned by veteran yogini, Donna Lee and managed by her dog, Fu.
Jen and Fu before class
A fellow hiker had stumbled across the studio that morning as well and the five of us practiced together under the guidance of Donna, who was as thrilled to have us be in her space as we were to be there. One of the things I love about the Bikram Yoga Sequence is that whenever and wherever I practice it I feel as though I'm home. The familiarity, the comfort - it creates instant community for me. Donna mentioned this during class - how moving it was for her that we were creating Sangha (community) in her space. Although we did not know her, or the other hiker, Mary, before class - as soon as we began breathing together it was there. Sangha. Community.
I thought back to the trail magic we'd experienced the day before through Wildflower's connections and the community that is built among hikers. Sangha. Community.
My mind drifted to the little sangha that the four of us had built over the first section of this hike and while I was grateful for our time, I was sad that it was ending. Now it would just be me and Jessica. Yogabird and Wildflower. We would serve as Sangha to each other now. Supporting one another over our 800 mile journey, and also serving as reminders of the sangha we are temporarily leaving behind.
We were all a little teary-eyed leaving Donna's studio - reveling in the lovely time we all shared together and knowing it was coming to an end. We went about the rest of our Town Day, eating everything in sight, grocery shopping for our next stretch of trail and making a visit to the Paton Center for Hummingbirds with Mama K and Papa Miguel once they arrived to pick up Jen and Erika. The group of us lingered longer than we needed to - stopping for ice cream and chatting about our adventure. Eventually, it was time to part ways. Wildflower and I would see Mama K and Papa Miguel in another week once we made it back to Tucson, but it was our final farewell with Jen and Erika and it was bittersweet.
We're going to miss these ladies.
The four of us at the Mexican border - the start of the AZT.