May 26, 2013
24 miles today
478 mile mark

The 24 Challenge is rooted in the distance between the Saufley’s and the Anderson’s, the next hiker welcoming home on the route north. The distance, 24 miles, coincides with the number of beers in a case. Twenty-four beers in twenty-four miles is the slogan. Red Beard, a traditionalist (? ) and man of honor, is determined to honor this specific tradition.

To spice things up he has arranged for dresses to be the uniform of the march. In support, the rest of us have committed to drinking a 12-pack along the way. The things one finds oneself doing.

I picked out a little Hawaiian number that accentuated my figure. Orbit and Red Beard went for minis. Slack went conservative choosing a non-revealing school marm number with shoulder pads. In our group photo he looks like the last orphan in the orphanage.

Pick out the orphan

Breakfast in dresses at a local café did not raise an eyebrow, as hiker trash in all manner of outfits are a common sight. And we were off. Red Beard, like most marathoners, was off to a fast start. I hydrated my beers with squirts of fruit mio. The miles piled up.

Unfortunately, a negative split (when the second half of the race is faster than the first) was not to be. For, as the miles piled up, so did the beers. Forward progress became less stated. Navigation became an issue.

With each stumble, items departed Red Beard’s pack. But the dire stage was never reached. Red Beard rallied in both distance and beer, finishing the 24th beer at the 24th mile hitch point. Honor preserved, he went to the dirt, a spent hiker.

If the Saufley’s is a river, the Anderson’s is a calm pond. You just slip in and relax in the best new hippy style. There are no rules. Music is constant. Hikers lay around in a spectrum of altered states. All you can eat taco salad – dinner, pancakes – breakfast and hot dogs/root beer float – lunch are the only structure. An impromptu dance party ran well into the night, but my exit was early.

Around 75 hikers were spread out through the Manzanita forest behind the Anderson’s house. Orbit had worked for the Andersons for two months in 2012, so she knew the sweet camping spot. I made my way to my bag, checked Red Beard’s pulse to confirm life and lay down.

The sounds of a didgeridoo serenaded me and I fell asleep in Australia.

Steve Halteman
On the Pacific Crest Trail
Hiking the PCT for the Kids of Escuela Verde

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