As I refilled my water in the morning at a trickling spring two fellow thru-hikers, Sonic and Ronan (trail name: Skeleton Child), passed by and mentioned they were hurrying down the trail to Belden to attend a funk music festival taking place there. I didn’t know much about funk but I did know that I would love to eat some hot food at the festival food trucks, so I hurried along after them into Bucks Lake Wilderness.
The trail offered nice views of the lakes to the east, and while I walked I encountered a group of mule deer foraging on the shrubs along the path. The descent into Belden itself was a long, relentless slog through overgrown thickets of manzanita bushes followed by an unending series of steep switchbacks leading 4,000 feet down the mountainside to the river valley below.
I crossed some railroad tracks and immediately felt like I was in the twilight zone. Hundreds of tie-dye clad festival-goers strolled this way and that between groups of colorful tents, many dancing and singing their way along the road. It was the most people I had seen in quite awhile, and I dazedly walked into the main part of the resort where even more people filtered in and out of the music venues. A man came running up to me and asked if I was a PCT hiker, and when I said yes he took me straight to the bar and bought me a beer. His name was Josh and he comes to the festival every year, often taking passing hikers “under his wing”. I can only assume that meant getting them drunk, as his girlfriend soon joined us and offered us “slap shots”. I wasn’t sure what that meant but went along for the ride, and quickly had a shot of whiskey in front of me. With a band belting out funky tunes on the stage next to the bar, we took the shots and Josh’s girlfriend immediately proceeded to slap both of us in the face. Some of Josh’s friends then showed up and invited me to continue the party at their camp. Getting very hungry I thanked them and moved on, somewhat bewildered at the past hour’s events.
Slightly buzzed from the drinks, I wandered over to the food trucks where I found Sonic and Ronan eating with a few other hikers. I devoured an entire pepperoni pizza and giant burrito followed up with ice cream, then went to the resort store to pick up some high-priced trail food. Sonic and Ronan invited me to camp with them and enjoy the festival, but knowing that I wouldn’t get any sleep and feeling very out of place I decided to hike out and camp a little ways up the trail at a quiet, peaceful spot above a creek.
Russell on the Road 