in the mountains we run and the deserts we crawl. That's a thought as the sun watches your every step. When people think of Southern California it seems they see more of the coastal cities and urban metropolises. Let me be one of the many PCT hikers to say that there lies a wide range of outdoor recreation opportunities that exist.
Now to the post ...Where do names come from and where do they take us? Some people grow out of a name, others never fit theirs. Some say you have to earn your name, others say you must live up to it. Out on the trail, the stories behind names range from simple to grand.
You cross paths with folks such as Danger Dave or Legend to Aunt Petunia and Ultra Heavy. Sometimes you wonder how many names are individual and unique as opposed to recycled and duplicated. When will it be time for your trail name? Do you have to do something epic? Or possibly make a group of other hikers laugh? How memorable will that moment be when it does happen?
Alas a name has been given..."The Prodigy." This is one of many names to have been offered my way. Whether or not it sticks is for the future. For right now, it is what I have been signing as in trail registries and answering as to other hikers. The origin comes from two hikers I've had the opportunity to hike with. Their names are "The Graduate and T-Rex" respectively. Both The Graduate and T-Rex hiked most of the trail last year before getting turned around by wildfires in Washington.
So why "The Prodigy" you ask? Well, the way The Graduate explains it is both he and T-Rex trained for half a year to go high mileage days to finish the PCT by early to late August. I met up with them on their second day and have been hanging with them doing multiple high mileage days since. Normally hikers don't jump into a thru hike attempt, especially their first, averaging the type of miles we have. Thus the name The Prodigy was given, though again many other names were suggested and declined.
It still hasn't hit yet that I'm walking from international border to international border. We just crossed 454 miles and are in a place called Hiker Heaven. It is a rest spot before the next big push through the desert.
So let's try it out,
Until the next post,
Sincerely,
The Prodigy
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