When Sarah mentioned it to me in a phone call yesterday, I was really surprised. I knew my birthday was coming up, but it seemed to sneak up on me, I had no idea what day of the month it is. The only thing I’ve been keeping track of is how many days of food I need to buy at a time.

The last stretch has been pretty intense. We went over San Jacinto (19 degrees), then straight down it (30+ degress). For a full day we were cooking in the sun going down switchbacks with no shade coverage. From Got in n out (lives up to the hype), had a zero day in Big Bear with a familiar group of friends (there was a hot tub at the Airbnb), and cowboy camped (no shelter) at a natural hot springs with extremely brave and unafraid squirrels. Saw my first rattlesnake that hissed and coiled at me before slithering off.

For my birthday i’m treating myself to staying at another Airbnb in Wrightwood with friends. They payed for my drink, food and got me cupcakes with candles to celebrate. They are very nice people.

I also got a trail name! After lightly convincing the group I’m hiking with to push on another 2 miles, they jokingly called me “coach” and it stuck. So for the next 4 months, people call me coach. None of them knew I’ve coached sports in the past.

As always, thanks for being a fan, Noah