It has almost been a year since I did not finish the 210 mile long John Muir Trail (JMT). It is my intention to finish the JMT by completing the remaining parts in sections. I have completed just over one hundred miles of the trail.

Having just returned from hiking a small section of the JMT I would like to share the stories of three finishers.

Don Chieto The Finisher: Don Chieto has finished three backpacking trips with me. He finishes every hike with grace and aplomb. On this most recent hike Don Chieto was no different. He is a rock amongst rocks.

Doctor Gino The Finisher: Doctor Gino has finished two backpacking trips with me. Doctor Gino finishes each hike with humor, humility and perspective. With Doctor Gino along on the hike, the hike is both more jovial yet also more intellectually intense. On this most recent hike, Doctor Gino started off with a sore knee which went from bad to worse. Not surprisingly, Doctor Gino finished. Day three was the most challenging: a twelve mile day that finished with a four mile steep descent. Rather than collapse on the trail in a puddle of tears, Doctor Gino sauntered (or limped) into camp not more than a half hour behind us.

Don Gregorio The Finisher: On the morning of day four, I approached a group of three hikers as I left camp and said hello. One of the three hikers, Gregorio, was non communicative. As I quickly discovered, he was unable to continue hiking the JMT with his friends. Their plan was to abandon Gregorio at camp and continue on without him. He was expected to hike out alone. He would not have made it. As I studied Gregorio, I realized he wasn’t breathing well. He wasn’t listening. His eyes were focused either on the ground or at a point on the horizon. His friend asked if we could take him with us and drop him off in Fresno.

“Gregorio!”, I said loudly. “You are coming with us! Everything is going to be okay! We are going to take care of you! Just breathe!” 

Gregorio met my gaze, relaxed and smiled. But it would not be easy.

The hike out was “only” six miles. We paired up Don Gregorio with Doctor Gino. Doctor Gino now had someone to hike with that was worse off than he was! The pairing was perfect as Doctor Gino worked his magic of turning the hike into a lesson in stoicism paired ultimately with bountiful rewards. Those last six miles were filled with ups and downs both physical and metaphysical.

There were times when Don Gregorio wanted to die. There were times when he believed the day would never end. A cancer survivor, Gregorio assured us that the hike was much worse than chemotherapy. “Leave me on the trail to have my blood sucked dry by mosquitoes! The ants can pick my bones!”, he said.

When we reached the end of the trail where a rustic outpost greeted us with beer and apple pie (a la mode), we celebrated. Don Gregorio described how his whole body was tingling. He said that he had never been happier in his entire life. We spent the next 24 hours with Gregorio and his elation did not diminish.

As we neared the Amtrak station where we would leave Gregorio, I was reminded of the day I left the JMT, almost one year ago. On that day my hiking partner recited a poem about quitting. I shared this story with Gregorio. Doctor Gino read the poem aloud in the car as we neared Fresno.

Don’t Quit (John Greenleaf Whittier)

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is strange with its twists and turns

As every one of us sometimes learns

And many a failure comes about

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow—

You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out—

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell just how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far;

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

We are the finishers!

(Originally published on June 27, 2021)