My PCT Propeller.
Well, if it’s not obvious already, it’s the love of my life, apple to my eye, peanut butter to my jelly. Gabriel Joseph Byers.
Limited Edition The GJB GT
Model & Make: Gabriel Joseph Byers- A rare one-of-a-kind custom-build.
Year: 2001 (A classic, but only getting better with age).
Mileage: High adventure count (But still plentyy of road left).
Engine: High-performance heart (Runs best off naps and sweet treats).
Transmission: Manual (Prefers hands-on approach with projects, ideas, and life).
Premium Features
Performance-Tuned Brain: Mechanically engineered for red line RPMs and infecktious BPM levels.
Luxury Comfort Package: Includes top-tier hugs and back scratchies.
Built-In Entertainment System: Features solid humor, extensive music knowledge, and random facts about LS swaps.
But on a more serious note, Gabriel is the one who introduced me to the Pacific Crest Trail. On our first date in 2020, we walked around a park for over three hours, chatting away about life, the trail, and wondering if we’d ever crossed paths before. He told me how he took a gap year from college and attempted the PCT, but the COVID pandemic cut his journey short. After years of planning, he made it 77 miles out of 2,650. As heartbreaking as his story was, he remained hopeful.
I’ll never forget when he said “When I’m done with this degree, there’s nothing stopping me from going back” He knew exactly how his story would unfold.
That day, I made a joke about tagging along with him on the trail. In the moment, I just wanted a break from life and responsibilities- it seemed like fun. But as our relationship grew, my reasonings for wanting to go changed. We began to go hiking together, and it no longer was an escape. He became my life, my world, my everything. I no longer wanted to escape my life- I wanted to follow it.
Coincidentally, Gabe and I both graduated college in the same semester, despite reaching for different degrees on opposite timelines. I was a part-time student and employee, working on a two-year AA in General Studies, and Gabriel working full-time on his four-year BS in Mechanical Engineering.
I never thought that after 4 years, I would actually be tagging along with him for the ride. But here I am- permit secured, testing out my gear, and a search history looking like:
-Lightweight potty trowels
-Which women’s underwear shape is best for long-term hiking?
-Non-refrigerated hiking deserts (lol get it? Cause we have to go through the desert?)
Even though I am curating this personal project, it is my greatest joy to watch Gabriel achieve his dreams. Being by his side, seeing him take in the views before I do, laughing at him during what we already call “the suck” (which is the inevitable sucky moments that will make us question our life choices), and being able to say, “I’m glad we in the suck together” is something I wouldn’t trade for the world.
I want to witness his growth. His expansion. And most of all, I am looking forward to the solitude we’ll share- just us and the trail.
Some people say this will be the ultimate test of our relationship… Spending all day together for 6 months, sleeping on the ground, and running off the bare minimum may not seem like the ideal date for most couples. But what they don’t know about us, is that this is exactly where we belong. Just me, my boy, and the mountains.