Just for Fun: Backpacking & Busboying ⁣

Q: Tell us about your backpacking trip.⁣

A: We’d been wanting to do it for a while, and it was a long time in the making. It's really different when you're out in the backcountry for weeks at a time, compared to just going there for a few days, because you really get to enjoy it. It was really fun, and we did a lot of weird and unexpected stuff. We were out for 19 days in total [...] There's this trail called the John Muir Trail, and it’s a famous backpacking trail in the U.S. that's like 220 miles long. The whole idea is to start at Yosemite, hike down all along the Sierras until you get to Mount Whitney. After you climb Mount Whitney, you're done. We didn't do the first 30 miles of it because the permits are really hard to get, but we did cover around 211 miles in the end.⁣

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Q: Could you elaborate on the unexpected things that you guys did?⁣

A: There was this one part where we got to a resort-type place, and we were planning to stop there for the night. It was honestly hardly like a resort, but they had cabins. We were going to buy dinner and some other supplies, but we realized we were kind of low on money. So they offered that we could wash dishes and bus tables, and get our meals for free. We could take a shower too, so we agreed. We expected it would take two hours, but it ended up taking four hours to finish, and we were really tired by the end. So yeah, unpaid labor [...] but it was good, and the food was good.⁣

Q: Were there any concerns about doing this during a pandemic?⁣

A: There were definitely concerns about safety because it was two minors walking on a trail for 19 days. As for the pandemic, it was kind of the best case scenario because if you want to go on vacation, the best place you could go is just in the wilderness since you won't really see anyone there. But it was funny because when we went into the trail, we lost all communication and any knowledge of what was going on outside. So when we came back, we were like “Hey, what's going on?” Shoutout to California for being the number one state with COVID infections, because before we left, we were number six, so that was kind of a shock.