I woke up to a park service worker driving a vehicle around the beach, presumably cleaning up the area. I packed up quickly, worried that I might not be allowed to camp there.
I ran down the beach, following a bike path into the city. I stopped at a Starbucks to charge my phone for a couple of hours and get coffee after another night with little sleep.
Caffeinated and well fed I headed out, soon running by a UPS store, where I was able to mail my parents the large turban shell. I tried to mail my brother the small one but couldn't find his address in my phone. I held onto the shell.
Running on, I made it to Venice beach, filled with shops and people. Allen Cohen's wife was doing a reading of his poetry.
I bought cut fruit from a vendor and wondered on, enjoying the music, poetry, hula-hoopers, and tourists. I stopped to say hello to a man with a stand about veganism, since I was trying to be vegan on my trip. He said his name was "Jingles," and that he had been in Venice Beach supporting veganism for twenty years or more. I bought a pin from him and he encouraged me to get the three pin deal. I picked out a peace sign with flowers and asked him for help choosing the other two. One said "Be a Superhero for Animals, Go Vegan," and the other said "No to War, No to Racism."
I ran on to Santa Monica and made a detour inland to look for some warmer clothes at the REI. I bought an expensive coat, on sale, tights, a sturdier bivy bag, Fisher Space Pen, small waterproof notebook, and a host of bars. As I walked out of the store I noticed that I was missing my emergency foil bivy, I must have lost it at the REI... I retraced my steps and realized the new bivy was really weighing me down... I asked if I could return it and look for something else. The clerk obliged. An employee helped me look over my options, I selected a breathable SOL emergency bivy, along with a new emergency foil bivy and emergency blanket.
I met an employee there, Zach, who was almost more excited for my run than I was! He took my picture and posted immediately on the REI employee Facebook group. It was inspiring. He told me that the breathable bivy I had selected was invented by an ultrarunner wanting to do fastpacking expeditions, the only difference in the one I bought was the color -- orange instead of green. It sounded like I had made the perfect choice. And indeed, that bivy, which I put inside the foil bivy for extra warmth, turned out be a great sleeping arrangement.
I headed up the coast, towards Malibu. I walked past a truck selling fruit and asked if he sold anything for $2, all the cash I had. The vendor said that he never sold the small baskets individually but that he would make an exception for me... I got a delicious basket of farmer's market strawberries for $2.
As I passed a residential area a man stepped out of a car to ask me if I could run ahead and look at the house number. He had reserved an Air BnB room but couldn't find the house and his ankle was badly swollen, he showed me. He said that I looked smart. What a compliment! I was happy I could be of service and ran ahead to tell him the house number.
On I went, thinking of my favorite podcast host, Rich Roll, who lives somewhere in Malibu. The trail took me to Topanga Beach. As I rounded the point at the end of the beach, stepping around a metal fence embedded in the sand, I looked up and felt as though I had entered another world. A fine mist covered everything, huge mountains loomed in the background and the beautiful ocean stretched out in front of pristine houses on stilts. I wondered who had the privilege of living in such a place. A topless woman danced in the surf in front of a male companion. I said hello to a man walking his dog and asked if the tide was coming in, he confirmed it was. As I ran down the beach, the waves drew closer and closer, beginning to lap at the stilts beneath the houses. Trapped, I ran for the nearest set of stairs. They went up to a private residence and I prayed the owner had left the door unlocked.... they had! I was able to get out and join the highway.
I ran along Highway 1 into the city, stopping at a gas station to get protein bars. The clerk said I should try to find a place to stay and offered the bench near the bus station. I had tried to secure a hotel earlier, when I had had an internet connection, but was unsuccessful. I ran by a hotel I recognized from my internet search that had a vacancy sign, so I stopped in. Unfortunately there was a defect in the neon light, and there were no rooms left. Every other hotel in the area appeared to cost upwards of $300 a night, so I kept running. I stopped in a McDonald's briefly to charge my phone.
I made it to a small park and then followed the trail to a beach in front of another residential area. Unfortunately the tide was very high and I knew I couldn't make it down the beach, I retreated to the park. I wasn't sure what to do. I sent a message to the FKT board moderator and asked if I could make a detour for high tide. My phone battery was low again and I tried to charge it with my AA emergency charger, it gave the phone a boost long enough that I could contact my friend Johannes in Germany who was up at that late hour, to express my distress. I decided to camp in the park and try the route in the morning. First I tried the beach, but a police car showed up at the gate to the residential street nearby, and I wondered if it was because of me, so I moved to a trail that was more secluded and parked myself beside a trash can. No sooner had I gotten into my bivy than a man walked by, I felt so embarrassed, for some reason, and apologized to him. He looked startled and confused, didn't say anything, and continued walking. I went back to a picnic table near some bushes, and waited... no one came by for half an hour. Finally I calmed down, and was able to set up camp, and sleep, albeit in plain sight of the houses overlooking the park.
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