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The bus ride continued through the night and day. Monday ended with a bus transfer leaving Phoenix towards San Diego. Inside the terminal, a guy had a huge backpack, and I thought maybe he's also heading for the PCT, but he wore cotton blue jeans, so I declined the idea. Doesn't nearly everyone who trail hike long distances wear light weight, quick drying synthetic clothing? I considered chatting with 2 Japanese female backpackers riding together since I had planned on backpacking Japan, possibly after the PCT hike, but I didn't.
Surprisingly, the bus wasn't crowded, about half full, considering the route connected 2 large major cities. Everyone travelling alone had their own seat until the arrival of a last minute boarder, and he was a big man. I worried he might sit with me, the second seat behind the driver, for the next 8 hours. Every slow traumatizing step he took as he boarded seemed like torture. "Would he be sitting with me? I'm not a large person so it would reasonable to sit next to me. Please don't sit with me, please don't sit with me, please don't sit with me." He paused for a moment to examine the options like a war general. "Oh crap! He's going to sit with me." It was an answered prayer when he passed and sat with the guy with the large backpack who I initially though might be hiking the PCT.