Top Gear Tehachapi to Tuolumne Gift Exchange

Richard Hammond with a model ship on the Vietnam motorcycle mega episode. Our inspiration.

A few of us made up a new trail game over some beers while at Hikertown Hostel. It's based on the British car show Top Gear. The show is generally shot in England and includes new car reviews, a celebrity segment, and maybe a short challenge or humor piece. Once a season they shoot a mega episode that takes the three hosts to different parts of the world where they're usually faced with a challenging drive using dilapidated vehicles. Gift exchange is an integral part of these adventures, although "gift" may be the wrong word to describe the objects exhanged since gifts are generally desired. In the Vietnam special the 3 hosts had to attach a large canvas painting, a stone statue, and a large model ship to their motorcycles and navigate chaotic traffic.

I spoke with a British hiker about the Top Gear gift exchange and we decided it would be a good idea to get a PCT version going. We established some ground rules and soon had 8 people interested. We drew names from a hat to determine who gifts whom. We decided that names would be kept secret until Tehachapi, a few days down the trail. The exchange will occur in Tehachapi and we will carry our gifts until Tuolumne Meadows, the entrance to Yosemite. Here are the ground rules:

1. Object must be less than 1lb - we've all worked hard for our base weights and anything over that would be cruel.
2. Object should be awkwardly large and draw the attention of all day hikers.
3. Object should be displayed on pack at all times.
4. Object must be mom/blog safe.

So the exchange occurred and folks ran out of town early so I don't have pictures of everyone just yet. Here's the updates though:

I got the Manchurian, a British guy, a baby carrier with an American flag. I don't know where Cinderalla came from

Kat with her hula hoop and Dishcloth with the British flag that Manchurian gave him.

Pepper Flake with his pool noodles

My pinata - plastic wrapped for safety from wind and rain.

My and my pinata entering Kenney Meadows