Day 31 June 6, 2017

• Daily mileage 11
• Total mileage 553
• Hiked from 5:15 am to 9:30 am

Town day!

Got up at the usual time (4:45 am) and got going on the remainder of the long uphill that I started on last night.  When I got to the top, I was pleasantly surprised to find a water cache.  Some kind local soul provides a place to sit and tons of bottled water to enjoy.  It was a godsend for me because I was down to less than a litre and nine miles to go. Doable but not comfortable.  I did not take a picture because a ton of hikers were in various stages of waking all around it.
     

Early morning desert      

Yet another wind farm we walked past

Then it was an easy cruise down to the road leading to Tehachapi.  And who is waiting at the road?  Both Coppertone and Legend.  Hey, yesterday I had a beer for breakfast, today I had a root beer float!  That is four times I have crossed paths with Coppertone.  He even remembered my name.  Legend was giving rides to town, but only to the airport where they allow camping.  I figured I would go with him and then figure out how to get into the town when I got there (for those of you who know me personally, yes the trail has changed me into a bit of a free spirit!).  Well, I had barely gotten out of Legend's truck when a local pulled up to drop off some hikers. I asked him if he was going back to town and he just said jump in.  Thanks Scoutt if you should ever stumble upon this.

Got checked into the Best Western Mountain View, but all they had was a smoking room.  Oh well, it is nicer than my tent.  Apparently the whole crew is here somewhere, but I have not seen them yet.  Trouble with knowing everyone by trail names only is it hard to ask for room numbers!

Had a great lunch at a German bakery and then did my grocery shop. Oh yeah, had a shower and did laundry too.  All very domestic.  Met up with the rest of my "trail family" this afternoon and a bunch of us went out for Mexican and then went to see the new Pirates movie.  Thank God we only paid $4 to get in. Man, it was terrible.

Day 30 June 5, 2017

• Daily mileage 18
• Total miles 542
• Hiked from 6:00 am to 6:15 pm

It was hot today.  Very hot.

My plan to camp on top of the inspection port did not work as the sound of running water under me was not soothing at all.  It was downright maddening. So I moved a bit and had a great sleep.

Started my day reacquiring the trail.  I had missed a turn late last night and had gone about a half mile past.  I could not figure out the geography, so I simply waited by my last known point for the next hikers to come by.  Sure enough, a married couple by the names Left and Right came along and we figured it out.

First stop of the day was a faucet water source.  As we were approaching it, the was a car where it did not belong. Sure enough, trail magic.  Zee from last year's hiking class had been doing a full blown breakfast, but all he had left were cold beers.  I mean, it would have been rude to say no, even at 8:00 am.

We got our water and I decided to carry on to the next water source some seven miles up.  Everyone else chose to stay in the shade to wait out the heat.  When I got to Tylerhorse Canyon where there was water, I headed for the shade and hid away for a couple of hours.  By about four, the heat was manageable so I got going again.  Now I am perched on top of a knob looking down on wind farms in a rather ideal camping spot. Because it is a bit breezy, I may try cowboy camping tonight for the first time. Update on that, just found a colony of red ants by my camping spot, so tent it is.

Wind farm that we hiked through

The desert is hot and dry.  Who would have imagined.

Tylerhorse Canyon water source

I have about eleven miles to cover tomorrow morning before the road to Tehachapi.  I saw in a trail register that the crew I have been hiking with are exactly one day ahead of me, so I hope they take the zero day they had talked about and that will allow me to catch up to them.

Home for the night

Day 29 June 4, 2017

• Daily mileage 12
• Total mileage 524
• Hiked from 6:15 PM to 10:00 PM

This day had a lot of twists and turns in it.  Sorry this summary is rather lengthy.

So I woke up at my usual pre-dawn time and immediately realized that I had to wait about an hour before the hotel breakfast started.  So I worked on this blog.  You are welcome.  Finally 6 am rolled around and I went down for breaky.  Now Lancaster is not really on or near the PCT so they do not see many of us hikers.  So the nice lady working the breakfast bar was a bit taken aback when I made two waffles (with lots of both syrup and whipped cream), a couple of bowls of fresh fruit with yogurt, then ordered the bacon, eggs and potatoes "entree" and say, are those Fruit Loops over there I spy?  By the way, the orange juice dispenser is running a bit low too.  Man, I was some sort of hungry.

So I arranged for a taxi to pick me up at noon to take me part way back to the trail head (past the freeway) and I would hitch the rest of the way.  It would be $40 flat for that.  I had time so I wandered off to the grocery store to pick up a couple of items there and what should I spy right at the corner?  Starbucks.  Hell yeah, a Flat White sounds good right now.  And let's include one of those bacon breakfast sandwiches too.

So then I go back to the hotel lobby to wait for my cab.  Noon comes and goes, no cab.  By 12:30, I used the hotel phone (sometimes I think I am going to have to capitulate and get a cell) to call them, and they state that there was a mix-up and my cab was canceled but they will hustle a replacement over.  So another 30 minutes goes past and, you guessed it, no cab.  Now the idea of hitching the last piece to the trail is getting less appealing as the heat of the day increases.  So, on my second (or third depending on if you count the original booking call) to my new friends at the cab company, I asked how about taking me all the way to the trail for the same fare due to the error(s) on their part.  He said he would put me on hold and ask the boss.  30 seconds later I am listening to dial tone.  Did he hang up deliberately?  We will never know.  In the meantime, two local ladies had heard the conversation while they were sitting in the lobby and asked me why I did not simply get an Uber car?  I once again explained my lack of cell phone to them.  So, one of them whips out her cell and books an Uber car to the trail for $28.  Just as she finishes that, the most disgusting, dilapidated taxi pulls up to the curb.  I went out and talked to the driver and asked him if he would honour the $40 ride all the way to the trail and he said it was $70.  Long story short, he left pissed, I gave the nice lady $40 for the $28 Uber ride as a tip for her kindness and I got a ride with a lovely El Salvadorian gentleman in a newer Nissan.

So, back to Hikertown I got.  Went to the local corner store and got a fabulous burger and salad and then waited out the afternoon heat with several other hikers.  At about 6:15 I got rolling and immediately realized I could have left at least an hour earlier as there was a cool breeze and the hiking was ridiculously easy.  The trail follows a couple of aqueducts in the Antelope Valley, so the grade and tread were super easy.  There is a 3/4 moon out right now so I did not even have to use my headlamp.  Now I am perched up on a concrete inspection box over the pipe (I will have to get up in the night to go pee because I can hear the water flowing under me) and all is well.

Cruising along the LA Aqueduct

Cruising along on top of the California Aqueduct

Sunset on the Joshua trees

Urban sprawl, Mojave style

Early evening before my night hike

Day 28 June 3, 2017

• Daily mileage 19
• Total miles 512
• Hiked from 4:30 am to 2:00 pm

(Sorry for the crappy afternoon video. I forgot I had zoomed in for a photo prior to starting the video)

This post is best enjoyed whilst humming "I have walked 500 miles" by the Proclaimers.

I got up very early this morning with the express thought of beating the heat on the 19 mile hike to Hikertown.  I hiked with my headlamp on for the first time for about 30 minutes until the dawn became bright enough.  But with dawn came the bugs once again.  I actually had to put on my mosquito headnet for a few hours just so as to be able to enjoy the hike.  Got some water out of what is called a guzzler.  Basically, it is an underground rain water collection structure that you lower a scoop into on a rope and pull up water.  It would have been a long, waterless stretch without the guzzler.

Lizard asleep on the side of the trail      

Early morning in the desert

Guzzler 

After a few miles, I came to the 500 mile mark!  Yeah.  I know it is just a number, but it seems quite stupendous to be able to say that I have now walked a continuous 500 miles in the SoCal desert.    

 

500 miles 

I had mentioned yesterday that I got my first blisters on my feet yesterday.  Well today they were terrible.  I think that what has happened is that my feet have grown, which apparently is very common on this trail, and I am still wearing the same shoes I started with, which are now way too small.

Anyway, I carried on into the ever warming morning, eventually dropping down into the Antelope Valley which is part of the Mojave Desert.  My ultimate destination was a trail side collection of buildings named Hikertown.  Hikertown is very hard to explain.  It certainly was a welcome refugee from the mid-day heat (my pack thermometer read 100F in the sun when I arrived at 2:00 pm) but I am still not sure just why it exists.  It is a collection of shacks that have been made to sort of look like an old west town.

Looking down into the heat of the Mojave Desert    

The eclectic Hikertown

There was a huge crowd of hikers all waiting out the afternoon heat there.  The plan for pretty much everyone was to hike out in the early evening and then night hike across the desert floor to the next water source.  But not me.  I got a ride into the nearest town (Lancaster) so I could get new shoes.  Hopefully they will cure the blistering issue.  Thanks once again to Phil and Tory for the ride to town.  They dropped me off at a sporting goods store and within 15 minutes I was disposing of my old smelly shoes and relishing in the feeling of proper fitting ones.  I am now wearing size 13's vs the 11 1/2's I was in previously.

Now I am sitting in a hotel room (with lovely air conditioning) wondering how to get back to the trail.  Oh well, something always comes along.

Day 27, June 2, 2017

• Daily mileage 20 plus 3 off trail
• Total miles 493
• Hiked from 7:30 pm to 7:00 pm with lots of breaks

What should have been a great day was ruined by bugs.

Had trouble breaking away from Casa de Luna because there was coffee and cinnamon pancakes.  Finally did and walked the two miles back to the trail head because I could not get a ride hitching.  There was an immediate 1,000 foot climb which went very easily.  Then it was an easy cruise down to the next highway crossing.  Meanwhile, it was getting hotter.  Next up was a 1,200 footer in the heat.  It went surprisingly well.

   

Climbing 

Once I got to the top, it should have been an easy cruise to the end of the day.  But wait, that is not what happens out here.  While we were out in the burn area, it got up to 90F so that was no fun.  A bunch of us found a shady spot under some trees when we got out of the burn and waited out the heat for a couple of hours.  So, now things should have been perfect, right?  Nope.  Then the bugs came out.  First it was deer flies.  Then noseeums.  Then mosquitoes.  Even had a couple of horse flies later. Man they were out in swarms.
 

Random mine shaft next to the trail  

Hiking in the dry desert heat  

Hikers waiting out the heat of the day in the shade.  Little did we know that we were about to enter insect purgatory

 Made it to a car camping ground where there are a bunch of us PCTers set up.  It is a strange campsite in that there are lots of great facilities like picnic tables, crappers and garbage cans, but very little in the way of flat ground to pitch a tent on.

So, here I am, 28 days and over 490 miles into this hike, and today I get my first blisters.  Why?  Oh well, it is all part of the deal out here.

Day 26 June 1, 2017

• Daily mileage 14
• Total mileage 472
• Hiked from 5:30 am to 12:00 pm

Nero into Casa de Luna

I had trouble getting up this morning because I had such a great sleep last night.  I guess doubling my dinner input did some good.  Got going and was at the bottom of the hill in no time.  And we all know what happens when you get to the bottom of a hill. That is right, you go up the other side.  It really was not a bad climb and in what seemed no time I was at the road leading to Casa de Luna.

I hitched the two miles from the trail head to Casa de Luna.  What is Casa de Luna you ask?  It is yet another home of an incredibly generous couple who host us dirty stinky hikers.  This is amazing.  When you arrive, they insist on you changing into a Hawaaian shirt and start the job of relaxing.  As I type this, Terri Anderson, our hostess is cooking up a huge batch of taco salad for dinner, and in the morning, her husband will cook up a batch of pancakes for us. I mean, really, how great is that?  

Lake Something Something below the trail.  Ok, I have no idea of the name of the lake  

Creative signage on trail

Bear Can Kan rocking his Casa de Luna fashion   

Line up for taco salad 

This sign sums up Casa de Luna perfectly

There were about 75 hikers present at CdL that night, which is pretty much a new high for the season.  Seems a lot of hikers are bunching up as we approach the Sierra.  After dinner, Terri had each of us do a snippet of dance in order to receive our official 2017 PCT buff. I did a mad Twist that would have left Chubby Checker speechless.

So today involved pretty mundane hiking.  But, I saw a lizard.  Oh, wait, I saw about 200 lizards.  Just like I have seen about 200 lizards per day for 3 weeks!  Man there are a lot of the little suckers down here.  The interesting part is you see different species as you progress through the desert.  For a while there were horned lizards with their armor coat, then there were the white guys with the scorpion type tails who went a million miles per hour, then there were the ones who look like a coyote turd with a tail and legs and now there are the bigger guys with spots.  

I was concerned about being able to sleep here tonight because of the volume of hikers and the party atmosphere, but as is typical on the trail, the party died at about 9 pm and everyone went to bed.  I had originally considered skipping CdL because of it's party reputation, but I am really glad I went there.

Home for the night

 

Day 25 May 31, 2017

• Daily mileage 20
• Total miles 458
• Hiked from 5:30 am to 7:00 pm with multiple long breaks

What was supposed to be a nero turned into a full 20 mile day

Any morning that involves the use of a flush toilet is bound to be the start of a good day.  Hence the slightly later start.  But enough about that.  I got going knowing I had a bit of a climb, but only about 10 miles to my destination of Agua Dulce.  The climb was easy and I could hear the noise from the upcoming freeway well before I could see it.  Made it to the culvert under the freeway and emerged into the Vasquez Rocks Park.  I am so happy the PCT goes through this feature.  It was so cool to see.  You could almost hear Kirk and Spock battling the Klingons.     

Early morning       

Sunrise light on desert grasses      

So that is what is making all that noise      

Vasquez Rocks

Soon enough our group came out to the short road walk into Agua Dulce.  We immediately headed for the most obvious restaurant we could find.  Now, I am not writing this blog as to be a critic of eating establishments and I try to stay as positive about everything PCT related as I can.  But the service in that restaurant really pissed me off.  Should the owner ever stumble upon this blog, please either put a sign out front saying no PCT hikers allowed or stop treating us like shit.  Sadly, the food was good, but I was so off put by the rudeness of the waitress that I really did not savor it.  There, rant over.

Went across the street and did a six day resupply to get me to Tehachapi.  Why does food weigh so much!  Then a truck pulled up to give any hikers who wanted it a ride up to Hiker Heaven.  This is an amazing bit of trail magic hosted by the Sauflys (I may have the spelling wrong).  Because there is no accommodations in town, they decided years ago to open up their rather substantial yard for us to camp in. For us they have set up a shower, laundry, a charging station, postal services, in other words, everything a through hiker could want.  Amazing.  I had originally intended to stay the night, but the place was packed with more arrivals on an hourly basis.  I do not sleep well when closely surrounded by other hikers, so I chose to hike on. Hence the non-nero.

One thing I did get to do there was step on a weigh scale for the first time in 25 days.  I knew I had lost weight, but I was not expecting 11 pounds.  Damn, as I mentioned before, why is food so heavy to carry!

I took the long road walk out of town at around 2:00.  Then began the second and much longer climb of the day.  Luckily the day had remained slightly overcast and cool so that helped.  Made it about 10 miles before I found probably the nicest camp spot of the trip so far.

     

On the PCT you do see some strange things

Tomorrow I will hike to another trail angels house and for sure take a nero there.
    

Home for the night