Day 30
Rest day at the Oasis
Due to my ankle, and feeling overall beat up from the last couple of days, we slept in late and decided to zero at Serenity’s Oasis. Once I finally roused myself out of bed, I took advantage of the empty campground to finally do some laundry and enjoy a long hot shower. Once clean, I wished Bush a happy birthday and then Anna and I headed out to the Cowboy Tavern for brunch where we enjoyed the nearby hummingbirds while we ate. After brunch, Anna and I checked out the Mexican supermarket and then headed back to the Oasis.
When we returned, we hung out with Bush and Imi for most of the day before I headed over to chat with Farmer John about opening his resupply store. Unfortunately he was busy installing a new water line, so I then hung out with a few stoned hikers on the porch while I waited. While there, I met Charles, a local from Tacoma who gave me a ton of trail info on the Olympics and offered up a ride from Harts Pass if he finished before us! Farmer John then made everyone sno-cones and opened the resupply store.
Finally done with chores, I grabbed a White Claw from the fridge and set up in a reclining chair with my feet in an epsom salt bath. The rest of the day slid by, trading stories with the Australians, chatting with Twig, and a number of other hikers until it was dinner time. For Bush’s birthday, he had purchased 3 pounds of fajita meat which we promptly grilled up and consumed. After dinner, Farmer John and Andrea surprised Bush with an Oreo cake! Stuffed and happy, we all called it a night shortly thereafter. Another excellent zero!
Day 31
Water caches like this are invaluable
Unfortunately, I really did not get much sleep last night. We were surrounded by old guys who badly needed CPAPs, so the surround-sound snoring was fairly horrendous. Anna woke up before the alarm went off, so we were off and moving nice and early. The first few miles were easy road and double track, but then we were sent up a steep 1600ft climb. The climb was long, hot, and sweaty, but we made it up without too much fuss. Annoyingly, right as we crested the peak, we were sent right back down into another valley. After the road crossing we stopped in to check out the water cache and to utilize the shade of a giant oak to have a break.
Right after we sat down, the Aussies rolled in, and almost immediately after that, trail angel Tazz arrived to refill the water and to gift us a hot pizza! We helped her with the water, ate as much of the pizza as we could, and then started up our second long climb, now in full sun a bit after noon. The climb was incredibly hot and we kept leapfrogging with the Aussies as we each took breaks. Once we crested the climb, the rest of the trail was a long meandering ridgeline totally exposed to the western sun. Occasionally we would dip into dried up stream beds but they were all overgrown with poison oak, poison ivy, and poodle dog bush. We were as careful as we could be in those sections, but fingers crossed we don’t start itching this evening. The trail continued to meander aimlessly and it felt like we were walking in circles until we finally saw the road below. We made short work of the remaining distance, crossed the sketchy San Francisquito Valley road, and arrived at our destination for the night, the Green Valley Fire Station at mile 478.2.
The Aussies had already arrived, so they showed us around. We then carefully pitched our tent, and then headed over to the picnic table for dinner. After dinner I was chatting with other hikers until Anna came and grabbed me. While we were eating, black carpenter ants had completely enveloped my backpack! Thankfully none of them got inside of it or the tent. But we then had to spend the next hour and a half carefully moving and repitching the tent, and then de-anting my pack. Needless to say, I’m beat. All in all, we did just under 24 miles today with about 4000ft up and 4000ft down. Tomorrow is looking like it’s going to be a tough day as well. So much for the “flat” desert haha.
Day 32
Camp for the night
Despite stress dreams of ants getting into the tent, I still woke up well rested before our 5am alarm. We completed the most silent pack-up of all time to accommodate the 9 people cowboy camping near us and hit the trail nice and early. From the fire station, we had a very short sketchy section of road walking before starting up the steep but quick 1000ft climb. Wanting to capitalize on the cool weather, we made it to the summit before the sun had crested the horizon, and enjoyed a few celebratory snacks while watching the sunrise. We then hopped between trail and an ORV road that paralleled it to avoid burned out widowmakers and thick poodle dog bush until we reached Lake Hughes road at mile 485.8. There, Anna made a coffee and we chatted with another hiker while gearing up for our largest climb of the day. In an effort to knock it out before the heat, we tackled the climb of 1600ft before 11am and by the time it leveled out I was completely gassed.
We then went back to hopping back and forth between the road and the trail, and stopped at a picnic table at 489.9 to consume some much needed calories and electrolytes. While we were there, Imi and Bush arrived and told us that apparently by the time they awoke, everyone else had packed up and left! We chatted for a bit before heading out again. We all hiked together for a bit before splitting around 493.4 when they headed down to the campsite for lunch and water while Anna and I took the PCT to avoid the excess elevation. At one point we stopped to watch a large rattlesnake bask, and then very lazily crossed the trail once I started stomping my feet and trekking poles on the ground. Once it was nearly done crossing the trail, the back quarter of its body hilariously just flopped off of the rock like a wet noodle! The next few miles of trail were uneventful, just filled with flying insects and blowdowns from the fire.
Tired of hopping over trees, we once again hopped on the ORV trail around 495.4 and headed towards and off trail cistern for water. On the way there, we talked about how it was barely passed 1:30pm and that we still felt good. So we decided to pass up that cistern and headed towards the next one a few miles up the road. Along the way, we stopped briefly to slam more calories before another 1000ft climb and while we were eating Twig rounded the corner! We all then hiked up the climb together, passed the 500 mile marker and easily made it up to the cistern at 502.4. We fetched some delicious cold water, and headed to Bear Camp at 504.3. As we were sitting down for food the Aussies arrived as well! Anna and I had dinner with Twig while she told us about a few of the local birds and regailed us with stories from her previous hikes. At one point the temperature started to plummet, so we all retreated to our tents for some much needed rest. All in, we hiked 26.9 trail miles and over 5000ft up and 3000ft down. Stoked to get into Hiker Town tomorrow for real food!
Day 33
Surveying the empty expanse on the aqueduct
Despite all of the quail noise coming from over near Twig’s tent all night, Anna and I slept through the night and woke up on time. Anna actually woke up before me and made some coffee before my alarm went off. So around 5:30am, we hit the trail and caught the sun rise over the Mojave Desert. The beginning of our hike was nice as we wound around under oaks that hadn’t been caught in the recent burn. At one point, Twig whizzed past us as we headed down hill. The last bit into town was annoying as it seemed like we were endlessly and pointlessly climbing and weaving up and down canyons that didn’t really show us much. It didn’t help our mood that the trail was also quite overgrown in this section. Finally, in the last mile it leveled out and it was around that time that Bush and Imi caught up with us, so we all hiked in together.
Hiker Town was a weird strange place, and the owners seemed a bit frazzled from the hiker traffic. When we arrived we were told a car would be arriving in 20mins to take us to the store and then sort of let loose with no explanation of how things worked there or where things were. Imi and Bush went to have quick showers and I played with one of the dogs for a bit while we waited. His wife then came whipping in in a minivan with most of the seats removed and piled us in. We were then whisked over to Neenach Cafe & Market for food and resupply. The Cafe was severely understaffed and there seemed to be an issue with the kitchen, but the front desk guy was an absolute hero at trying to juggle everything. He handled all of our orders, translated them to the cook, made milkshakes, and still made time to chat with us about our hikes. The other weird thing with the cafe was the epic lack of pricing on anything. I’m sure I paid too much, but it is what it is.
After finishing lunch we called for a ride back and then sat around in what felt like purgatory for a bit. Anna and I tried to hitch, but to no avail. Eventually, the van returned and we were brought back to Hiker Town. Annoyed that we had wasted so much time at the store, we filled up our water and hit the trail. Immediately we passed a weird site, a closed elementary school across from a trailer flying a confederate flag… We then walked down the road a bit and began following the famous LA aqueduct.
The aqueduct hike was incredibly easy going, with relatively no grade and a nice wide gravel road to walk on. We followed the open flowing water for a few miles before turning north to follow the giant pipe. Again, the trail was very easy going and with the gentle breeze and mild weather it was a nice section. Around 7pm, Twig caught up with us and we all had dinner together. As we were packing up, the Aussies caught up so we walked a bit with them before breaking off to set up our tent for the night. Good campsites were sparse so we jumped at the first spot we saw at mile 527.6. Unfortunately the ground was too hard to properly get stakes in and our corner tent stays are not conducive to rock pitching. We found some busted up pieces of concrete and made it work as best as possible. Due to all of the messing around, it had gotten late so we tucked in. Unfortunately, that was when the wind picked up and our less than stellar pitch caused the tent to ripple in the wind. I hope we can get some sleep tonight.
Day 34
Anna and I walking into the sunrise (thanks for the shot Twig!)
Unfortunately the wind only got worse and Anna and I were too tired to try and fix it or to cowboy camp, so we slept like crap. We woke up bleary eyed and tired at 4:30am, quietly packed up, and started hiking. A few miles in Twig caught up with us from where ever her secret camping spot was and we all hiked together. We had an amazing view of the sunrise over the windmills and made decent time getting to the secret water cache we had been told about by a local trail angel. It was secret because apparently some locals kept destroying it when should would share its location publicly. Weird. From there, we started up our first large climb of the day and barely dodged a rattlesnake that was hiding in the overgrown grass next to the tree. After the brief shock, we motored on up and over the climb and stopped off at Tylerhorse Canyon and Tentsite where we stopped in the shade for water and a break.
We had done around 14 miles by 11am and man was I feeling it. While we were filtering water, the Aussies showed up and we swapped tales on our different night experiences and Tehechapi plans. They then hit the trail ahead of us, and followed along a bit after. Twig caught up with us, grabbed our phone numbers, and then sped on ahead since she had her own plans for town and by this point we were really dragging. The first canyon rim walks were pretty easy going despite the dirt bike erosion, but then we made it to the real climb of the day. The climb started in a shadeless canyon immediately following a steep downhill. We then went up about 1700ft on a slightly eroded sandy trail over the course of s few miles. Since we were both dead, we slowed our pace and took it nice and easy. Along the way up we took a break in the only nearby shade with a lovely hiker named Guac. After we had had enough carbs and electrolytes we forced our way up the last bit and eventually ran into another secret cache, complete with chair and a giant umbrella. We stopped to have a quick swig of water and to chat with the other hikers before again setting out. The sun was still glaring down on us and we were cooked, so we called it early around 4pm and set up camp around mile 551 to take advantage of the cooler elevation. With our early stop, we were able to book a room in Tehachapi and mail some much needed shoe replacements ahead of us. All in all, we’re a bit fried from another big day of distance and climbing!
Day 35
Sunrise walking in to Tehachapi
Anna and I slept in a bit since we knew we had an easy walk into town and a zero the next day. We woke up to a sea of clouds under our tent and perfect weather. We easily glided the few miles into town, stopping only to admire the beautiful morning light on the windmills. Along the way, we saw one racer snake but zero hikers. Down at the road, we had to wait for a bit for a hitch but eventually a wonderful guy named Jeremy pulled over in his converted minivan. Jeremy was an older thru-hiker who had previously bagged the triple crown in the early 2000s and he was now living in New Mexico with his wife, but he was currently boondocking around California to hit up his favorite hikes. Once in town, Jeremy took us to the diner we had requested for breakfast, and with a little bit of pestering he agreed to have breakfast with us. Over breakfast we chatted about the trail and the social difficulties of life outside of trail before splitting our separate ways.
After breakfast, Anna and I braved the cold rain and headed over to Walmart for our resupply and to kill time before we could check in to our room. This was our first good resupply since Big Bear, so we were excited. While there, we ran into the Aussies who were doing the same thing. Snacks secured, we walked over the Sure Stay to hang out in the lobby in an attempt to get early check in and to knock out some internet chores. We made dinner plans with the Aussies and then were given our keys around 2pm.
Anna and I were stoked to finally get clean after the sweaty previous section. I let her go first and dashed off to start our laundry before anyone else. We then spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning things and sending gear ahead. At 6pm, we met the Aussies for dinner at Red House BBQ where I scored the last ribs of the day. Hilariously, the bar there did not know how to make a whiskey coke for Imi, so they just gave her a glass of a clear liquor and a glass of coke. Otherwise, dinner was amazing and I loved getting to learn more about our new friends! After dinner, we walked back and Anna and I decided to go on a quest for ice cream. We checked 5 convenience stores before scoring a tub of Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie which we dove into while watching Blades of Glory on the Chromecast. All in all an awesome nero at 566.5 in Tehachapi!
Day 36
Myself, Anna, Imi, and Bush out for dinner
Zero day! Anna and I started the day off by sleeping in until 6:30am before heading down for hotel breakfast. The place was already packed at 7am, so we shared a table with a lovely Austrian woman who was another hiker. While there, I killed a belgian waffle, 3 bowls of fruit loops, 3 scrambled eggs, 5 sausages, and a ton of apple juice. At some point the Aussies came down and we chatted about plans for the day. The weather was cold and rainy and we could clearly see snow in the mountains above, so the hot tub plan no longer seemed enjoyable. After breakfast, Bush lent me his seam sealer glue and I went to town repairing some fresh holes in our tent. Anna and I then hit up Kohnen’s Country Bakery (a German bakery) where we ran into Twig. We snuck Twig into the hotel laundry room and then went back to our room. Afterwards, Bush, Anna, and I went to see the 20th anniversary showing of Star Wars Episode 3 at the Hitching Post movie theater. Bush and I snuck a few drinks in, and we all had a riot reliving how goofy that movie was!
After the movie, Anna and I went back to the room for a bit and I called to catch up with my Mom. While I was on the phone, Twig showed up to returned our room key and to hang out. Once I was done with my call, the 3 of us went to the “Asian Restaurant” in town because Anna wanted a bahn mi and because Twig and I were tired of American food. After dinner, we split and Anna and I grabbed another tub of Ben and Jerry’s which we enjoyed while watching Austin Powers: Goldmember. Anna and I both passed out during the movie, waking up only during the final scene. It’s been an awesome break in town, and I am very hopeful that this weather moves out as forecasted tomorrow.
Day 37
Back into the snow
The temperature outside continued to drop, and at some point in the night I was forced to get out of bed to turn the heater on since Anna and I were fighting over the comforter. When we finally did wake up, we plugged a few things in to charge and then headed down for hotel breakfast. Twig was initially going to meet us there, but she had been offered and early ride back to trail and took advantage of it. On the walk across the courtyard to the breakfast room, we noticed that it was indeed quite cold and windy but it seemed like the weather was moving off. We once again had breakfast with our Austrian friend, and not long after I started the waffle iron, the Aussies came in. We chatted for a bit and made plans to get back to trail all while stuffing our faces with the free breakfast buffet.
After we had eaten our fill, we headed back to our rooms to pack in order to make a 9:30am appointment with a trail angel. Unfortunately that plan almost immediately fell through, so Anna expertly guided us to plan 2, the bus stop. Amazingly, the Kern County bus arrived right on time and the driver was more than happy to accommodate us with the special PCT stop. He even worked with the other passengers to help us make exact change for everyone. What a guy! Back on trail, we hiked next to Highway 58 for a while and got a few friendly honks from passing drivers. The weather was honestly perfect, and I was able to keep my fleece on for the first chunk of the gently graded climb. As always though, I became too warm from the effort and packed away my warm layers. We continued on until one point where we rounded a bend and just about got blown off the trail by the powerful, cold wind. Anna and I continued to press on as it quickly became colder and snowier around us. I was trying to dry my sweat out before re-layering up, but I ended up getting too cold and having to stop. We pressed on though and made it to the top.
Finally at the top, the trail evened out and became more vegetated, protecting us from the wind but the ground turned into sticky brownie batter. We then continued on like this for the rest of the day, gently rolling up and down and in and out of the trees and wind. 16.8 miles in, we hit our intended stopping point, Golden Oaks Springs, and found to our disappointment that all of the good tent sites offered zero shelter from the wind. We then made the call to press on and follow Twig and the Aussies to a supposedly more sheltered tenting area 4.5mi further. Anna and I pressed on in the gloom, caught up with Twig and eventually made it to what turned out to be the perfect sheltered tent sites at 587.5! We could hear the gentle rumble of the nearby windmills, but couldn’t see them due to the heavy cloud coverage.
Day 38
Bush’s fire brought everyone together
With our cozy tent spot out of the wind, and the continued cold grey weather we decided to sleep in until 6am. We both woke up feel pretty cooked from yesterday, so after breaking camp we went up the trail at an easier pace than usual. Outside of getting passed by the Aussies, the first 10 miles were pretty uneventful due to the grey weather completely socking us in. We were aware of the vegetation gradually getting more lush and the wind thankfully starting to die down a bit. Right past mile 600, Anna and I decided to celebrate by having a longer lunch than normal and she even managed to locate some dry rocks for us to sit on!
After lunch, we spotted a large turkey and then heard some fighter jets whipping by overhead. In a little valley, we passed a weird 10 commandments sign in the middle of nowhere before passing a weird cabin. Tired of walking in mud, blowdowns, and snow, Anna and I switched it up by walking a forest service road for a few miles that paralleled the trail. Along the way we saw a ton of hilarious fake radiation warning signs right next to trespassers will be shot signs on the edge of someone’s property. At the end if the road walk, we ran into Twig who we had not seen since breaking camp. She regailed us with the story of a cow charging her near a spring a few miles back and we showed her pictures of the signs. We then walked on together, and the weather thankfully finally cleared out just in time for us to walk into a gorgeous pine forest. We continued on for a bit longer before stopping off at Landers Meadow Camp for the night at mile 610.1. All in we had done about 23 miles with a good amount of elevation. Once set up, we had dinner around a fire with the Aussies, Twig, Steady, and the group of girls we had camped with in Green Valley.
Day 39
Trail magic!
Overnight, the temperature had unexpectedly plummeted and we all woke up with a little bit of ice in our bottles. Thankfully, Anna had remembered our water filter so no issues there. Because it was so cold, we slept in a bit before hitting the trail around 6am. We hopped on Plute Mountain Road to see Landers Meadow and potentially see some early morning critters not scared off from the other hikers before us. No critters, but the meadow was quite lovely. Afterwards we hit the steep downhill to the road, and cruised on to the cache where we met up with Steady. A local drove by and said hi, and Steady headed out shortly thereafter. We filtered our water for the day and then stayed to chat with the Aussies for a bit before leaving.
Sadly, we had left the cool pine forest and re-entered the Mojave on a fairly hot and cloudless day. We trudged on up and over several sandy hills before stopping to have lunch in the crook of a rock to escape the sun. Supposedly there were desert tortoises in the area according to the trail signs but we never saw any. While we had lunch, we did see a small mouse but nothing else except lizards. The Aussies passed us by while we snacked, and then we headed out again, eager to knock out our last climb of the day. While not tall, the climb did turn out to be a slog due to the heat, lack of shade, and slippery sand. Once we made it down to Bird Spring Pass though, we saw something wonderful: Twig and the Aussies were enjoying trail magic with two locals, Mike and Terry! They had donuts, fried chicken, chips, beer, sodas, and snacks galore! Apparently Twig had rolled in at least an hour before and had been hanging out the whole time. We all sat and hung out until Mike and Terry had to leave. At while point Twig left to knock out the climb while Imi and Bush decided to take it easy and join us at the pass for the night. The pass was pretty dang windy, but with some patience we created a wind break and achieved an awesome pitch on the tent. The problem door zipper did get completely borked though which delayed bedtime a bit, but we still went to bed with a tent that was not flapping!
