Time on trail is flying. This week we entered the Mojave Desert and saw a distinct difference in the terrain and felt the shortage of water. Towards the end of this section we learned the importance of proper hydration and food intake to sustain life on trail.
Day 36
The evening before, we had set up camp in pleasant conditions. There was a mild breeze and a warmth in the air even as the sun set behind the horizon. The view from where we sat showed freckles of red lights that was a neighbouring wind farm. Perhaps that should have been the indicator of the storm that would hit camp and leave us with only two hours of sleep.
Not long after settling into the tent did the first gale hit, marking a night of endless assault. We had to repitch the tent four times. My ear plugs were rendered useless against the roar and the whole tent flapped, threatening to take off. By morning it was too bad to ignore as all but one stake had become uprooted. We sat in our flimsy home with legs straddled to keep some kind of frame to the tent so we could pack up. I couldn’t help but notice how the chaos and carnage within the tent was at odds with the beautiful glow of sunrise over the mountains, a vision of tranquility.
Hiker Town in sight!
The path meandered and snaked its way around hills, ultimately leading us downwards to the dry barren land below. Eventually the path turned into a dirt road that lined agricultural land, taking us towards Hiker Town. This is a small quirky hostel on the PCT and is well known as the departure point for the LA aqueduct. The ‘town’ has a series of sheds decorated as different services you would get in a real town, such as a sheriffs office, doctors, and saloon. We stayed in the bank which had an ATM out front and a wall of BB guns on the inside.
As we walked into Hiker Town we were pleasently surprised to be welcomed in by Dizzy, Twister, Sam, Frodo and Kaleidoscope, our original trail family: we had finally closed the gap! After many excited embraces we got a lift down the road to a store where we caught up over burritos. Sadly, they would be heading out that evening but planning to do short mile days so that we could speed up and join them in Tehachapi.
Reunited at last
Back at Hiker Town we waved them off then showered and washed our clothes in buckets, the water quickly blackening with dirt. A meal and several snacks later we retreated to our quarters ready for a much needed night of sleep!
Day 37
Our body clocks apparently didn’t listen to our pleas for a long lie in. Once awake, we packed up and set off for breakfast. We got a ride to the cafe and at a large round table ordered plates of eggs, pancakes and hash browns. We were joined by others and were soon introduced to Oh Shit, a variation of the card game Trumps.
Happy place
Back at Hiker Town we rested in the shade and caught up with those coming in. We now found ourselves within a large bubble of hikers, about half of which we had met at some point or another. As we caught up we discovered that some people we had met and enjoyed the company of had left trail. Injury being the main culprit.
Under the gazebo people began preparing for the pending LA Aqueduct night hike. This is an iconic stretch of the PCT where there is little water or shade and the trail is actually flat. Most hikers opt to tackle this section under the cover of darkness and over the years has gained a reputation for becoming a bit of a party. Ranger had brought neon body paint and herself and me began a face painting station. A couple of girls began a braiding station and a few others started painting legs and arms. By 7:30pm, we were geared up, embellished in paint and ready to tackle the Mojave Desert.
Aqueduct ready!
We set off and before long reached the open aqueduct, a cool breeze coming off the water. As we rounded the corner the water filtered into a large pipe, half buried in the sand. We walked on the copper coloured pipe careful not to slip on the rounded edge. The sandy land emitting an orange glow from the setting sun. Soon we were surrounded by Joshua Trees: a symbol of the desert. The sky morphed into a purple haze cut through by electric pinks and yellows.
One of the best sunsets on trail so far
By the time we had finished the exposed pipe section the sun had faded, leaving behind a night sky illuminated by neighbouring cities. In the distance the flashing red lights indicated our destination for the night: the wind farm.
The walking was easy on a sandy dirt road. As the road was wide we could walk side by side, a luxury we don’t normally get on the narrow trail. To pass the time we played Contact, an easy game to play while walking. Throughout the night we saw multiple groups of hikers, one of which had been very prepared, ordering 200 glow sticks which they tied to every limb. They then marched in unison to Taylor Swift looking like some kind of hallucination of a glow in the dark train as they powered through. As predicted: it was essentially one big moving party.
Day 38
We continued through the night passing mile 530 meaning we were now over a fifth of the way through the PCT. I still can’t quite comprehend this mile stone. How does it feel like no time has passed, yet so much has happened on trail?
By 2am we had pitched our tent, set up our sleep system and had crashed out. When we woke at 5:45am we found ourselves under a giant wind turbine surrounded by sand and Joshua trees. We packed away quickly and left our group sleeping. The first 6 miles were painfully slow. The few hours of sleep we had appeared to be insufficient. It didn’t help that the wall of wind felt as though it was attempting to push us down the gradient we were struggling to climb.
One of the stranger places I’ve woken up in
We reached the first water source and enjoyed breakfast while trying to hide in the quickly retreating shade. In the light of day we could see the difference in the Mojave desert compared with the rest of the section. The sun appeared to have drained all colour of the land and vegetation was more scarce. The hardy plants that remained presented as a faded version of themselves, the same tone as the sand.
The trail also felt a little more technical today. While we have navigated unsteady terrain and sheer vertical drops this was the first time we faced the two together. The path cut into banks of the valley wall, and often disappeared from historical landslides. Halfway up a particularly challenging climb, Dan and I slumped down for a snack only to begin laughing hysterically at the madness of being stranded in a desert with next to no water. Not only that, we had saved hard and given up jobs and a flat to do this. Perhaps worst of all we were sadistically enjoying it!
Not much shade around these parts
At the top we were rewarded with some trail magic. Locals had provided an unmanned cache of water and put up a large parasol with chairs under it as a much needed refuge from the sun. Under the shade sat the other half of our trail family who had set off the day before. We joined them, enjoying the cool water and some lunch.
We waited out the heat of the day, Dan and I spending three hours chatting with various people as they came and went. It was another nine miles to the road and after talking to some fellow hikers we realised if we pushed on we could make it and hitch to Mojave before dark. The thought of a shower and a bed after poor sleep for the last three nights made the decision for us (so easily influenced!). We sprang into action taking Sweet Rolls with us down the hill through yet more wind turbines.
Happy badger
We raced down, covering the nine miles at an average pace of 3.7 miles per hour and without the need for a break. The highlight of the day was rounding a switchback to see an American Badger completely unaware of us, presumably because the wind was blowing in our direction. We watched as he scurried around the path, dark nose leading the way. I was just remarking on how cute he was when he clocked us and suddenly becoming menacing fluffing up his fur and taking a defensive stance.
A not so happy badger
At the road we struck gold, not having to flag down a hitch as a kind couple about to leave the area noted us and offered to drive us to Mojave. We were dropped off at an abnormally nice Motel 6. Rumor has it this is where the author of Wild stayed before starting the PCT. Unknown to us we were joined at the motel by our fellow trail family and together we got a ride down the road to Denny’s.
It turned out we had managed to walk just over 40 miles in a 24 hour period. Not bad, but certainly draining. We should have all been elated, but instead we all felt exhausted and struggled to keep eyes open at the table. It was a matter of minutes for myself to fall asleep once back in the room.
Day 39
At last a lie in. Well, a hiker lie in, so wide awake by 6:30am. After a quick trip to the store, Sweet Rolls, Dan and I returned to the room to watch TV and eat cereal in bed.
I may have devoured 4 mini boxes of cereal and then some
We had two hours to kill before the bus was due. A Starbucks and several games of Presidents and Arseholes later we were Tehachapi bound. Once there, it became clear that there was a big event in town: Swing Out. To celebrate, there was a vintage car show, best in dress competition, live music and dance classes. We walked through crowds admiring all the 50’s get up.
Festivities in full swing
Day 40
By 6am I was outside of the hotel awaiting a lift back to trail. The rest of the gang were gently snoring away in the room upstairs and my backpack was a fraction of its normal weight. I was on my way to slack-pack (not carrying the full weight of gear) the 8 mile section we would otherwise have skipped due to convenient drop-off points. While I would not describe myself as a purist, I saw the opportunity for some time by myself.
The trail followed the side of hills up to another wind farm. Wind turbines gracefully cartwheeled overhead, their mechanical whirl only heard once the trail dipped and was sheltered from the raging wind. Joshua tress are abundant along the path. They looked like some mad creation from a Dr Seuss book, branches veering off in all directions, their vegetation a green Pom Pom atop.
Mechanical giant in a natural wonderland
It was a pretty uneventful walk but I’m glad I did it and I certainly felt better for it. It was the first time I’ve had solitude after weeks of never being alone. Time passed quickly and after a successful hitch at the first try, I returned back to town just in time for breakfast. Town chores then proceeded the morning and by lunch we could enjoy sandwiches from the German Bakery, which we ate by the pool.
In the evening we ordered pizza and squeezed 8 of us onto two double beds to watch Mean Girls. With abs sore from laughing we wandered back to our room for bed.
Day 41
The post office was the definition of madness. Memorial Day weekend had meant a 3 day period of post office closure and all hikers in town had arrived for its 9am opening time, simultaneously collecting and sending packages. The locals are surprisingly patient considering how hikers dominated the queue.
Feeling overwhelmed we returned to the hotel and juggled getting a lift back to trail. Having been travelling in a group of 3-5 for the last couple of weeks I realised how difficult the logistics of arranging things for a group of 9 was. We were about to embark on the final 135 miles of the desert. The stretch from Highway 58 to Walker Pass is known for being the most brutal: hot exposed walking, long water carries and loose, sandy trail. In addition, a heatwave was forecast to coincide with our ETA for the most exposed part of trail.
We were dropped at the trail head for lunchtime. The trail followed the highway before beginning its ascent up the hills. Other than yellowed brittle grass, vegetation was sparse. Without the wind, the day would have felt unbearably hot.
Joshua Trees, the only source of shade!
We camped at the water source which was a trickling tap and took about 5 minutes to fill a 2L bladder. Due to limited camp spots we had to pitch on a slope which resulted in a poor nights sleep. As I was pulling on my thermal bottoms they ripped, this time the hole was unrepairable, essentially halving the bottoms. The cherry on top of the cake though was when Dan spilled the boiling macaroni onto the floor resulting in dirt and sand covered pasta. We cleared up and continued to eat about a quarter of the intended macaroni with the full cheese sauce, which was essentially a salt bomb.
Day 42
Exhaustion has taken over. The lack of sleep over the past week has caught up and not eating dinner last night meant I was running on empty. I was a zombie walking, slow and hesitant, too consumed with putting one leg in front of the other to take in the views around me.
On reflection it was beautiful though
By 11 we’d made it 10 miles. We stopped in a shady field and while Dan walked a two mile round trip to get water, I fell asleep using the rolled up tent as a pillow. Three hours later we were back on trail feeling better now we were somewhat rested and having consumed a bunch of calories.
I have a growing affection for the snakes on trail. I’ll take a snake over a field of cows any day!
The walking this afternoon was still tough and we had to navigate around several blowdowns. The final two miles to camp were all up a gruelling dirt hill. As I reached the top of the hill I got a message from Twister saying she was with a hiker with suspected heatstroke. I dumped my pack at the side of the road, handed Dan the tent so he could head on and make camp and descended the dreaded hill that I had just battled up, taking only water.
Twister coordinated with the rest of the trail family up ahead who were with a trail angel, Sprinter, and asked him to come and pick the hiker up a mile up the path. I took the hiker’s backpack and together Twister and I flanked them assessing their state. They were confused, nauseated, sweating and exhausted. Very likely heat exhaustion, especially considering how little water they had drunk in the last 48 hours. With the heat wave hitting tomorrow the best bet was to get them off trail to recover.
We met Sprinter and helped the hiker into his van. He kindly gave Twister and me an ice cream sandwich and a soda each. As the van descended we collapsed on the floor in exhaustion. Once we had downed the last of our water and demolished the ice cream we continued on to camp just as it became dark.
As I crashed into bed I reflected on how easily it would be to end up in the same position as that hiker. Heatstroke is a horrible illness that we’re all susceptible to, especially when covering 20 miles between water sources in 40°C (104°F) heat with next to no shade.
Next week we would see ourselves doing exactly that, covering long stretches without water during a heat wave. These last couple of days have been insightful into what we need to consider to make it through. Water is the priority and as discovered, being underfed only makes miles harder. This final stretch of the desert will see us putting all we have learned these last few weeks to the test.
