Day 39: Not liking the trail

May 28, Day 39: 608.9-624.3

Miles Hiked: 15.4

Gratitude of the Day:  I’m thankful for my tent today, camp is a huge ant farm and it allows me to be comfortable tonight. 

Left shin splints are hurting really bad. It’s hot and it’s a long water carry to the next source. I’ve only hiked 10 miles so far today and if there’s a day I want to quit, it’s today.  I’m basically on the door step to Kennedy Meadows, the beginning of the Sierra mountains, and the desert just won’t let up. Currently I’m hiking for an hour and then hiding under the shade of whatever tree I can find. The hiking is slow, just over 2 miles every hour, usually I’ve been able to sustain 3 miles. 

After a long, hot slow day I only made it just over 15 miles. I’m camped with three other hikers tonight. My hope is that I can slowly make my way to Kennedy Meadows.  I’m in pain and I hate that. I don’t mind the struggle of the hike, I just hate hurting. The day is done, hopefully tomorrow will be better. 

Day 38: Running to water

May 27, Day 38: 583.3-608.9

Miles Hiked: 25.6

Gratitude of the Day:  I’m thankful for finally walking on soft pine needles. 

What a terrible night of sleep, between the high wind gusts and the road construction happening in the wind farm that’s being built and the full moon, I think I got around 2 hours of sleep. The day started out great, I left camp at 6am and got my 10 miles in by 10am. I also saw my first rattlesnake, it was just sunning itself in the trail. Nearly made it out of the desert with seeing one, just 93 more miles of desert to go until the unofficial start of the Sierra’s in Kennedy Meadows.

My first rattlesnake 

The group made the decision to push big miles today, mainly because of the water source issues and dry camping sucks. I can tell we’re gaining in elevation because we’ve gone from sand and manzanita trees to a trail covered in pine needles and fir trees line the trail. 

We passed the 600 mile mark today, and my pack is still extremely heavy with all the food. It was another rough day for me and now my left shin is starting to nag me. I almost didn’t push the last 7 miles to camp with the group because of it, but I just took my time and got into camp at 7:20pm. Tonight we’re at an established campground, there’s pit toilets and an amazing water source. The next several days should be light water carries as there are established water caches and springs. Hopefully my shin will hold up until I can truly rest it at Kennedy Meadows. 

Day 37: Uphill and heat

May 26, Day 37: 566.5-583.3

Miles Hiked: 16.8

Gratitude of the Day:  I’m thankful that the day ended. It was such a long hot day. 

Today it’s back to trail from the Best Western in Tehachapi. We slept in this morning and didn’t wake up until around 9am, then it was a hiker free for all to pack up and figure out a ride back to trail. Half of us took a trail angel and half of us took the local taxi company. By 10:15 we had been dropped off at the interstate and the PCT. Then the plan for everyone it seemed that had been dropped off, not just our group was the spring 17 miles away. So not only was it an uphill and hot since we started late in the morning, but I had 4 liters of water plus 6 days of food to get me the 134 miles into Kennedy Meadows. At the hotel there was a scale and we all weighed our packs, mine weighed in at 45 lbs with everything, a heavy pack to start the push out of the desert. Also, I’ve lost between 12 pounds since starting the trail. 

The first 7 miles today was uphill, hot and exposed. I had to be sure not to drink all my water during that section because I had 10 more miles to the water source. Lunch was a chance to eat some food and lighten the load. Then I pushed all the way to the spring with minimal breaks because today was pretty much underwhelming. I didn’t take many photos, supposedly around mile 580 you can see the Sierra’s in the distance but all I could see is that we’re about to walk thru another wind farm.

Tonight there is probably 20 hikers camped in the vicinity of the spring. 

Day 36: A big ZERO

May 25, Day 36: 566.5

Miles Hiked: 0

Gratitude of the Day: I’m thankful for a bierock. These are wonderful German pastry pocket filled with meat, cheese and cabbage. 

A rest day in Tehachapi consisted of sleeping in until 9am, another trip to the German bakery and hitting up the local thrift shops for some of the trail family to get new hiking clothes. 

Day 35: Tehachapi

May 24, Day 35: 558.0-566.5

Miles Hiked: 8.5

Gratitude of the Day: I’m thankful for my friend Heidi. She is a fellow travel nurse and has been a huge help when I have questions about RV life and travel nursing contracts. As a matter of fact, she’s a huge reason I’m financially able to do the trail this year and not next. She was the one who told me about the state contracts in California that pay crazy money and I was able to obtain one of those jobs, which then led me to day hike a small portion of the PCT in Southern California and think to check the website for permits. So I’m basically on trail this year because of her. 

Today was a quick 8.5 mile walk thru a huge wind farm, we looked it up and supposedly there’s close to 3400 wind turbines in this Tehachapi wind farm.  And quick couple hours later and we had reached highway 58 and there’s were trail angels giving rides into town from the Cameron Rd overpass, soon I was sitting at the local German bakery eating a cinnamon roll, drinking a coffee and of course a cold Coca Cola. We have a room at the local Best Western and plan to take a zero tomorrow while we resupply for the final push out of the last 140 miles of the desert and into Kennedy Meadows.

We spent the rest of the day doing some shopping, drinking beer and eating at the local pizza place. Then it was a late night of laughing and drinking at the hotel. 

Day 34: Wind and Whoosh

May 23, Day 34: 534.9-558.0

Miles Hiked: 23.1

Gratitude of the Day: I’m thankful for a chair in the shade and watermelons. 

Surprisingly sleeping in a wind farm wasn’t bad last night and not too windy. The turbine that was by camp was more like a white noise for me and I slept great. I was up at 5:45 and was first out of camp to complete the rest of the aquaduct and the uphill climb to our next water source. I must have gotten great sleep because I averaged over 3 mph going uphill and was sitting at the water source 6.5 miles from camp by 8:45.

After a short snack and a refill of water it was another long uphill battle to mile 459.0, a special camp site on trail where a local trail angel who lives nearby had turned the site into a hiker Mecca after jamming through the uphill for 7.5 miles. A shade umbrella, chairs, water, a pantry with fruit and snacks and Daniel who stocks this awesome place even brought a watermelon!

After a glorious hour and a half break in the shade and all the goodies we beat feet in the afternoon going 9.3 miles to a camp site, I did all those miles without stopping because we walked ourselves out of a wind farm this morning only to walk ourselves back into one tonight. Tonight I’m camped under a large great oak tree with the windmills humming on the hill above. 

Day 33: Aquaduct

May 22, Day 33: 517.6-534.9

Miles Hiked: 17.3

Gratitude of the Day:  I’m thankful for powerful sunscreen and sun shirts, I don’t mind the warmth but I tend to get burnt in the relentless sun. 

It was a late start for us out of Hikertown, with the weather for the Aquaduct supposed to be a balmy 70 degrees and not tons of wind no one crawled out of the sleeping bags until 7am. By 7:30 we were all enticed with a pancake breakfast and coffee. We wouldn’t leave Hikertown until 8:30 to start the day on the infamous hike through a finger of the Mojave desert along the LA Aquaduct. There are pluses and minuses of walking a flat long gravel dirt road, the plus is that you can make miles relatively quickly and take more breaks. The minuses are that your legs and feet take a pounding possibly leading to shin splints. By 10:30 we had stopped for 2nd breakfast and then started back down the trail. About 2 miles up trail there was a gun club and these guys let us come in use their restroom, gave us water, fruit and hamburgers. Not bad considering this only happened because a couple of guys ahead turned off into the lot to use the restroom, a little spontaneous trail magic. 

Then it was back on the Aquaduct for the afternoon until lunch and to pass the time after lunch because there’s only so much to look at we played 21 questions. By 4 pm we had all regrouped and decided to camp at the water cache so we’d not have to dry camp up ahead or walk 6 miles and 2000 feet of elevation at the end of the day. We’re all camped in a ravine hoping that we’ll have some reprieve from the wind, but I’m doubtful as we’re in the middle of a wind farm. I definitely wasn’t in a big hurry to keep pushing forward as my left shin was starting to nag me. I think we lucked out on the weather and wind, but still feeling a little sun kissed and slightly wind burnt.  As we camped at the water cache, Jeffery the trail angel showed up to refill all the water jugs and Zippy, Django and myself helped him refill all the jugs for the hikers coming after us. Just a day and a half until we reach the town of Tehachapi and a cozy bed. 

Day 32: A tale of two days in one

May 21, Day 32: 478.2-517.6

Miles Hiked: fire closure: 21.5 miles hiked

Gratitude of the Day: I’m thankful that the desert has not been blazing hot. I’m hoping to make it thru without the exhaustive heat that most PCT hikers have to endure. 

Shot up PCT marker

Rock arrows to show the way

Today seemed like two days in one with all the different hiking, lunch, hiking, hitching, hiking, then dinner. Started off at 6:30 am, and the desert was cold this morning. I thought I’d get warm quickly after leaving camp since it was a 2000 foot climb for the first several miles but it never happened, so I had to stop and put my stocking hat and puffy jacket on and I’d hike the rest of the morning bundled up even with the sun beaming down on me. It was 7.6 miles to the next road where the trail was closed due to the Lake Fire closure. Then it was a 3 mile road walk into the town of Lake Hughes (the lake is dried up).

Then I walked 0.7 miles away from the trail to the Rock Inn and I made it in time for a breakfast burrito and of course I got a cold Coca Cola and a Bloody Mary. Soon the rest of the group joined me and had lunch and drinks.

After lunch we still had a 14 miles road walk back to trail, Zippy, Navi and myself stopped first at the market for a Gatorade with the rest of the group heading down the road trying to get a hitch past the road walk. Once out of the store, Zippy, Navi and I got a hitch on the third car to pass, Aaron who was driving a truck… we’d pass our other friends who were ahead but Aaron couldn’t fit them in at that time because he was heading to a fire clean up crew just down the road in which he is the boss. While sitting there for a bit, our friends walked by and Aaron said that he’d be willing to pick them up down the road when he was done at the site. Soon 7 of us squeezed into his truck and we were on our way past the road walk and back to trail. 

After he dropped us off, we celebrated 500 miles and then we took off to hike 6.5 miles into Hiker Town where we’ll stay the night and get up tomorrow to hike the LA Aquaduct.  The local market offers hikers rides to their place from Hikertown for a burger and beer. Now it’s cowboy camping out of the wind for the night and hopefully a good nights sleep. 

Day 31: One month down

May 20, Day 31: 458.6-478.2

Miles Hiked: 19.6

Gratitude of the Day: I’m thankful for my friend Missy. Without going into too much detail, Missy helped me through some truly tough times post divorce, and I’m grateful for her acceptance and amazing friendship. I can’t adequately express or emotionally convey how thankful I am in such a small post; what she unknowingly has done for me.  She is my favorite “asshole” and I can never begin to repay her for how she’s changed my life and saved my life. 

Thru Hiking Terms:

NOBO= northbound 

SOBO= southbound 

Zero= no PCT miles hiked for the day

Nero= some PCT miles hiked, but usually into a town to resupply.

Hitch= hitch hiking

Trail Angel= a person who assists hikers in some way ie: hitch, place to sleep, places water caches, puts out goodies for hikers (beverages, fruit, snacks)

Cat hole= outdoor toilet for #2

Cowboy Camp: camping without a tent. Sleeping under the stars. 

10x10: hiking 10 miles by 10am

Slack packing: when a thru hiker has someone take the bulk of backpack (hiker will carry only a day hiker essentials) and the hiker can make bigger miles without all the weight. 

Blazing: there are different types

-yellow blazing= taking a “taxi”, hitch, lift past walkable sections of trail

-pink blazing= changing your hiking pace to stay with a hiker you’re attracted to: applies to both sexes

ONE MONTH ON TRAIL!!!!

We all woke up to soaked sleeping bags and gear this morning and a nice chill of a breeze. No one got up early to get out of camp, so we all started down the trail around 6:30. Luckily it was a good uphill out of camp so you warmed up quick with the morning sun cresting the ridge to the East. Our first stop was at a small spring, just running enough to give us all a liter or two of cool water to get us to a known water cache about 2 more miles down the trail. Today the group was like an accordion, we’d bunch up at breaks and water and then spread out while hiking. Everyone I hike with seems to be super strong hikers, hopefully this 40 yo can continue to keeps up with all these 20 somethings.

Lunch today happened 13 miles in at a nice shaded campsite, I love nothing more than getting my shoes and socks off, and laying down. Lunch was just over an hour and then it was 7 miles to the next water source and our camp, giving us around 20 miles for the day. 

Just over 2 hours later we all had made it to our campsite, it was 3:30, this is super early to stop hiking for the day. Most thru hikers with hike until 6 or 7 in the evening, but there was a reason we wanted to stop. Just 1.5 miles down the road was the Green Valley market, a gas station with cold Coke!!!  We all decided to set up our tents tonight after last nights wet affair, plus there were some suspicious clouds above. Then it was  a fairly quick hitch in the back of a pickup truck into the market and a gluttony of gas station fare: two Gatorade, two Coca Cola, two Slim Jim’s, powdered donuts, a package of pop tarts, white chocolate M&M’s (never had them needed to try), and a six pack of beer.  The crazy food hikers buy. 

After enjoying the markets WiFi for 30 minutes where I called my parents, updated this blog for the previous day and scrolled through social media it was back to camp. After about 1/2 miles we were able to get a hitch back to the fire station where were camping with a PCT trail angel. 

Dinner tonight has kind of become my new staple. Couscous, 1/2 a dried vegetable packet, sun dried tomatoes, coconut oil, and a tuna packet.  We all sat around chatting while dinner happened, cracking beers and eating our own trail meals.  Then it was off to bed by hiker midnight which is 9pm.