April 27 - Walker Pass to Joshua Tree Spring

One of the hardest 13 mile days since this journey began! It wasn't the 2000 feet of elevation gain that was lost at the end of the day that made it hard. It wasn't the cold wind and threatening rain either. It wasn't even the 5:00 start time followed by a regional bus ride to drop us off at 8:00. 

It was the fact that we took three days off without a strenuous hike that seemed to do us in. I ached all throughout my legs, feet, and ankles. At one point I thought that the synapses in my thighs were firing in the wrong order just to keep me in one place! It took us 7 hours to cover the 13 miles, a rate we were not proud of. 

We drug into camp early because we just couldn't go further. 

Three Advil and a dinner later I'm feeling better. 

We think we saw a sign from Justin at our camp. We know he came through here a few days ago so we weren't surprised to see a very nice pine cone near the fire ring. Pine cones in the trail have become the way we notify each other that we've been there and know you'll be there too. Usually it's three in a row, but this place has only oak trees! Had to be Justin. 

The spring was very slow but the trough was full and clear. The water in this area came with a warning that it was radioactive! I guess I'll glow in the dark instead of dying of thirst!

Tonight we are expecting a storm to move in. At sunset it appears it might miss us to the north. We can only hope!!!

(This sign turned out to be too true! See Dead Rat Water earlier in the blog!)

April 24, 25, 26 - Ridgecrest

Betsy arrived in Ridgecrest on Monday while on her way to Sausalito. She was a little surprised to see that Ridgecrest was not on a ridge! It's actually in the desert next to China Lake Naval Base. The redeeming quality of Ridgecrest is that it has a large number of geo-trails and geo-art so Betsy picked up a few geocaches. 

We also paid two visits to Kennedy Meadows, one with the Fullers to scope it out, and one to drop off winter gear I may need for the mountains of the Sierra. Along the way we did a little shopping and ate way too much food! I'm down to about 160 pounds and could use some calories but it's hard to cram too much down my gullet. 

We had a nice time reconnecting! Sissy was a sweetheart and purred most of the time. I'm looking forward to connecting again at the cabin. 

April 21 - Dead Rat Water

After leaving the high desert we descended into the parched hills of the Mojave. This was our first day of what seemed to be real desert hiking. 

Worry about water was a mild concern for the first 150 miles, but soon went away as more populated areas abutted the trail.  However in the area near the Mojave it has come back as our number one concern. The last two springs flowed well even if they were in spots where cow dung was prevalent. The spring we visited today was not spread with cow dung, but it was significantly worse in several ways. First of all there were two separate fenced areas. The first had reeds that were surrounding small ponds of algae covered water.  The second had very small seeps hidden in the trees and what seemed to be an excellent source: a cistern about two feet round and four feet deep filled halfway with cool clear water. The only thing was that floating on top of the water were leaves and a dead rat!  Rick was a little reluctant to use the water, and more reluctant to tell Deb that's where we got it from. I reminded him that the filters we use take out all harmful organisms so his concern was unfounded. (I hope I'm right about this because I plan on drinking about five liters of Rat Water tomorrow!)

Deb at lunch break:

Descending into a wash that the PCTA says is a shortcut to Willow Springs with a little boulder hopping. 

Camp in the cow pie campground next to the spring. 

 

Moon glow behind the Joshua trees. 

Sunset:

April 23 - R&R Trail Angel House

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Yellow Jacket Spring 

Cup needed to get water

Storm blowing in with sprinkles

Hide in the tent

Wind whopping the fly and trying to lift the stakes from the ground

Beef Stroganoff and hot Apple Cider. Yum

Sleep

Moon and cool breeze

Deb, "Let's sleep a little longer."

Frost on the tent

Up the hill and along the trail to ATV territory

The snow of the Sierra in the distance

Dan updating the Water Report out at McGuyver Spring

Downhill to Walker Pass

Wildflowers

Donuts at Walker Pass Campground. Four or five-lost track

Trail Angels Rick and Rita from Argentina

Awesome guest house  Dinner and breakfast included. Off the grid

Life story. 50 years. Family. Good people

Spaghetti dinner special for hikers - tastes like chicken!

Late conversation by kerosene lamp

Sleep on a bed? Out like a light

Blueberries and pancakes at 7

Hikingsolo

April 22 - Never Trust A Southbounder

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At dinner the other night I asked Hatchet about water caches along our way from Tehachapi to Walker Pass, the most significantly dry section of the PCT. He mentioned several spots that might have water caches, including Kelso Road, but not to rely on prior experience or the advice of others. In particular he cautioned about trusting the advice of persons heading south on the trail, known as Southbounders. 

One would expect that a Southbounder would have excellent knowledge of water resources north of their location, but Hatchet says no. I beg to disagree at this time. We met three Southbounders: Melani, Sasquatch, and Lemonade. All shared good intelligence about their water experiences. 

Melani we met just before Robin Bird Spring two days ago. She had camped there and described the flow accurately as slow but adequate. She also told us of the cache at Kelso Road and Yellow Jacket Spring. 

Sasquatch we found yesterday close to Landers Meadow Spring and he told us about Landers Meadow, Willow Spring and Yellow Jacket Spring. His info confirmed Melani's information. 

Today we met Lemonade just south of Yellow Jacket Spring. He told us of the best place to get water from the seep. It was about 200 feet downstream from the first pool. That info was right on. 

So, can you trust a Southbounder? You bet! At least until I find one that's wrong. 

Hikingsolo

April 21 - Dead Rat Water

After leaving the high desert we descended into the parched hills of the Mojave. This was our first day of what seemed to be real desert hiking. 

Worry about water was a mild concern for the first 150 miles, but soon went away as more populated areas abutted the trail.  However in the area near the Mojave it has come back as our number one concern. The last two springs flowed well even if they were in spots where cow dung was prevalent. The spring we visited today was not spread with cow dung, but it was significantly worse in several ways. First of all there were two separate fenced areas. The first had reeds that were surrounding small ponds of algae covered water.  The second had very small seeps hidden in the trees and what seemed to be an excellent source: a cistern about two feet round and four feet deep filled halfway with cool clear water. The only thing was that floating on top of the water were leaves and a dead rat!  Rick was a little reluctant to use the water, and more reluctant to tell Deb that's where we got it from. I reminded him that the filters we use take out all harmful organisms so his concern was unfounded. (I hope I'm right about this because I plan on drinking about five liters of Rat Water tomorrow!)

Deb at lunch break. 

Descending into a wash that the PCTA says is a shortcut to Willow Springs with a little boulder hopping. 

Camp in the cow pie campground next to the spring. 

Moon glow behind the Joshua trees. 

Sunset. 

Hikingsolo

April 20 - Golden Oak to Robin Bird Spring

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Today was another 18 miler with lots of up and down. We travelled through oak and pine forest, as well as a large burn area where we again saw poodle dog bush. We were on the trail in the dark just as the sun started to come up. 

Sometimes it's good to let your feet rest as you have lunch. I usually take my shoes off for a while so my feet have a chance to dry out and feel less restricted. Ooo it feels good. 

Part of today's trek took us up into the pines near Hamp Williams Pass. This area reminded me of the sky islands at home. Majestic pines towered over smaller oaks and the smallest of flowers. 

Along the way to Robin Bird Spring we passed a sign that got me thinking about bears. In the Sierra it's important to be aware of bears and to take precautions against harming them as a result of poor food storage. In Southern California this is less the case since bears have not been habituated to human food. Still, I was thinking about the dangers in bear country.

 

Robin Bird Spring was a typical PCT spring: surrounded by barbed wire to keep large animals out. The spring emitted about two liters per minute which was sufficient for our purposes. 

We camped close to the spring. 

Hikingsolo

April 19 - Golden Oaks Spring

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At 4:20 the Fullers and I caught the regional bus that would drop us off at the trailhead at SandCanyon on Highway 58. We started our hike in the dark with headlamps blazing through the dust of recent construction. The first mile was along the frontage road which must have been wiped out in last fall's rains. After that was a steady climb over 17 miles to Golden Oaks Spring, the only water along our route. 

It was so hot climbing the mountain that I broke out my umbrella. What a relief! My head stopped sweeting so much. 

At the spring we met up with Asterisk, Tonk, and Holly. Asterisk was filtering water with a leaky filter as he lost the O-ring on the dirty water side, a potential disaster if the leak should contaminate the good water. Deb impressed him by repairing the filter with a little duct tape from which she fashioned a new ring. Then it was Tonks turn to show off a pack that weighed just 14 ounces and could carry fifty pounds. Impressive, but still in development. Finally it was Holly's turn. She lives now in Ridgecrest, our next destination and where I'll meet Betsy again, so she filled us in on all of the sports stores. Great group!

After getting water we hiked another half mile to camp under the windmills in an open field. We expected the wind to stop but it never did so the windmills provided ample white noise to sleep by. 

Hikingsolo

April 18 - Resupply

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The Tehachapi post office opened promptly at 9:00 am to a crowd. I was expecting three boxes: resupply, a bounce box, and new shoes from REI. 

The postal employee returned with two boxes, my resupply which I took and the bounce box which I forwarded to Ridgecrest. The REI box was missing so I called REI to get a tracking number. I was a little worried as I really needed those shoes. The person at REI was very helpful! With the tracking number the postal employee was able find the box with shoes. Thank goodness, because the shoes I was wearing were falling apart. 

On my way back to the hotel I was stopped twice by people asking if I was a PCT hiker and if needed a ride. This town is filled with people who are very familiar with hikers. Even a guy from Albertson's who passed by me at Baskin Robbins while on his break asked me how the trail was going. 

After returning to the hotel I got together with the Fullers to talk about water strategy for the next segment. We (Deb-she's the consummate organizer) decided that we'd cover 17, 19, and 31 miles between water sources. The last one is going to be really hard. We'll probably get up at four am and start walking to beat the heat and give us time to get to the road before traffic totally ceases. Uhg!

We also decided that since the first segment included a long climb that we'd leave on the 4:20 bus to the trailhead. Double Uhg!

The rest of the day was filled with returning shoes, picking up some snacks and fruit, going to the library to update by blog, and going with the gang for pizza. 

Hikingsolo

April 17 - Tehachapi

Up early again for the run downhill to Tehachapi. The plan was to leave by 7:30 but the Fullers and I were gone before 7:00. We had 8 miles to make before lunch. The larger group, that now includes SnapChat, Hatchet, Kiwi (Monique), Croc, Puckup, Patrick, Rick and Deb, and yours truly, and trailing behind Justin and Vemon, wanted to make it to town in time for the Chinese buffet at Golden Dragon. 

The trail was covered with flowers of all kinds. Those pics will be at the end of this entry. 

We arrived at Willow Springs Road as a disorganized group. On the post there was a list of Trail Angels willing to pick up hikers. A quick phone call and all was arranged. Two hitched a ride just as Trail Angels arrived to pick up the rest. Rick, Deb, and I rode with Rufus who gave us s complete tour of the town, stopping at the Best Western to get us registered, and then dropping us off at the Chinese restaurant. 

After lunch we walked back toward the hotel. Deb bought Hatchet and I a drink at Starbucks, one of her very welcome vices! Thanks, Deb!!!

The rest of the afternoon and early evening were spent washing clothes and bodies. The hot weather really made everyone stink! Later we went out as a group for pizza. 

The very top of the day was spent on the phone with my lovely wife recapping her geocaching adventures near Tombstone and my day on the PCT. Life is good!

Hikingsolo