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

April 16 - Larry and Dave's

One never knows what form Trail Magic may take whether it's a piece of candy carried by day hikers on the off chance they'd meet a thru hiker, a ride even though you didn't have a thumb out, or a basket of apples in the middle of nowhere. You just never know, but it's all wonderful and greatly appreciated. 

Today it was Larry and Dave's turn to wow this hiker. After fourteen mostly waterless miles there was rumored to be a water cache. And what a cache it was! Water for sure, but also a fresh basket of green apples and real chairs to sit it. While reading the log I gathered that at one time there was chocolate cake in place of apples. These guys know how to please a hiker!

On more wow for the day: Signs can be really funny, as demonstrated by the one at the wind farm that warns everyone away except for PCT hikers. I guess they're better fried!

April 15 - A Taxing Day

It's appropriate that today, Tax Day, sucked the energy out with an 18 mile "road walk" in rain, wind, and then heat. (After I wrote this I found out that it wasn't really Tax Day since Friday was a holiday - but, hey, how can one keep track on the PCT? I'm not even sure what holiday it could have been, let alone what day of the week!)

Hatchet got us off to a good start with "OMG, has anyone checked outside. It looks like Kansas in a tornado!" And sure enough, the wind was howling and the sky was black with very threatening clouds if one looked up or west. To the east the clouds tapered off and blue sky could be seen. Two hearty individuals decided to take off anyway at about 6:15. By 6:45 there seemed to be no change and radar showed no storm system so the Fullers and I started out. The boys decided to stay longer, maybe until tomorrow. 

Our path was north and then east along the LA Aqueduct so we were hopeful we would be out of the drizzle before long. Less than five miles later our wishes came true but it was still windy and cold. 

The PCT follows the LA Aqueduct as it traverses the desert into the mountains near Tehachapi. Sometimes the aqueduct is open and other times it's a pipe above or below ground. 

Along the way we stopped at a clump of Joshua Trees that held a water cache Betsy helped place the week before on her visit to Palmdale and Acton. We cooked lunch there and resupplied our water bottles. 

It wasn't until we were nearing mile 530, 20% finished with the trip to Canada, that it started to really warm up. And it really warmed up! At least for a few miles we lost jackets and gloves and started to sweat. 

Our destination loomed in the distance- a water cache near mile 535 under the windmills. We were glad to get into camp relatively early as our feet and legs hurt from the hard surface of the "trail."

My spot was under a lean-to that held another most welcome water cache. Yes, there IS a tent in that picture; actually there are two.

Pickup, one of the guys that came into HikerTown late yesterday showed up before dinner. He thought the others were probably going to zero to avoid the weather. I'm sure they'll catch up later!

April 14 - HikerTown

If Casa de Luna was magical and Hiker Heaven was comfortable, HikerTown can best be described as interesting. Of course we were earlier than most hikers so the facility was not fully prepared. One shower, one bathroom, several individual rooms in outlying buildings, an outdoor shower - not working - and a ten dollar donation sort of describe the situation. Mail is delivered, but the process for sending mail is uncertain. There's free wifi. And plenty of plugs for phones. 

The communal lounge inside of a three car garage is equipped with three couches, the bathroom, and a kitchen of sorts. Outside are washing facilities. 

The local convenience store/restaurant/souvenir shop will pick you up and take you back as a courtesy. The food is good and reasonable. They even have a huge big screen TV, although it wasn't on at the time. 

HikerTown has the feel of a work in progress. There are lots of things to be done. Bob, the caretaker, and Richard, the owner, are doing their best in this little desert oasis. 

On another note: the eyelets in my new shoes are breaking again. REI is sending a new pair along with a return label to Tehachapi. Of course I would prefer not to have to replace them after just 300 miles as the last pair waited over 900 miles to break. 

Stories abound on the PCT. One section hiker we met today described wiggly things in an upcoming water source. That elicited a story from Hatchet about the Zombie Cricket Worm that infests waterways. Crickets are their host. The worms emerge from their eye and control the cricket to force it to water where the worm lays eggs and the cricket dies. Ooooo!!!

Eight hikers came in late in the day. Most were together in a group but three came in alone. One 18 year old carried full mountain attack gear with crampons, ice axe, and helmet all the way from Campo. I think we're looking at a future marine! 

It will be good to get back on the trail! Tehachapi will be the next stop. The real desert is waiting. Sage, Joshua Trees, and cactus come next. 

April 13 - Another Work Day

Up early in preparation for departure and with oatmeal in my belly I headed for the potty. On the way Deb and I stopped to talk about the arrangements for leaving when we learned that we would be staying for another day. It seemed several of the group had packages coming to HikerTown on Thursday and Friday and there had been some discussion about the security of staying at Casa de Luna vs HikerTown. So it was decided we'd stay another day and do some more work in preparation for the herd. Good thing I hadn't packed up my tent!

Over the course of the day I raked some of the trails and tent sites, helped put out a hiker wardrobe of Hawaiian shirts and dresses, and did whatever to help with preparations. I also unsuccessfully attempted a repair of my sleeping pad, which has a slow leak. And I did a little reading of Edward Abbey's book "The Monkey Wrench Gang."

Other people set up The Lounge, an outdoor living room with couches and a table. 

At the end of the day Terrie gathered us together for a group picture along with Tony, a section hiker who came in this afternoon. Rick, Deb, Hatchet a.k.a. Danger, a.k.a. Jeff, Snapchat a.k.a. Ryan, tony, Justin, and yours truly. 

I've included a few more pictures of this eclectic Trail Angel home, including one of Terrie, the owner, and another of Jackass, a friend helping out. 

Can you pick out the wild cucumber???

The last pic is of the girl outside my tent. Kinda creepy!

April 12 - Casa de Luna Work Day

The day started with a mid-morning wake up visit from Justin. Mid-morning being 5:45!  By 6:05 we were on our way with the Fullers to the local coffee shop for a shot of energy. Then it was back to Casa de Luna for a chance to giveback to a Trail Angel by helping to clean up some of the facilities. 

Deb took on the spider infested port-a-potty, cleaning it to inviting splendor (as much as can be done for such a facility).  Snapchat and I worked on the dormant coolers filled with stagnant water and debris that will later hold cold drinks and food for hungry hikers. Hatchet and Justin tackled yard cleanup. Rick helped blow away all the leaves. Rick and I also got the shower set up and running. 

The shower is the bomb. A wooden frame with fencing for walls and a tarp to cover the opening, the shower is awesome. It has an on-demand water heater powered by LP gas and water supplied by a hose strung out across the yard. The base is a wooden pallet. Hot water! OMG it feels so good!

A minor crisis occurred after we finished our chores when Justin discovered ants marching across the campsite. He, Snapchat, and Hatchet quickly moved their stuff to a new location. Not hard in the Magical Manzanita Forest. 

Tonight we enjoyed an impromptu taco salad dinner provided by Terrie in thanks for our help with the yard. We'll all go to bed happy tonight after filling our bellies with fuel for the trail. 

I failed to mention a highlight from yesterday when Betsy was with the grandkids all day. We texted a few times and then Emily, age nine, came on in video with an impassioned plea for me to take her on the trail. Brought a tear to my rate. Thanks Betsy for making it happen! Sweet girl!

Tomorrow we may have a ride down the trail. It will be a hot day, so a road walk around the fire closure isn't exactly appealing. We'll see what happens to the morning. 

Hikingsolo