Day 27: May 12; 23.8 miles
Woke up to a chilly morning, but not chilly enough to have any rattler snuggle buddies. That’s a win in my book!
The day was very nondescript. There were climbs. It was hot. There were long water carries. But there was also trail magic! We caught up with Dan and Max at a firehouse to grab water where we met Cornbread. He’s following his wife Little Bear in a sprinter van as support. He gave us fresh fruit, popsicles, and drinks as we took a long lunch break.
Afterwards it was another long climb where I just put on music and got through. These days aren’t necessarily fun or exciting, but they’re not horrible either. It’s expected that not every day is going to be amazing. It’s a 2650 mile journey, some days are just going to be “eh”, and I’m okay with that. But at least the last mile or so was filled with gorgeous views!
Another cowboy camp with a ton of people. At this point I should just send my tent back!
Day 28: May 13; 14 miles
It’s amazing how the body recovers overnight. I went to bed with painful feet and woke up refreshed and ready to take on the day. I put on new injinji liners and the blisters cried out a little less in protest for the day’s miles.
And what a day! We woke up giddy knowing it was a short day into town. Our goal was Acton, a small town with burgers. With that on the brain, we set out quickly and were rewarded with a treat – cloud inversion. The majority of the morning was nothing but a sea of clouds in the valley for as far as the eye can see. It was a nice change from what has been a bit monotonous. It also supplied refuge from the heat, though it was the first time I experienced humidity during this hike. Felt like I was back home!
After descending most of the day we reached the highway. There were 5 of us, including Birdmaster, who we had been leapfrogging the last few days. This made getting a hitch difficult, particularly on a less traveled highway. But lo and behold, we had one guy in a truck slow down. After seeing that there were 5 of us, he tried to speed away but I used my charm to convince him that we all could fit. It was a success and we all piled into Fingers truck. Though he has all 10 fingers, he did lose one breaking up a dog fight. He was able to get back and salvage the finger and sew it back on. Interesting guy.
He dropped us off at 49ers Saloon where we had burgers and set up camp for the night. They allow hikers to camp in their backyard. It was a good spot to spend the afternoon just relaxing.
Day 29: May 14; 16 miles
Discovered the downside of cowboy camping – the dew point. Woke up to a soaked sleeping bag. At least everyone else did too, so we were all in the same boat. Not having a super taxing day, it wasn’t the end of the world to wait around until the sun dried them out. Besides, we were all zombies from a poor night sleep from trains rolling through all night. The saloon backs up right against the tracks, so it didn’t foster the best sleep.
After getting dropped off back on trail, we had an easy day to Agua Dulce. We walked through Vasquez Rocks with amazing views of very interesting rock formations. You just don’t see this kind of thing in Jersey!
We got lunch and had a quick resupply in town before having a long climb to camp. I love this type of climb so I was having a great time. I was actually shocked when I arrived at camp! I thought I had at least another few miles when I was pleasantly surprised by seeing David (who definitely has gotten his trail legs) waiting for us. It’s a great spot right at the top of the climb with a great sunset view.
Day 30: May 15; 16 miles
Another day, another town. We’re certainly getting spoiled. Woke up warm and ready to go. We started out with Dan and Max with a bit of a climb but the day itself wasn’t bad.
We bounced into Green Valley after our miles and stopping for some quick trail magic hosted by Two Trees.
We are staying with Joe, who was referred to me by a cycling friend Kevin. He hiked the trail in 2013 and stayed with Joe and Terrie back when they hosted consistently. But after years of hosting 2000+ hikers a season, they burnt out and retired, only taking hikers in based on referral. So I was lucky to have Kevin’s good word for me, cause we had a great time getting to know them and their dogs.
Day 31: May 16; 20.1 miles
We headed out from Joe and Terrie’s after breakfast. Terrie dropped us off back on trail and once again we faced the heat and a climb with a heavy pack. Par for the course at this point.
I am getting a bit tired of the scenery. This section everything seems to look the same. A lot of the day is spent looking at the ground with an occasional look up to acknowledge that nothing is worth looking at.
At one point I was walking a few feet behind David, minding my own business in La La land probably thinking about Addie when out of the blue I hear a terrifying hiss. I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard a rattle directly to my right. I backed up slowly when I saw a rattlesnake right next to the trail coiled up and ready to attack. I made the mistake of making direct eye contact with the beast which I guess he took very personally because he started racing towards me. I retreated, hearing my dad’s voice in my head, “you should’ve had insurance in case a rattlesnake gets you!” But alas, the snake called off the attack and slithered back to his den, leaving me with a pounding pulse and relieved to have made it unbitten.
The day was made better when during a break I saw that there was trail magic scheduled for where we planning on camping. With a pep in our step we hustled over to camp to meet Scout. She hiked the trail last year and was giving back by supplying a bunch of us with snacks, dinner, and breakfast. It was such a blessing to not have to worry about making dinner and sharing good food with good company.
Emilie Bikes and Hikes 