Day 32: May 17; 20 miles
Oof was it a rough night. There is a wind advisory for the area with gusts up to 60 MPH. Listening to that all night and having wind whip your face made for poor sleep, even with ear plugs. I’m not sure if being in a tent would’ve been the better option, given that the tent likely would’ve flapped around like crazy.
But despite it all, got up and had breakfast provided by Scout. We got out later than usual but I didn’t care. The scenery is still boring, but at least the wildflowers provide something beautiful and colorful to look at.
During our lunch break today, we were all sitting together enjoying the time off our feet. That’s when David (Alchemist) looked behind and calmly stated, “there’s a rattlesnake right behind us”. Unchoreographed but in coordination and haste, we all shot up from the ground smoothly and under as much control as one can have when a deadly creature is slithering right behind you. Sure enough a big old rattlesnake was slowly perusing only a foot behind us. With some kind persuasion, we got him to continue on with his journey without minding us too much attention. Second close encounter with a rattlesnake in 24 hours, can’t say I like the trend.
It was a quick descent into Hikertown, which has a bit of a reputation on the PCT. The last stop before conquering the aqueduct section, it garners a lot of attention. I won’t go into detail here, but it might be worth looking up to read some interesting stories. My original plan was to completely bypass it, but part of me did want to walk through to see what it was all about. Lo and behold, it was a ghost town. Not a soul in sight. I was shocked, but then again we’ve been in between bubbles. There are a ton of hikers ahead of us, and a ton behind us. We’re lucky if we see 2 hikers a day. I wasn’t expecting to have this little social interaction and kind of wish there were more people to meet and talk to, but it does make for less competition when finding camping.
Alas, we moved on from Hikertown to go to the market a few miles down the road. After eating and lounging, we made our way to the aqueduct. We’ll be getting up early in the morning to get it started. This is common practice, as this section goes right through the Mojave Desert, which is notoriously hot. We actually learned at the market that the trail originally bypassed the desert through surrounding mountains, making for a less exposed and safer journey. However, a big corporation came and bought all the land, forcing the trail to go through the Mojave. But, like anything else, hikers adapted and now have made this section into a bit of a party. Lucky for us, the weather doesn’t look too bad and actually quite favorable for a Mojave crossing.
Day 33: May 18; 19 miles
It was a quiet night void of wind. We were up at 3:30am with a strict 4am start on the aqueduct. Again, we’re in a weird bubble and didn’t see anyone on the entire journey across this staple of this trail.
And I’m kind of glad we were alone if only because cause I had a major wipe out on the aqueduct – right on the rivets. Leaving a big gash on my leg, I kind of wish I was up to date on my tetanus shot.
Once the sun came out it was beautiful weather all the rest of the way. We were extremely exposed but didn’t really know it because the temperature was moderate, for the desert at least. And we were rewarded with trail magic – twice! The first was drinks from Keith (who gave us a ride way back when to the trail terminus) and the second was a full spread from Leciento just shortly after.
He had a full blown camp complete with chairs, food, and drinks! And the food was amazing. We had bacon avocado grilled cheese that really hit the spot. We got there around lunch time and didn’t leave until 6pm. Mainly because we were tired from the early start, but being comfortable and having him drive Oats and Alchemist to town to pick up a package also led to a delay. At this rate between all the trail magic and town food, I think I’m gaining weight. Which isn’t a bad thing at all, my hip belt can’t go any tighter so a little extra is welcome! I just didn’t expect all this good fortune on trail.
Eventually we walked away and are sleeping under some windmills. We entered a wind farm earlier today and have seen hundreds upon hundreds already. They’re great big giants that offer a different view of the desert. Though the windmill farms are notorious for being people’s least favorite part of the PCT. I’m glad we were blessed with good weather this section of the trail with a beautiful sunset as reward.
Day 34: May 19; 21 miles
Slept the best yet under those windmills. Sure I was exhausted from the hectic day, but oof I was out like a light.
The day was a blur. It was mainly defined by windmills. And more windmills. Andddd more windmills. Definitely offers a distraction to the mundane desert.
Being that we’re close to town, I put out some feelers to trail angels to see if there was anywhere in town we could stay. Joy responded quickly that we were welcome to stay with her! Originally we were going to camp outside of town and get in early in the morning after an easy 8 miles to the highway. But seeing as it was early, the campsite was infested with flies, and Joy seemed overjoyed at hosting us, we opted to stay with her overnight and get dropped off in the morning to finish the 8 miles, which is the last 8 miles of the first map of the PCT!
We got a ride into town to get pizza and wait until Joy was done with her pickleball game. When we got to her house we were so happy to have a bed to sleep in right near a lake! And even got to meet Little Gray, a kitten Joy is fostering. He’s such a little cutie! And small enough to fit in a backpack without much of a weight penalty…
Day 35: May 20; 8 miles
With only 8 miles for the day, we had a late start complete with loads of strong coffee. Joy took us back to the trial head in her jeep, which proved to be a rough ride. I got extremely car sick and as soon as we got dropped off the flood gates opened and I projectile vomited right on the side of the road. Which instantly caused panic, as norovirus is apparently running rampant on the trail. Having experienced it on the Colorado Trail, I’m extremely afraid of having another go at it on the PCT. But if I’m gonna have it, getting it on a light day near town is about ideal as you can ask for.
I took the day slowly and eventually felt less nauseous as the miles went. I chalked it up to too much strong coffee and being carsick. Maybe it’s me just getting sick of all the windmills. Eventually we made it to the end of the map and found the jeep parked near the highway overpass. Joy trusted us to use her car to drive around town for resupply or just plain joyriding.
We got lunch, resupplied, and had a lazy afternoon. We were lucky enough to be around for Joy’s family dinner. All at once her cozy home was filled with about 20 happy loud people, including very energetic kids. We got to have a great meal with good company, making me miss my own family dinners.
Day 36: May 21; Zero
After a lazy morning at Joy’s, we were picked up by Alchemist’s friend Mariana to spend the night with her and her family. They live in the same area as Joy, only 5 minutes apart in what is known as the largest HOA community in the country. When talking with them, I was shocked by how cheap it is to live here! Given that California is known as an extremely expensive place to live, I was expecting the HOA fees to be near my mortgage. I couldn’t believe that it’s actually cheaper to live in Tehachapi CA than where I am in my tiny little jersey home! And I don’t have a spectacular view!
We had another family dinner and got to be entertained (or maybe we did the entertaining?) to her twin 9 year olds. I always wanted twins – but after seeing how much energy they require I might have second thoughts. Just kidding – they are lovely and bright kids.
Day 37: May 22; 16.2 miles
We got picked up in the morning by Joy and off we went back to trail. This time I didn’t get wickedly car sick – what a win!
We said bye and a huge thanks to Joy. Then we were off. And what a horrible day. It was hot, I was still exhausted, and I was having GI issues. Sure I wasn’t puking, but something just wasn’t sitting right. Noro? Pretty sure that wasn’t the case, but again, any little symptom always raises alarm. Overall just a dumb annoying day that I was happy to be done with.
I had new shoes shipped to Tehachapi because my old ones weren’t cutting it after 500 miles. My feet were full of blisters and I could feel every rock under my feet. So out with the old! It’s a completely different brand of shoe, so I certainly was making a risky gamble making the switch, but I’m confident after a few days my feet will be happy to have a new home in these cute Topos.
We got into camp late(ish) and shared dinner with Lizard Queen, a forensic pathologist from Germany who obviously had some gruesome work stories. I was happy to put not only myself to bed, but the day as well.
Day 38: May 23; 22.9 miles
Another windy night. No wonder there are so many windmills around here. I’m officially over the desert and ready to move on. After the last few days of heat and exposure, I’m ready to take on the challenge of the Sierra
I didn’t sleep well at all since a whole group of hikers came in late to camp, which wasn’t a big deal. What was a big deal was a mouse who wouldn’t leave me alone. After running over my face (did I catch wind that hantavirus is going around?) I decided enough was enough. I shooed it away which it didn’t like and showed as much when it charged me. After a swift hit from my pillow and switching my position, he decided he lost the battle. Between him, the wind, and a bright moon I didn’t sleep well.
The bright point of the day was finally being done with the windmill farms. It was cool to walk amongst the giants in the beginning, but the novelty soon wore off. They became overbearing and irritating. I noticed that there were no birds to be found, my reliable alarm clock were gone. It was a quiet existence that I didn’t enjoy. I was so happy to hear birds chirping today as we finally escaped the windmills.
It was a blazing hot day. It made the climbs feel near impossible and water was scarce, leading to long water carries. In fact, we grew incredibly close to running out of water. With 4 miles left I only had 3/4 liter of water left. I started with well over 3, but was drinking so much from the heat my thirst felt unquenchable. With 4 miles to go, I was getting nervous that it would be an extremely uncomfortable sufferfest. That’s when I saw a FarOut comment that promised trail magic in just 2 miles. Powered by thirst, we quickly made our way to find a cooler full of fruit, veggies, and pizza. Sure it wasn’t water, but it made “eating your water” very manageable. It was enough to get us the next couple miles to the next water source. As we were enjoying the good fortune, we saw a truck pull up. Tim and Carlos live nearby and stock the fruit cooler from time to time. They offered us water bottles, beer, and a soda. We couldn’t believe the blessing, under a 10 Commandments sign no less!
Refreshed, we made our way to the water source and to camp. Which is a gorgeous camp in an area that looks and smells so much like the Sierra. We’re definitely getting close!! Only 100 miles left of the desert!
Emilie Bikes and Hikes 