Day 33 (June11th)
Mile 444.3- mile 462.6
18.3 miles (29.5km)
This morning we awoke to another beautiful overcast day. We did our town chores in the morning before heading back to trail. We were offered a ride (and some drugs) by a man peeping his head over the fence into the pub’s back lawn where we camped. On the ride he pointed out filming locations for shows and movies (from Breaking Bad, to Planet of the Apes, to Star Trek) and an actor’s large cat preserve (think Tiger King vibes). There seems to be a rivalry in Acton over where hikers should stay– our ride on the way in told us the the RV campground was a terrible, money-centric place, while our ride on the way out said the same thing about the hiker oasis at the 49’er pub. Personally I thought both places were lovely, though I could have done without the twice nightly train which passes right next to both the town and the campground.
We hiked over some hills into the Vasques Rocks Nature Area where we had a short photoshoot among the rocks. This is another spot where movies and tv shows frequently film.
The trail then took us into the little town of Agua Dulce where we ran into Patches again for a relaxing pizza lunch- with vegan cheese! However, when we left the restaurant, we realized that our beautiful overcast day had quickly turned into a foggy, rainy, cold day. Our hike out of town was damp to say the least and the fog meant you could only see a few feet ahead of you. The fog was so thick that I walked right past where my friends were setting up without seeing them. I ended up walking alone– soaking wet– to the next passable campsite where I quickly set up my tent and crawled inside to get dry and warm. I stripped my wet clothes of and did my best to try myself with my buff and a tiny face towel before putting on my dry sleep clothes. Fortunately my sleep clothes and sleeping bag are kept in a dry bag, so they were lovely to crawl into after my cold hike! Hopefully the fog burns off tomorrow!
Day 34 (June12th)
Mile 462.6- mile 478.2
15.6 miles (25.1km)
I opened my eyes this morning to the dull morning light shining through the roof of my tent. Was the light dull because I was camped under a tree? Or was I still camped inside a cloud? Spoiler: I was still camped inside a cloud. Though I had slept warm, my tent floor was soaked through and there was a steady drip from the roof where the inner wall was touching the fly.
I texted Thunder to see if she was awake. She was and her motivation to get up and hike out of the cloud inspired me to put my wet hiking clothes back on and pack up my sopping tent. Just as I finished packing up, Thunder came around the bend and we spent a few minutes complaining about the day– “It’s June in the desert! There shouldn’t be rain! This is bullshit!”, we agreed. Then we got to hiking. It was cold and wet, but going downhill, we did eventually hike out below the cloud and spent a few blissful hours only damp instead of drenched. By the afternoon we were back up in the cloud and drenched again.
I was having a hard day. I didn’t put on my ankle compression sock this morning as it was soaking wet, and my ankle was quickly starting to bother me. I was soaking wet, so it was too cold to stop for a rest. I just kept going. The boys passed us before lunch and then we all caught up to each other to eat lunch together. Salty was also feeling the weather and was frustrated by some gear malfunctions. Corpse held up the emotional fort. He was in generally good spirits and cheered us all up by making a hot pot of ramen for lunch and passing it around so we could all warm up our hands — the holy ramen as he called it.
Thunder and I had decided on our walk in the morning that we really wanted to try and sleep inside tonight. We knew we would be passing by the little town of Green Valley, but we couldn’t get enough service to check if there was a hotel to book. By the time we got to the road, we had had just enough service to determine that there weren’t any accommodations in town. I started to resign myself to continue hiking. I pulled out my tent in an attempt to dry it during my break, but doing so just reminded me of how soaked it actually was and, with no sun at all, it wasn’t getting any drier. Looking at my sopping tent made me even more desperate for a dry place to sleep. I announced that I would hitch into town and ask the gas station attendant (one of two stores in Green Valley) if they knew of anywhere we could stay. Thunder opted to join me, while the boys decided to hike on. Thunder and I got a hitch relatively quickly and the attendant at the gas station was able to direct us to the home of some trail angels. The Andersons of Casa de Luna used to host a lot of hikers, but are now retired from hosting. The gas station attendant gave them a call to see if they would take us, and Joe (half of the Casa de Luna team) told us to come on over. The trail really does provide. At Casa de Luna we had hot showers and a back room to share– far better accommodations than our wet tents. We spent some time chatting with Joe and playing with his (giant) puppy, Hank. We were even able to dry our wet sleeping bags in the dryer! I’m very grateful for a warm place to lay my sleeping pad tonight! Hopefully the desert sun returns tomorrow.
Day 35 (June13th)
Mile 478.2- mile 503
24.8 miles (39.9km)
I would hike 500 miles…
Well, my emotional pendulum has swung the other way. Warmed up by a hot shower, a roof over my head, fresh coffee, and Papa Joe’s kindness, I woke up this morning feeling happy and ready for a great day on the PCT. I’ve noticed that the emotional highs and lows I feel on trail are much more visceral than those I feel in everyday life. The hard moments are *really* hard, but the beautiful/ joyful/ peaceful moments are that much more potent. Joe drove us back to trail this morning and bolstered our spirits by telling us that the fog would likely dissipate once we were over the next hill. He was right!
It turned into a beautiful sunny day and I was thrilled by the views the morning brought. After 10 miles, I decided to take an early lunch as a new trail obstacle was rumoured to be in the miles ahead– poodle dog bush. This toxic plant has leaves that look a little like weed and has a nice purple flower, but it’s impact on humans is like a mix between poison ivy and giant hogweed– and it was all over trail. Every time the wind blew you had to think fast to dodge the blowing strands of PDB. I stayed as vigilant as I could, but I suspect the plant brushed my bare leg at least once. I guess we will see what happens to my leg overnight! The section of poodle dog bush lasted for miles making it difficult to take breaks or go to the bathroom as you couldn’t wander off trail. But that was mostly okay by me! I was feeling great today– like I could hike forever. Thunder’s ankle was bugging her, so she decided to get off a little earlier in the evening, but I was still feeling good, so I hiked on. By about 7pm, I made it to 500 miles!
Five hundred miles! 800km! It’s pretty hard to believe. I had some trouble finding the little rock sign that usually marked important milestones, so I ended up just making my own.
There were some campgrounds near the milepoint, but none of them looked too appealing to me, so I hiked on. The trail began to climb and I climbed with it. As a result, I got to watch the sunset 4 or 5 times. Everytime the sun dropped behind the mountain, I would climb a little higher and be able to see it again.
It was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes for a moment and I skipped down the trail singing little songs to myself. As the sun dropped below the mountain again, I came across a beautiful camping spot– yes it was surrounded by poodle dog bush, but there was a large enough cleared space that I wouldn’t need to worry about touching it. I quickly set up camp and made dinner before retreating to my tent to eat and crawl into bed. Even laying in my tent massaging my sore feet, I feel on top of the world. Just happy to be here and to get to see these beautiful places.
Day 36 (June14th)
Mile 503 – mile 534.9
31.9 miles (51.3km)
By far my longest day yet! I slept in, hoping that maybe Thunder would catch me, since she camped about 5 miles before me, but by 7:30am I was hiking. The 15 miles to Hikertown went quickly and I managed to meet the boys at a gas station by 1pm. While hiking in the morning, Salty and Corpse texted Thunder and me to let us know that they planned to night hike the 17 mile LA aqueduct that night. My first thought was that they were crazy, but after a big burrito, an elixir of caffeine Gatorade and a long rest at the gas station, I was feeling ready to go.
Thunder eventually joined our siesta, but (reasonably) decided that, after 20 miles, she wasn’t up for another 17 after dark. We all hitched back to Hikertown– an iconic hiker oasis and hostel styled to look like an old western town. Thunder would sleep here, while the boys and I would begin our night hike at 6:30pm.
I started out on my own, thrilled by the sense of adventure I felt hiking into the sunset. I called Jake to share my giddiness with him. We talked for an hour and when I told him what I was doing he laughed and said I was crazy. At the last water source before trail, Corpse passed me, putting his headphones in and vibed his way down the trail. Salty and I walked together to get the classic “Walking on LA’s water” photos.
We were sooned joined by our friend Dale and the three of us hiked the entire 17 miles together. Though we had our headlamps out and ready, none of us turned them on. We walked almost entirely in the dark all night, looking at the stars and chatting a little. It was an incredibly peaceful hike–nearly entirely on dirt roads or on the concrete slabs covering the aqueduct. The temperature was perfect and the stars were out. Because I was walking on relatively smooth road, I was able to hike looking up at the stars, instead of at my feet. I felt amazing– happy, strong, empowered to do anything I set my mind to. Partway down the trail, we ran into Crumbs who shared some snacks with us and the rest of her group. We left them staring at the stars and continued on our way– laughing, reciting poetry, talking about our lives, loves, and dreams. It went on pleasantly for most of the night, but eventually with only 2 miles or so left to go, things started to get harder. My hiking companions and I went silent, except for little sighs and gasps of pain in our feet or when we stepped into a pothole in the dirt road. 1 mile to go… 0.5 miles… 0.2 miles… Here! We found Corpse setting up his tent and joined him. By 2:30am I was fast asleep, having hiked nearly 32 miles or about 51km!
Day 37 (June15th)
Mile 534.9- mile 549.7
14.8 miles (23.8km)
After our crazy night last night I was hoping to sleep in– but the sun had other ideas. By 7am my tent was too hot to remain inside, so I packed up and started walking.
After less than 4 hours of sleep, I was exhausted. So I hiked 6 mile to the next water source, laid down under a tree and had a long nap. With the water and wind it almost felt like sleeping on a beach!
After lunch and my nap I had to finish my 4000ft climb back into the hills. It was slow going, but I was tired enough to just zone out and daydream for most of the day. This isn’t a particularly scenic section, so I just put my head down and hiked. We came to a really lovely water cache where trail angels had stocked oranges and some other snacks for hikers. They had set out lawn chairs and sun umbrellas and bubbles which we enjoyed a lot!
The boys were also sleepy today so we all took a bit of a shorter day to recover. Tomorrow we will be heading into Tehachapi where we will reunite with Thunder and enjoy TWO town days! We are eagerly anticipating our tramily movie night at the local theater.
Day 38 (June16th)
Mile 549.7- mile 566.5
16.8 miles (27.0km)
This morning I awoke at 4:45am wide awake. I rolled around for a bit, but ultimately was up, packed up, and hiking by 6am. The goal today was to make it to the highway and the end of the first PCT map (of course there are several more maps, but being at the end of the first one is quite exciting)! The morning was an exposed, mostly downhill trek and I was glad to be doing it when the sun was low in the sky. After about 9 miles, I arrived at a road and was thrilled to see Magic Man waiting for hikers with trail magic in the form of chairs, snacks and cold drinks. I met Magic Man way back on my second day on trail in Lake Morena– It was a pleasure to encounter him again! I gratefully accepted another Gatorade from him and drank it sitting in one of his camp chairs.
The hikers around me began to discuss their plans for the High Sierra section of trail– a stressful topic. Due to the insane amount of snow on the west coast this year, the Sierras are a lot more challenging than usual. People describe them as similar to the hike up San Jacinto a few weeks ago, but everyday for 400 miles or more. Slushy snow, rushing rivers and early starts to avoid both… I have been procrastinating on making a plan for the Sierras, but I will need to decide in the next week or so. Salty and Corpse caught me around here and we all headed off on the final 8 miles to the highway. It was hot and getting hotter, but I made good time and arrived at the highway around 1pm, with a final sprint in order to catch the public bus directly into Tehachapi. The boys and I had a delicious lunch at the local mediterranean restaurant and then headed to our AirBnB for a well-deserved shower and air conditioning.
Thunder officially caught us today! She arrived at the AirBnB while we were finishing up our showers. It was a lovely reunion! We all had so much to share about our hike of the aqueduct and the following days. We joined some other hikers, including Ranger, Big Mac, Fancypants, and others at the brewery for dinner. Town days are so nice for enabling you to chat with friends, even if they are much faster hikers than you! Patches came back to our AirBnb with us and we ended the day with a nice hot tub and many lovely chats!
Day 39 and 40 (June17-18th)
Mile 566.5 -566.5
0 miles (0km)
Two zeroes in Tehachapi. Perhaps a bit decadent, but town days are such a fun part of hiking. While in town, you see hikers you haven’t seen in a while; you have time for long chats and deep conversations; you get to eat delicious food….
In other ways, town days are way more exhausting than hiking. While hiking, life is simple. You have no responsibilities and few decisions to make– other than basic decisions about how much water to carry or what time to wake up. Meanwhile, in town you need to do your chores– laundry, shower, grocery shopping, cleaning out your bag for garbage, washing dishes, mailing bounce boxes, and talking to loved ones. So many jobs! Combined with the fact that you don’t have access to a car, town days can be quite busy!
On our first zero, we all woke up on trail time and headed to the local bakery for fresh bread and pastries. Once we were fed, Thunder arranged for a trail angel to take us to the post office and to Walmart which were each about a 30 minute walk in opposite directions. At the post office, I was surprised when, in addition to my bounce box, the clerk also gave me a handful of letters from my family! Six letters– all encouraging me and sharing news and jokes from home. My brother sent me a get well soon card, which he had edited to add ” I hope *your feet* get well soon”.
Next up, Walmart for groceries and some snacks to eat while in town. I bought everything I needed to make avocado toast and a chai latte– delish! With our chores mostly done, we spent the afternoon napping and hanging out before heading to the movie theater to watch the new Pixar movie Elemental. It was really fun and I was happy to eat some movie theater popcorn! Corpse had spent the afternoon preparing a delicious soba noodle, mango and eggplant dish which we all enjoyed together before heading back to the hot tub again!
It was so refreshing to fall asleep knowing that I had another zero tomorrow and almost no chores remaining.
This morning was lazy. Thunder and Corpse went out for breakfast (Biscuits and gravy was almost Corpse’s trail name) while Salty and I made our own breakfast. Then Thunder, Salty and I huddled onto our little couch to watch the movie “Hunt for the Wilderpeople”, while Corpse called his partner and worked on his blog. In the afternoon we walked over to the local boardgame cafe for some games of Monopoly and Ticket to Ride– Corpse won both. On our way back from the cafe we ran into a bunch of other hikers and had a really nice visit on the street corner.
Everyone sharing their experiences over the last few days and talking about plans for the Sierras. It’s so lovely to get to visit with everyone! After a delicious Thai food dinner we were back in the hot tub chatting about topics from the ethics of the death penalty to sharing our grandparents names. Only 40 days (or less) with my lovely tramily and I feel like I know everything about them. It’s really special. We will head back to trail tomorrow at 9am and hike up, up, up out of this valley. Despite the climb, I am feeling excited to get back on trail!
