“Walking is man’s best medicine”.
– Hippocrates
The Sixth Week – Perseverance Will Prevail
Into the desert proper… Taking respite from the sun under a cactus palm as we cross the western arm of the Mojave.
Days 36 & 37 – Tuesday 15th & Wednesday 16th May 2018, KOA Campground, Acton, Mile 444.5, zero miles
If injury is going to strike anywhere along the trail, then the KOA at Acton is not a bad place to find yourself holed up for a few days!
Apart from the noise of the trains going past, coupled with heavy traffic on the main road through the early hours, (which is nothing that a set of ear plugs can’t fix), it is a really restful stop along the PCT before heading into Agua Dulce. So just to ensure Wayne’s leg had been allowed adequate rest (fingers crossed anyway) we ended up camping there for 3 nights and taking two zero days off trail.
Camping at the KOA in Acton. Hikers get a good deal as it’s only $15 per night, per tent.
Although we really wanted to push on and keep to our planned schedule, overall it would be better to deal with a minor injury now, than keep going, make it worse and be forced off the trail for longer.
Anyhow, it wasn’t all bad. Staying at a proper campsite meant we could take advantage of the available conveniences. With carrying a mini frying pan (an extravagance that most other thru-hikers wouldn’t give over grams for) we were able to indulge in fried eggs and bacon for breakfast (courtesy of the Camp Store) and had the time to enjoy a cup of tea in the morning without having to rush off to make our miles. (All we needed to go with it was a daily newspaper and it would have been as civilised as car camping back home!)
The Camp Store has lots of convenience foods and resupply items perfect for hikers passing through.
Fried eggs and bacon for breakfast were a real treat and only possible as we carry a mini frying pan!
Even better, having water on tap to drink was no longer a luxury so we could do away with filtering (the bane of every hiking day in the wilderness), and as the showers didn’t require quarters we could stand under the free-flowing hot water as long as we wanted!
Just as an aside, when we thought going 6 days without a shower, and only washing with wet wipes was pretty bad, having spoken to Gummy Bear who was also zeroing at the KOA too, (well we actually smelt him before he spoke to us!) there was no way we’d made it into the category of ‘Hiker Trash’ yet, since he’d gone 22 days without showering! And boy did we know about it. He was disappointed though as he hadn’t quite made it into the ‘Dirty Thirty’ squad! 30 days without showering – I’m sure by then your clothes would hold themselves up! Needless to say, he had to put his clothes through the washing machine twice, but was like a new man when he emerged from the bathroom!
Not only partaking in regular showers, over our two zeros we also made use of both the swimming pool and hot tub, Wayne trying a little ‘hot and cold therapy’ on his leg to help soothe his throbbing shin. Then for the rest of the time we basically lounged around sunbathing, eating and drinking A LOT to fill up the hours. Without a demanding walking schedule to follow it felt like a mini holiday minus the pool side margaritas! And it was just what the doctor ordered!
Making use of the camp swimming pool and enjoying some down time off trail.
As we ended up taking a second zero, we got a ride to the supermarket in Acton and purchased some goodies for dinner. We literally demolished a whole roast chicken, lots of salad and plenty of wine!
By the end of Wednesday, our second day ‘off’ however, we were beginning to get a little bored of doing nothing and being in the same place, so we were both itching to get back on the trail. When you get used to walking long distances every day, your body seems to crave it and it becomes hard to stop. With friends and family at home following our progress and checking on our live map, it also felt kind of ‘naughty’ to have left the trail, so we were very eager to get back out there and continue as we want to hit our next big milestone of ‘500’ miles!
Day 38 – Thursday 17th May 2018, KOA Campground, Acton, Mile 444.5 to Wild Camp at Mile 458.5, 14 miles
Having had to take two forced ‘zero’ days due to Wayne’s minor leg injury, it’s fair to say that we are now fully rested and ready to get back to business! We just hope his leg really is on the mend and will now hold out for the duration seeing as we still have exactly 2,205.5 miles of walking to do to get to the Canadian border! The ten miles to Agua Dulce this morning was a good test!
We were up early, but didn’t rush to leave the KOA, making the most of one last shower and a free cup of coffee from the common room (where most hikers, if they’re not in the pool, congregate around the electrical sockets to charge their devices all day long!)
So finally after farewells with the fantastic hiker-friendly staff, we hit the trail again at 9am. We were taking a steady pace with Wayne leading up front, hoping his leg would hold out for the duration of the morning, at least until we reached Agua Dulce. Plan A was to get to town, do our food resupply for the next 6 days at the Sweet Water Farmer’s Market, then rest for a few hours. We would then leave town around 5pm when the temperature should be cooler and hike on another 5 miles, camping just before Mile 459, where the trail then had an uphill climb of around 1,400 feet that we’d much prefer to tackle first thing the following morning. Should Wayne’s leg get worse, Plan B was to go from Agua Dulce to Hiker Heaven, stay the night, and reassess the situation from there.
As we left the KOA and rejoined the PCT, there is a PCT completion monument from 1993, when the trail was slightly shorter at only 2,638 miles!
Pleased to be heading back into the hills… But with a big question on our minds – would Wayne’s leg hold out?
Just a few hills to cross… Agua Dulce is 10 miles that way!
The desert in bloom.
Trying to capture the bee collecting pollen but it just flew off as I took the shot!
Along the way we walked under Californian Highway 14 via a drainage tunnel. Thankfully the creek was dry.
Fortunately we made it to town without too much trouble. Going slower was definitely helping him and with chatting for much of the way, hopefully taking his mind off his leg, we had knocked off 8 miles in around 2 and a half hours. We didn’t stop for a break until we reached the picnic area at Vasquez Rocks, just on the outskirts of town, so it felt good to be back out there and making better progress than expected.
The PCT goes straight through the Vasquez Rocks Natural Area on the way to Agua Dulce.
As well as highlighting some of the fascinating earthquake geology of the area, Vasquez Rocks has also been used for on-location filming in several TV shows and movies including ‘Bonanza’, ‘Star Trek’, ‘The Flintstones’ and ‘The A-Team’.
Resupplying in town was expensive, but as Agua Dulce is right on the PCT it was an efficient stop, without the need for a hitch or an overnight stay. We quickly got the shopping done, the market selling most of our usual food choices, however we have adapted our menu for the next week based on the fact our access to water will be very limited as we cross the Mojave so we can’t really use it for cooking. That means no Idahoan mashed potatoes or other dishes that require water for re-hydration. Instead we are going to live on ‘dry’ food for a week, so we have opted for tortillas, with the idea that we will have tuna wraps for lunch (the Americans have packet tuna that comes in a variety of flavoured sauces e.g. Siracha, Thai sweet chilli, Jalapeno, Lemon pepper, and our current favourite – Hickory smoked). And for our evening meal we will use tortillas to make pesto, sun-dried tomato, spam and cheese filled quesadillas. (The frying pan working its magic again!) This is also a dish that requires minimal washing up, so win-win on all counts!
Agua Dulce is a great stop along the PCT. We felt very welcomed!
It was a shame we would miss the community lunch taking place the following weekend.
Five days of resupply to take us from Agua Dulce to Tehachapi costing us a whopping $149! (Where’s a Walmart when you need one!)
Whilst we were in town, we also visited the Hardware Store to resupply with gas and were lucky enough to borrow a punch tool to fit eyelets to each corner of our ground sheet ready for ‘Version 2’ of it becoming a sun shade when needed. The store literally sells everything you could ever possibly want by way of hardware and we fully recommend you stopping by!
The Hardware Store was amazing! For a small town place, it had every single thing you could possibly ever need.
Before leaving Agua Dulce we also went for pizza! We thought it would give us that extra calorie boost we needed for hiking out of town and it also meant Wayne wouldn’t have to cook when we got to camp, which would be a lot easier, especially if we arrived after sunset.
Yep, we ate all of the 16 inch pizza and salad before leaving town!
As it happened, after leaving town and returning to the hills, we found a suitable camp spot at Mile 458.5 around 7pm, so we had enough daylight left to get the tent set up and get settled. It was just off trail in a flattish area surrounded by long grass, which was a place we had gambled on having only looked at the contours of the map as there was no indication of any camp spots on the GutHooks app.
Wayne did some stretching and leg elevation after massaging some muscle rub into his shin. We just hope in the morning that it will be rested enough and good to go again as we’ve planned on a 19 mile day to reach the Green Valley Fire Station where there is a reliable water source by way of a water tap outside.
He was definitely in a much happier mood today, which indicates something is working for the better and his leg must be healing. Keeping positive, as we continue to make our way to the Canadian border, slow progress is still progress! May the trail gods continue to look out for us!
Day 39 – Friday 18th May 2018, Wild Camp at Mile 458.5 to Green Valley Fire Station at Mile 378, 19.5 miles
It was a peaceful night in the hills above Agua Dulce once I’d realised that the noise in the bushes close to our tent was coming from birds and not mountain lions! (You can never be too careful!) It felt good being away from roads, train lines and power cables, all of which tend to disturb you from your sleep no matter how far you’ve walked and how tired you are.
Repacking and waiting for the tent fly to dry. After leaving Agua Dulce we found a good enough camp spot around 4 miles out of town even though there wasn’t anything shown on the GutHooks App. (The PCT Hiker’s Go To Bible!)
Around 7:30am, a few early bird hikers passed by our camp spot whilst we were packing away and waiting for our tent fly to dry out, but we didn’t recognise any of them. Having taken two zeros we think we’ll now be two or three days behind the group of hikers we’ve become familiar with. In all likelihood though, we’ll catch them up again once we reach Kennedy Meadows as most thru-hikers take a few days there to prepare themselves for heading into the Sierra.
We should reach the Sierra around the 1st of June, which is still considered a little early by most thru-hikers. (Unless you are truly badass!) This is because at the beginning of June, the higher passes will still be covered in snow and are harder to traverse, so we will be sending ourselves an equipment package to include micro spikes or trail crampons and ice axes. We will also need to purchase bear-proof cannisters as it is mandatory to carry all food stuffs and scented toiletries inside a bear can throughout this section of California. We’re not looking forward to carrying the extra weight, but hopefully it won’t be too much more than we’re used to as we’ll be able to carry less water. Compared with the desert, there will be free-flowing rivers and streams, as well as several accessible lakes throughout the Sierra Nevada, so we can filter and drink as we go, which will make life on the trail much easier! We still have just over 200 miles of desert to cover before we get there however and a lot can change in a couple of weeks.
Today’s section of trail took us up and over some green, rolling hills, then down to a road crossing where there was a surprise water cache, followed by a long ridge walk that meandered around gully after gully before finally heading down into the Green Valley. I hesitate to say ‘monotonous’ but it’s kind of starting to feel that way as we’ve traversed so much of the ‘desert’, it feels like it’s time for something new…
Very green and beautiful and not at all what we were expecting of the desert. But after 39 days it can feel very same, same, – so we must try and appreciate it more!
Not what you expect to see in the desert… Purple thistles growing alongside the trail.
Another surprise! The very well stocked water cache that we were not expecting to find!
As we had read on the Water Report that Bouquet Canyon was ‘dry’ and the water cache was empty, (which we later discovered had just been restocked with around 60 gallons), our only option to get water for the day before reaching camp was to filter water from Bear Spring, which was just a small trickle. But it was enough! As it was the only water source for around 20 miles, it was also being enjoyed by several birds plus a colony of bees. Walking up to the spring, the noise of the bees was quite unsettling, but thankfully they left us alone.
Wayne collects water from the trickling spring, whilst avoiding the bees!
Having enjoyed a few days off-trail and feasted like kings, we now seem to be hungry almost all of the time as we adjust back to hiker rations, so we were clock watching a lot after our first break and second breakfast as we couldn’t wait for lunch! Our lunch stop was around 1:30pm where we got out our sleep pads, took off our shoes and socks and laid out in the sun to have a proper break for around an hour. As it was our first day out of town, we still had fresh accompaniments to go with our tuna wraps by way of mixed lettuce and cherry tomatoes, plus a sachet of mayonnaise! (We managed to procure another 10 sachets from the supermarket café by asking nicely! And with tuna, a squeeze of mayo makes all the difference!)
Our very fresh, healthy trail lunch of tuna, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise wraps.
We had to really motivate ourselves to get our shoes back on and cover the last 6 miles. We were aiming to camp close to the Green Valley Fire Station along the San Francisquito Canyon Road as there is a water tap accessible to PCT hikers. An alternative option in the Green Valley would have been to hike on an extra mile to ‘Casa de Luna’, another hiker haven along the PCT courtesy of trail angel family ‘The Andersons’.
Taking a breather because of the intense heat. We really had to motivate ourselves to push on and cover the last 6 miles.
Joe and Terrie Anderson use their home to provide hikers with breakfasts and evening meals (we’ve heard the taco salad is the best!) and they also allow camping in their backyard. Two unique elements of visiting Casa de Luna is that hikers get to paint a stone to go in their woodland area, and after performing a little dance (so we have heard), hikers are also given a free ‘Hiker to Town/ Hiker to Trail’ bandana, which is a fab memento to carry along the trail and the perfect aid when trying to get a hitch!
As we had already taken the two zeros at the Acton KOA, and as we had already resupplied in Agua Dulce, we had decided to skip both Hiker Heaven and Casa de Luna (sadly forfeiting a taco salad and bandana) to try and make up some time. We also knew both would be extremely busy places, (we were told 92 hikers had passed through on Monday!) so we avoided ‘the bubble’ that seems to have built up as hikers stall for time so as not to get to the Sierra too early.
A unique trail marker!
As the trail gradually wound downhill to the main road, we could see three parked cars just past the Fire Station. We debated whether they were from dog walkers or trail runners making use of the area. It didn’t cross our minds that it could be some ‘trail magic’ going on! But we were very happy to be offered cold cans of coke and fresh fruit (including strawberries) as soon as we reached the roadside!
Nancy and her husband Luke, along with their very cute dog DJ, also offered us a ride to Casa de Luna, which we declined. The best thing about unexpectedly meeting these trail angels though was that Nancy asked if there was anything else we needed, and proceeded to offer me a small tube of toothpaste from her well-stocked car boot. Toothpaste was the only thing we couldn’t get in Agua Dulce as they had sold out of the travel sized tubes, so we were going to have to ration what we had left, using only pea sized amounts until we got to Tehachapi. So to be given exactly what we needed seemed like the trail gods were still watching out for us after all!
Having thanked them profusely, we then made our way across to the Ranger’s Residence next to the Fire Station, where we set up camp in the wooded area at the back. It meant we had access to water both this evening as well as in the morning before we set off again. There were another couple of hikers pitched there too with the same idea.
Dinner was quick and easy with it being quesadillas, which was convenient seeing as we didn’t get to camp until just before 8pm and the last of the daylight was disappearing. Considering we had hiked just short of 20 miles, it seemed that Wayne’s leg had held out. We don’t want to speak to soon, but it feels like we’re back in the game!
Day 40 – Saturday 19th May 2018, Wild Camp by Green Valley Fire Station at Mile 478 to Sawmill Campground at Mile 498, 20 miles
When we woke up we were still smiling about the wonderful trail magic we received last night from Nancy and Luke, but were kicking ourselves that we didn’t get a photo with them, especially with the giant tub of strawberries they were handing out. Fresh fruit is always a winner with hungry thru-hikers! We didn’t think we’d be as lucky today… But who knows where a trail angel is going to pop up unexpectedly?!
Having signed the PCT trail register located on the opposite side of San Francisquito Canyon Road, we scanned the names of hikers who had passed through before us. Recognising many of them, including ‘Gandalph the Blonde’ (as he has now rebranded himself), Nick and Tiahnna, Blue, Kevin (Wind Farm), Fugitive, Snake Eyes, and Ironman, we thought we’d soon be catching up with some familiar faces, especially if they had taken nearos at Hiker Heaven and Casa de Luna. We like hiking by ourselves but it’s always good to have some friendly banter along the way and to find out what’s happening up trail as any news or important info filters down.
When we set off around 8am we first had an uphill climb to contend with so we were thankful it wasn’t yet too hot. It was 9 miles to the first available water where a trailside spring was still trickling enough to fill a water pouch, albeit very slowly. Here we had another lesson in identifying Poison Oak as a fellow hiker pointed out to us where it was growing close to the spring. We’re still not that great at recognising it, so we just try and avoid any leaf that even remotely resembles that of an Oak, poisonous or not! What we are good at spotting though is the dreaded Poodle Dog Bush, and again it seemed to be growing rampantly along the sides of the trail as we walked through another burn area.
Starting the day with an uphill climb, we were thankful that it wasn’t yet too hot as there wasn’t going to be a lot of shade.
Poodle Dog Bush thrives along the trail here so we had to be careful to avoid it!
As we passed some day hikers along the trail and stopped to chat, no sooner had they found out we were English, than they were avidly informing us about the Royal Wedding that unfortunately we had missed! One of them said that we could have watched it on television, so I informed him that I like to carry a TV in my backpack all the time! (Maybe we will get chance to see some footage of Harry and Meghan on their ‘big’ day via the internet the next time we have a hotel room.)
As we continued walking, the trail evened out for much of the second half of the day, before gradually ascending on a gentle incline. It felt extremely hot, so we were relieved when the desert chaparral gave way to shady pine forest once more, providing us with a cooler spot to lounge out and have lunch. The pine cones were giant-sized once again and we joked about not getting struck by one as it fell out of a tree. Both heavy and spiky, they could do some serious damage!
Giant sized pine cones littering the trail!
As we emerged from the trees we could see the Mojave stretching out in the distance. Apart from a few lines here and there that must be roads, it looked both vast and empty compared to the desert we had already passed through. From our perspective it just looked like miles upon miles of sand, but we know now with experience that up close there are both plants and flowers that cloak the ground needing only minimal water to survive and there is an abundance of life – from lizards to ground squirrels scuttling across the scrub, to birds nesting in the lower bushes and shrubs, to colonies upon colonies of ants hard at work moving grains of sand from one place to another, everywhere you look nature is working hard to survive in the harshest of conditions. Even though walking through it can now feel monotonous at times, it’s still pretty amazing!
Looking onto where we’d be hiking over the next few days. The PCT continues north for a typically hot and dry hike across the San Andreas Fault Zone and western arm of the Mojave Desert before climbing into the Tehachapi Mountains.
We finally wound around the ridge to Sawmill Campground around 6pm and were looking forward to the conveniences of a pit-toilet and picnic bench. Unfortunately we were late to the party and all the camp spots close to a picnic bench had already been bagged. As the campsite was the only water source now for several miles, we expected a lot of PCTers to pitch here overnight, so we were surprised that we still didn’t see anyone we knew. (We must be closing the gap though!)
Dinner was quesadillas again having planned to eat ‘dry’ dinners all week until Tehachapi. We quickly devoured two quesadillas each, however we could eat double that! As the campsite was on a high plateau I was able to get a phone signal so we had a quick browse of the internet before hiker midnight. Having been ‘incommunicado’ for a few days, it was exciting to find out that our first PCT video update has been featured on the TGO (The Great Outdoors) Magazine website! And we also got to see some pictures of the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex after all!
Day 41 – Sunday 20th May 2018, Sawmill Campground at Mile 498 to Hiker Town at Mile 518, 20 miles
After being woken up at 3:30am by a car driving through the campsite and shining its lights on the tent, we felt completely justified in switching off the alarm and not getting up until 6:30am! We had wanted to be up early to knock a fair few miles off before the hottest part of the day, but thankfully the weather was on the change again, with the next few days forecast to be breezy and much cooler than is typical this near to the Mojave. So it didn’t matter quite so much that we were not back on trail at the crack of dawn.
Still, we were the last to leave camp again and were delayed further with having to hike uphill past the campsite to collect water from a large rainwater tank. Despite my grumbling at having to walk the extra distance, we were very grateful of the tank and the fact there was still some water in it, particularly as it has been so scarce on this section of trail. So we filtered enough to see us through the next 10 miles or so, as the next water source in a couple of miles had a dead carcass in it, according to word along the trail.
Early morning and there were now plenty of picnic benches free as we were the last to leave the Sawmill Campsite.
Guzzler tanks that collect rain water are a vital resource for PCTers on this very dry section of trail.
Once we were on our way, we only had two miles to complete to mark another significant feat – 500 miles. We posed at the two 500 mile markers, thrilled to have made it almost a fifth of the way through our journey to Canada on foot. It was even more of a celebration considering less than a week ago, Wayne could barely walk and was hobbling around with shin splints. It seems that getting back on trail and working the leg through the miles, but at a slower pace, has worked out ok for us.
Reaching the ‘official’ PCT 500 mile marker.
The hikers’ own 500 mile trail marker. Numbers written in stones have become a regular feature at significant milestones along the trail!
As the trail wound it’s way up the rolling hillsides we were loving the scenery again today as the scrubby desert quickly gave way to lush grassy banks lined with Californian Lilacs that were giving off a heady aroma as we brushed past. There were also swathes of bright yellow and orange flowers nestled around ancient Oak trees, the shady woodland also interspersed with young pine saplings injecting the area with a new lease of life. It was so beautiful taking a rest break there, that we could have stayed all day!
Spotting something new! Striking yellow flowers growing alongside the trail.
Enjoying the wild flower meadows and shade from the trees as the PCT climbs higher in elevation and leaves the desert, if only for a short while.
It was such a dramatic change in scenery that we felt like we were walking a completely different trail!
Established trees in full leaf made us feel like we were back home in England.
Giant Purple Sage cloak the Southern Californian mountains in colour.
Crossing the 500 mile marker was not the only feat of the day. Without even realising it until we saw it later on our paper map, at Mile 511 where we crossed over Pine Canyon Road, we had also crossed the San Andreas Fault. Extending approximately 750 miles through California, it forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. We thought there could at least have been a sign or something alongside the PCT marker to alert us to a significant photo op! (We had the same lack of signage in Sweden when we didn’t know that we’d crossed into the Arctic Circle!)
As we hiked from one valley into another we could see the landscape in front of us change dramatically. Behind us now were the lush, green forested hills we had been walking through, whilst in front lay a series of smaller hillsides covered in dry, yellowed grasses, which then gave way to a flat, sprawling desert – the western Mojave basin, which was then flanked by higher mountains on the distant skyline. It all looked so hot, dry and vast, and we would be walking across it tomorrow!
Contemplating what we would be facing tomorrow… Crossing the Mojave desert before reaching the Tehachapi Mountains.
From a distance, it looked like we’d be crossing a landscape of dry, yellow sand. But as we got closer, we could see the area was covered in swathes of dried, yellow grass.
Following the dirt road that leads to Highway 138 and Hiker Town.
The last few miles across the dry hills seemed to wind on forever until finally the trail descended to a dirt road running alongside a farm that has a huge collection of old vehicles and junk dotted about the place. The road then intersects Highway 138, where across the road on the corner, the quirky ‘Hiker Town’ estate is located. Operated by Trail Angel Bob, he offers hikers a free place to camp, but you can also pay to stay in one of the unique out-buildings that make up Hiker Town. Having worked in the movie industry, Bob has created a miniature town with a Sheriff Station, City Hall, Hiker Town School, Post Office and Pacific Crest Saloon amongst other buildings. A little out-dated and rough around the edges now, but it is like walking into a movie set. We had heard conflicting stories about the place so we weren’t sure at first if we were just going to fill up with water then move on, but Bob was very welcoming when we arrived so we decided to camp and stay the night. (He also likes cats and has created a ‘Cat House’ for his pets, 3 of which we met, so he got some bonus points from us!)
Reaching the infamous ‘Hiker Town’. From the conflicting reviews that we’d read, we weren’t sure what to expect!
Like walking into a movie set, Hiker Town has all the elements that make up a real town.
Quirky and unique, Hiker Town is a fun stop on the PCT. (Camping is free, but if you want a room for the night, it’s a ‘no frills’ place so don’t expect too much!)
From Hiker Town there is a shuttle that takes hikers to a local store and grill every hour from 9am until 5pm, however we had missed the last shuttle as we didn’t arrive until 6pm. After dreaming about cold fizzy drinks and ice-creams all day we were a little disappointed, however we were able to buy some sodas from Bob, which we were very happy about!
Having not seen any hikers we knew for at least a few days now, we were also pleased to catch up with Nick and Tiahnna again who were also staying the night at Hiker Town. We hadn’t seen them since our first day at the KOA, so with doing the longer days and hiking more miles, we have finally caught up with some of our ‘regulars’. (We are also hoping to catch up with ‘Gandalph the Blonde’ by the time we reach Tehachapi, but who knows where on the trail he’s hanging out now.)
As we had water, we were able to cook spaghetti for dinner, which we had with pesto and olive oil, and was a little more filling, especially as we got ‘seconds’. That means we now also have some spare tortillas to save for another night when we are particularly hungry. (We’re now generally hungry most of the time, so anything extra is good!) We even raided the hiker bins here when we arrived and bagged ourselves some more hot chocolate sachets, so now we can treat ourselves to double chocolate powder for extra calories and extra flavour! So with a ‘double strength’ hot chocolate in us before bed, we went to sleep both satisfied and looking forward to tomorrow.
Day 42 – Monday 21st May 2018, Hiker Town at Mile 518 to Wild Camp at Mile 538, 20 miles
We were excited about today’s hike as we were going to be crossing the Mojave desert ‘proper’, following the aqueduct that feeds LA with its main water supply. Usually PCTers tend to night hike this section because of the extreme temperatures, but thankfully we had found ourselves in a lucky weather window, whereby the temperature was at least 10°C lower than the norm, and there was good cloud cover! (We certainly seem to be on the receiving end of some good karma lately!)
So we left Hiker Town around 7:30am, eager to get going and power through the miles as for the majority of the time, we’d be road walking alongside the aqueduct so we’d be able to make good time, especially as there was hardly any elevation change.
Leaving Hiker Town and heading into the Mojave. Thankfully we had a lucky weather window so we didn’t have to night hike this typically hot and dry section of the PCT.
Our first view of the aqueduct was of a fast flowing ‘river’ cutting through the desert, which looked very out of place considering how dry the past few days on the trail have been. Most of the springs are just a mere trickle and the majority of creeks we have passed have already run dry. Having been reliant on water tanks, caches and the hospitality of trail angels providing water faucets on their property, to see that much water flowing in the aqueduct was an amazing sight!
Seeing the aqueduct cutting right through the desert like this was quite surreal. We had not seen this much flowing water in weeks!
In case we were in any doubt…
After a short way, the aqueduct was then covered over, the water flowing through a large metal pipe that seemed to run for miles through the desert towards the mountains. However it wasn’t long until it then disappeared underground completely, covered over by slabs of concrete, which ran alongside a dirt road. As predicted, the road made for easy walking and even though we could still feel the sun on us though the cloud, there was a constant breeze keeping us cool, which was perfect. (We should have guessed about the constant wind seeing as there was a huge wind farm in the distance that the PCT crosses straight through!)
Following the aqueduct towards the Tehachapi Mountains.
Thrilled to have both clouds and wind that made this desert segment of the PCT much more bearable.
We knocked off 6 and a half miles within a couple of hours, so we stopped for our second breakfast as we were so hungry! (Today it was a Nature’s Bakery fig bar.) After 41 days on the trail, it seems ‘hiker hunger’ has finally hit us as we are now constantly thinking about food, what time it is, how long it is until our next snack, whether they’ll be any trail magic goodies, and what we can gorge ourselves on at our next town stop! It hasn’t helped that whilst taking the two zeros last week, we really over indulged and ate too much food as we could buy treats from the camp shop, that now we are hankering after sweet stuff and are not getting sufficiently full from our camp food. We can start buying extra rations on our next resupply, but our dilemma is that we don’t really want to carry more food as our packs are heavy enough! We might just have to change it up a little and look for denser foods with more calories per gram, but I’m sure Wayne will let you know of any new meal ideas in further segments of ‘Trail Kitchen’!
Taking a breather along the aqueduct. It was still hot – we were in the desert after all.
As the scenery changed little and the road was long, we were contemplating eating our lunchtime tuna mayonnaise wraps as early as 11:30am. But we resisted, instead deciding that we would listen to some music as we walked. We’ve never hiked to music before, but have passed several other hikers who listen to either music or audio-books so we decided that we’d give it a go as we were able to hike side by side along the road, and most of all we thought it would make the time go quicker. (And stop us fantasising about food for a while!)
Listening to music along a wilderness trail won’t be everyone’s cup of tea and usually we like to hear nature’s sounds around us and wouldn’t even think about playing any tunes to disturb the peace and quiet. However road walking, as good as it is for covering ground at a faster pace, can be monotonous and feel like you’re not really getting anywhere, so today the music was a real boost. We had so much fun singing along and pulling out a few dance moves here and there that the time passed by quickly and we really had a spring in our step as we seemed to walk in time to the beat.
The PCT runs right through the Iberdrola Wind Farm. Also known as the Mojave Wind Farm, with around 4,731 wind turbines, it has the second largest collection of wind generators in California and is the second largest onshore wind energy project in the world.
We managed to hold out for lunch until around 1pm, then covered another 4 miles or so (17 miles in total) by 2:45pm to reach the first point along the aqueduct where PCTers are given access to water by way of a tap next to Cottonwood Creek Bridge! The creek was bone dry, along with a water cache we passed a couple of miles earlier, so we were grateful of the faucet. As we were making really good time, we had a quick rest in the shade under the bridge along with several other thru-hikers who introduced themselves as Butterscotch, Snake, Double Check, Three Cats and Flash. We also saw Nick and Tiahnna, who having left Hiker Town around 6am were wrapped in their sleeping bags fast asleep having a mid-afternoon siesta. Note to selves – if we actually got on the trail earlier, we could do that too! But as we didn’t have that luxury, (and wanting to get to camp at a reasonable time today), after filtering water we were soon on our way again.
Beyond the Cottonwood Creek Bridge, the PCT then crosses the dirt road and continues on a single track straight through the Iberdrola Wind Farm. As we hiked on through, the wind was blasting us sideways it was that strong! Our plan today had been to push out another twenty miler, and camp around Mile 538, which we managed before 5pm. Towards the end of the wind farm there are several clusters of Californian Juniper trees growing just off the trail, that act as a perfect wind break. So we didn’t waste time debating where we were going to pitch and quickly found a spot that sheltered us from the brunt of the wind.
Panorama looking onto the extensive wind farm.
Photographing the wind turbines as we passed through. There were literally hundreds of them covering 24 square miles of the Mojave Desert oasis.
We were really pleased with our progress today as getting to camp early makes such a huge difference. We have much more time to get camp chores completed before dark and it doesn’t feel like we are just pitching then falling to sleep (which is what happens most nights as soon as dinner is done!) We also treated ourselves to 3 quesadillas instead of our usual 2 as we had a couple of tortillas left over, which was a good little reward for today’s hiking efforts.
Our lucky day! In the midst of one of the windiest areas created because the warm air of the Mojave Desert rises drawing cool air in from the Pacific Ocean between the Tehachapi Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, we find a sheltered spot between some Californian Juniper trees.
Overall, this week has been a real test both in terms of Wayne’s leg holding out, and whether or not we can manage the big mile days over a sustained period. Having completed 4 consecutive twenty mile days with another planned for tomorrow, we think we’re good for the increased mileage and back to peak fitness.
Our new concern for the moment (apart from the snow in the Sierra) is choosing the right food to keep us full for longer and having enough of it! (Especially with the added weight of a bear can, ice axe and micro spikes soon to be added to our packs!) We’ll certainly be enjoying double burgers and fries the next time we hit town and will be re-thinking our shopping list to try and keep hiker hunger at bay!
14 Comments
Another great post. I like your English spelling and style. How’s the crotch rot Wayne?
Glad you guys are still in it to win it
Thanks Splash! All is now good in the world again! We’re currently on a zero in Tehachapi (No shin splints or chafing at the moment!)
Looking forward to getting to the Sierra next week and reaching mile 700!
Considerable distances, certainly by the heat of the desert. The 2 rest days have done well. Send as many luxury items forward by mail, and replace them with the necessary items for the Sierra. Keep the total weight within the possible.
Wonderful report again.
Stay healthy and happy!
Walter
Thanks Walter! We’ve just sent an enormous package of food to Kennedy Meadows and ordered our bear cans, micro spikes and ice axes so we’ll be good to go! (I’m still keeping the frying pan!!!)
Loving following you both along the trail through your posts, Danielle. Well done to you and Wayne on your hike so far.
Thanks David! Still a long way to go but we’re thrilled to have passed the 500 mile marker 🙂
Sierra here we come!
Glad Wayne’s leg(s) are holding up. Hope the good karma continues
Thanks Robin, so do we! We seem to have been lucky in so many ways, and thankfully the legs are holding up too!
I will be looking forward to your posts in June and knowing that you have successfully passed the desert finally. Hope your legs and backs, feet and spirits hold up. What are the little wraps you both are wearing over the tops of your boots? To keep dust and dirt out of your feet?
Hi Garry,
Yes, it does seem to have taken an age to get through the ‘desert section’, although for a lot of the time it’s not seemed like being in a desert at all with all the greenery and flowers surrounding us!
We are all good now and very excited to be returning to the Sierra!
We wear ankle gaiters for exactly that reason, they keep the grit and grass seeds out of our shoes! The brand we wear now is direct from the US (we have found these to be the most comfortable and easiest to attach to your shoe) and are called Dirty Girl Gaiters. I bought the pair I still wear now for the GR20 in 2015 and they’re still going strong! 🙂 We can fully recommend them!
Don’t worry about the weight of the food going through the Sierra; that’s balanced out by the reduced water weight. The real difficulty is fitting enough food into your bear canisters. Good luck in the Sierra. It’s massive and truly awe inspiring.
I feel silly. I just realized you already hiked the JMT amd know what’s ahead of you.
No problem! Looking forward to water being everywhere!
Thanks Mike! Really looking forward to returning to the Sierra, especially as it’s a different season to when we were there last time. We’re dropping the mileage down to 12-15 miles per day to really take our time to enjoy it and concentrate on the photography. They’ll be a lot of uploading to do when we get to Bishop and Mammoth for resupply!