May 14, 2016

Bushcamp (mile 582.7) to bushcamp (mile 603.7)

Miles: 21

We camped on a ridge near windmills. In hindsight it makes sense why it was so darn windy last night.

Our tent was like a bucking bronco thrashing in the wind. It held up great but Laurie was startled awake a few times when the tent fabric abruptly brushed up against her face.

The wind was intense and made packing up more of a challenge. More than other mornings we had to work together to make sure nothing blew away in the process.

Not even gutting wind could keep us from hitting the trail before 7am. Go us. We’re getting faster with our morning routines.

The air was cool and made colder by the wind. Hiking to Golden Oaks Spring this morning felt a lot harder than it did last night without our packs.

We filled up at the spring with 5 liters each. It was 19 miles to the next water source and if today was anything like yesterday, we would be thirsty!

We met 3 section hikers at the spring and chatted with them as we slowly filled our 10 liters.

We shouldered our now heavy packs at 7:45am and hit the trail. For the most part the trail was mellow. Gentle ups and downs with a few steeper sections around down trees.

We’ve decided Andy will lead on this leg of the hike for a few reasons. One to change things up, and two so he can be in more pictures.

All was going well. Then Andy suddenly stopped. Laurie, who likes to walk on people’s heels, nearly ran into him. There, on the trail was another rattlesnake (we came across a rattlesnake yesterday evening too). He was partially coiled with his head raised – staring at us with his beady black eyes and tongue going in and out.

We waited a few minutes until he slithered away back into the bushes. Laurie was relieved that Andy was leading and we continued on.

“That was the least scariest snake encounter I’ve had. Thank you” Laurie told Andy.

Not even 5 minutes later Andy came to a sudden stop once more. Whadya know, another rattle snake was sunning itself just off the trail. At first it didn’t care about our presence. No rattle. Heck, it wasn’t even looking in our direction. But when Andy intentionally got closer to get it to move, it got real angry, lifted its head, started rattling up a storm and retreated into the bushes.

While waiting for the snake to retreat, Andy noticed Poodle Dog Bush about 10 feet away from the trail. He mentioned it to Laurie but didn’t give it much more thought.

Not taking any chances we went off the trail to give ourselves plenty of room to get by the snake as we couldn’t see it any longer but could hear it rattling.

We continued walking through a burn area. It’s been a while since a trail crew has been through here. Plants are overgrown, trees down and our least favorite plant – poodle dog bush – lined the trail, especially at mile 591.

We thought we were done with this noxious bush and were not too keen to be reunited. Luckily the plants were small and we were able to step around them.

We walked for another mile and decided to take a lunch break under a beautiful oak tree. This part of the trial is stunning. Green hillsides and grassy meadows. The wind creates ripples as it moves through the grass as if waving hello.

After we got going again, the trail started to climb. No switchbacks, just a consistent uphill for about 2 miles. It was warm and Andy set a good strong pace. We our fourth snake of the day here too. A small, thin, greenish grey snake with a reddish underbelly. It quickly scurried off the trial. Whew.

We passed 2 of the 3 people we have been leap frogging with today and found the 3rd, Big Red, sitting on a rock at the top of the hill filtering water.

We took a breather and chatted for a few minutes before continuing on. The trail wound through a pine forest minimally gaining or losing elevation. The ground was soft and the smell of pine trees lifted our spirits. We are transitioning out of the desert and into the Sierras.

The trail joined a dirt road where we encountered a very nicely made 600 mile marker. We took a few pictures and continued on. Laurie’s feet were starting to ache and she had already eaten her daily allotment of candy. Needless to say she was uncomfortable. And when she becomes uncomfortable she gets quiet.

Just after the 600 mile marker we turned a corner and were surprised to see a truck coming right at us. The owner of this beautiful property was driving very slowly and stopped to chat with us before moving on.

We made it to Robin Bird Spring about 6:15 pm. There eating dinner were Walking home and Phillip- 2 hikers we started the day with yesterday. They thought we were miles ahead and we thought they were behind us.

The trail really is funny like that. Hard to really know where other hikers are if you are not in constant communication with them.

We made the final push to camp 1.3 miles from the spring only to get there and not like it very much. Four tenths of a mile away was another campsite so we hiked on. Nearing the site we noticed a bright green tent already set up there.

Darn.

“Over here” Andy shouted toward Laurie.

To the right of the trail and slightly uphill of the next camp was a relatively flat spot tucked away in the trees.

We decided to call it home as it was already 7:15pm.

We made dinner, talked about this and that, and cleaned up.

We’re tired. It was a long day.

Laurie was asleep by 8:45pm while Andy finished putting away the stove and blogging. It’s half an hour past hiker midnight and time for some shuteye. Hopefully we’ll sleep better tonight. It’s windy but we’re in the cover of trees.

Tonight we are grateful for beautiful mountains and soft dirt covered in pine needles.

May 13, 2016

Highway 58 crossing (mile 566.3) to bushcamp (mile 582.7)

Miles: 16.4

Our alarms went off at 5:10am. It felt early! We both slept deeply- so deeply in fact we did not hear any of the train noise we had been warned about.

Laurie, who likes to take every opportunity to get clean, took one last shower. Unfortunately the cleanliness didn’t last long as she dropped chocolate bits of her Amazing Grass bar on her shirt as we waited outside for our ride.

Chocolate mixed with dirt… yum!

We had arranged for a local trail angel to come get us and another hiker named Walking Home, at 6 am.

We sat outside and around 6:10 Rodney showed up. We piled 3 backpacks into the trunk of his car and were on our way.

We picked up the trail exactly where Paisley had picked us up the day before. The air was slightly chilly, exactly why we wanted to get an early start.

The first two miles of the trail were nearly non existent. Last year flash floods caused huge mudslides that washed out the trail and the highway, trapping many cars and trucks in thick mud.

We walked on loose rocks stuck in sand, past Joshua trees and eventually re-united with our 18 inch strip of dirt- aka the PCT.

We both felt slow and tired this morning. We were carrying 5 days of food and 4 liters of water each.

To make matters worse we only slept 6 hours last night. Not nearly enough for our bodies and minds to recover from the daily physical exertion.

And, this morning was all about climbing: 2,323 ft over 7 miles. We slowly switchbacked up the exposed hillside as the heat intensified. There were moments of relief when the wind picked up but mainly it was just. plain. hot!

Near the top of the climb, we found a shady spot off the dirt road and enjoyed our first lunch.

We hiked on said dirt road for a few miles. Laurie felt as though she were sleep walking and Andy’s yawning didn’t help. Just after 1 pm we took a 2nd lunch break. Laurie quickly fell asleep on Andy’s shoulder. As the sun once again encroached in our shade we readjusted and Laurie took a 2nd delicious nap.

We needed the rest. Towns have been hard for us. Going into town is exciting, but once there, we don’t really relax. We go into town feeling light and free only to return to the trail feeling heavy and burdened with responsibilities.

We have long to do lists for our town stops, including checking in with family, purchasing and figuring out where to send new gear and updating our blog and social media.  We haven’t yet figured out how to balance responsibilities, preparation for the next section and rest. Hopefully we’ll figure it out sooner than later.

Revitalized by the rest and cooling air we walked the remaining 5 miles to camp. We were running low on water and debated whether to look for spots after the spring 0.6 miles away.

Since we really enjoy dry camping, and knowing that there aren’t many places to camp near the spring, we decided to set up our tent and walk the 1.2 miles roundtrip to get more water. The spring looked gross with green algae growing out of the trough but the water looked clear.

In the desert we’ll take water where we can get it, and luckily this water was clean and delicious. Andy can taste the difference in water but Laurie can’t. Not sure who’s better off there.

We were only minutes away from our tent after getting water when we heard a familiar rattle. Andy was leading and picked up the pace while Laurie stopped in her tracks, curling her toes inside her shoes.

Near the trail was a HUGE rattlesnake. Laurie tried to walk around but couldn’t get herself to do it. Eventually the snake slithered across the trail and into the rocks, allowing us to continue on.

We were slightly jarred but grateful for the reminder that we are still in the desert and in snake country! Now we know that snake hour is 7am to 7pm. Guess Andy will be leading through the rest of the desert.

Once back to the safety of our tent we ate dinner and got ready for bed. We are tired and it’s hiker midnight (9pm). Time to sleep. Goodnight.

Tonight we are grateful for our quick reflexes and comfy air mattresses.

May 12, 2016

Oak Creek Canyon (mile 558) to Highway 58 (mile 566.3)

Miles: 8.3

“You’re going to Mojave? I’m sorry.”

That’s what we’ve been hearing from trail angels and hikers for days now. Almost everyone is headed into Tehachapi, but not us.

A cheap room and a shower were calling our names.

We woke up at 4am to hike 8.3 miles by 8am. We had arranged a ride and didn’t want to be late.

By 4:45am, under the cover of darkness, we set off. The temperature was mild and the breeze refreshing.

We were excited to finally be night hiking, something we’ve wanted to do for a while.

Laurie decided to lead us into the darkness.

“Three squeals and I’m taking over” Andy told Laurie.

“Okay.” She replied with a smile.

The hiking was tranquil and enchanting. Rolling hills, wind turbines and an orange sky.

Wow.

Wind farms are huge! The wind turbines themselves are large (each blade requires a semi truck to be transported). Dirt roads wind through each farm, big enough to allow a semi truck to comfortably make the turns.

We hiked through the green hills, passed cute cows and down to Highway 58, getting there at 7:50am.

8 by 8. Check!

Paisley arrived exactly on time and greeted us both with a warm smile and deep hug. We instantly felt comfortable with her, as if we were seeing with an old friend.

We were so thankful for the ride and conversation.

Thanks Paisley. You rock!!

We arrived at Motel 6 before 9am. We were given a room and informed that there was no hot water but that they were working on it.

We were really looking forward to a shower, but alas, we were presented with another opportunity to practice patience and accept change as it happens. We could have taken a cold shower but weren’t that desperate yet.

We picked up our resupply packages and a special package from Laurie’s friend, and went to our room.

“Brownies!!” Laurie said with sheer excitement.

Since we couldn’t shower, and to keep Laurie from eating the entire bag in one  sitting (though she was standing), we went to the supermarket across the highway.

We walked back to our room with a rotisserie chicken, potato chips, hummus, salad greens, carrots, a bell pepper, apples, an avocado and 6 liters of water for the waterless stretch ahead.

We devoured the chicken with salad greens, ate the rest of the brownies and washed it all down with water. Andy has a headache which is probably from the lack of sleep, but hydrating doesn’t hurt.

Laurie was really excited about watching movies on TV. She was in heaven crunching on an apple while watching Miss Congeneality.

We relaxed, made phone calls, wrote emails, did laundry and organized our food for the next section.

Where does the time go?

Andy finally tried the shower and wouldn’t you know it, the water was hot.

We each enjoyed a nice warm shower and may even dabble in the life of luxury and take another in the morning.

Once again it is far too late. So many distractions when there is wifi and TV! We look forward to getting back out to the stars and moon.

From what we have gathered, these next 6 days are the driest and most remote of the desert section. We probably won’t have service but will upload posts when we can.

Tonight we are grateful for warm showers and avocados.