Month: June 2017

Woohoo zero day! In actuality it was a forced zero because we were waiting on packages at the post office which of course isn’t open on Sundays, but a zero day is meant to be enjoyed so that is what we did. The highlight of the day was a visit from Wolf Bird’s family friends. Micah and Bonnie and their two girls Nora and Maggie live in nearby Ridgecrest and made the drive to Lone Pine to see us, on Father’s Day at that! They met us at a cafe in town and we all sat and chatted for a while. Micah just completed an Ironman in Boulder, CO and it was amazing to hear about the race and all the training and planning that goes into undertaking such an incredible feat. I know walking 2650 miles sounds crazy to many, but to me an Ironman is far crazier and harder in many ways! The girls helped bake chocolate chip cookies that they gave to us which we enjoyed right away (no surprise there). Micah also brought clippers so Yote and Wolf Bird could pretty themselves up because they are very high maintainence and vein. Eventually the visit came to an end, and while it was short, it was a breath of fresh air to see familiar faces and simply have nice conversation and well wishes from friends. 

After that we occupied ourselves with lots of lounging and eating–what else is town good for but these things?! We are anxious to get out hiking and also (at least for me) feeling a tiny bit nervous at not knowing what to expect in this next section. There has been so much hype about all the snow in the Sierras this year (rightly so since its been a record snowfall year) that it’s hard to know what is accurate helpful information and what is rumor or over exaggerated fear mongering. We are keeping an open mind and excited to see what will unfold!

Today was a hell of a slog followed by beer and burgers. We only had 20 miles to get to Lone Pine where we needed to take a zero in order to get our resupply packages. It was probably a lazy move to resupply again so soon after Kennedy Meadows but Sherpa and I are not fans of long food carries and decisions you make before the trail, don’t always make the most sense once you start walking. It was also a sad day because we would have to set our little Tofu free into the wild as she is too hard core and doesn’t like going into town every second day. She was smart enough and didn’t have to resupply in Lone Pine so she would hike on with Bam Bam and most likely Boathouse and Vice.

We woke up late around 6 am because Tofu didn’t show up the night before. Sherpa and I had made a hasty decision to push on passed our agreed site around 17 miles, or so we thought. Actually the site was at 20 miles and the next campsite was around 24 miles. We covered a lot of elevation gain plus she wasn’t sure if we had passed her so she had camped a little before us with another couple. She of course caught us before we were really even out of our tents. She looked a little sad and annoyed that we didn’t send her a message that we went on but she was also getting harassed by a horde of mosquitoes and needed some deet.

Sherpa and I both carry 99% deet because it is magic and the only tool against a constant barrage of biting bugs. We were happy to share and also wanted to do something nice for our long lost friend who we would abandon again in a couple hours. So so sad.  It was surprising how soon after Kennedy Meadows that the bugs are a real problem so we were doing a lot of sharing throughout the day.

After a few minutes the Tofu took off, followed by Sherpa, myself, then Yote and 2.Toe. I only went about a mile then had to charge into the woods to do my daily ritual. When homage had been paid I hiked for a few miles and caught up to Yote and 2.Toe and they were having a grand time. They had some good blue grassy music playing and we were all so pumped to be high up and seeing some really breathtaking scenery. I walked with them for a couple miles and then they had to peel off to make an offering of their own.

Leaving the two worshipers behind I wandered through a high valley for a few miles and daydreamed as I meandered towards the first climb of the day. Just before the uphill and a 10 mile dry stretch I stopped to fill water at a stream. It was kind of odd, this was the first time I actually had to check the water report on my own for a while. Everyone is usually so vocal about the water situations I unusually am only looking to verify what everyone is talking about. Feeling a little overly proud of myself, I filled up my bottles carrying 1.7 liters and then turned around to find Sherpa, Bam Bam, and Tofu only a few yards away chilling hard in the shade.

They said they had yelled for me but the stream was narrow but noisy so I hadn’t heard. I sat with them and Tofu commented on how well the deet was working and asked if she could buy it off me. I said she could have it, especially since it was an old bottle that I made from two other old bottles and we were heading to town.

Soon we filled out of our comfy spot, this time Sherpa and I walked together and we began a long gradual assent in the heat of the morning. Apparently in the valley it was over 100 degrees so even at 10,000+ feet we were feeling quite warm. The climb gradually began to feel like a slog and we were really starting to feel the elevation though it wasn’t as bad as I imagined.

We took a break at a gorgeous view just at the summit of the climb. Bam Bam howled down to us from some prominent rock formations above and I dropped my pack and joined him. Below we could see Lone Pine and a large LA Watershed laying in a flat valley, sandwiched between the Sierra and a range that borders Death Valley. It was a breathtaking site.

I snapped some photos then I crawled over some snow piles and joined Sherpa at another amazing and flat view point. Soon we were joined by Tofu, 2.Toe and Yote. We all relaxed in the shade and sun, each according to their constitution and chatted.

I ate a ridiculously large lunch and then Sherpa and I took off and headed down into the valley. I thought that this descent was going to feel good after all that climbing but I had eaten so much food that I was falling asleep while walking! It is such a strange and difficult sensation. It feels exactly like driving while tired when you are drifting but trying desperately to stay awake. I was tottering down the trail and it was more difficult to walk than on the hard climb earlier that day. After an hour or so I regained control just in time for another climb. I was also running low on water, our multiple breaks took their toll on my already slim water rations. Sherpa was in the same boat and by the time we reached a cowy stream we were both down to the last drop and very parched.

Sherpa was very kind and shared a dirty mint with me to help stretch the water a little further. I had to spit out the sand and dirt but it really did help get me the few more miles needed.

We filled up at the stream and then walked a couple miles to a spring where we had planned to wait for Yote, 2.Toe, and Tofu. Yote and 2.Toe showed up but we didn’t stay long enough to see Tofu. We were anxious to get to the parking lot for prime hitching so we told Yote and 2.Toe if they saw her to say all kinds of Hiker Bully remarks.

We had 2 miles to the junction to Horseshoe Meadow and I got ahead of Sherpa. After the junction the trail split at a small sign. I continued own without really inspecting the sign and realized a mile or two later, that I was alone.  I turned back and raced back up the slope and anxiously looked for signs of Sherpa or the split. When I reached the split I decided that she probably took it and so I hurried down the trail watching the ground for signs of her tread.

Sherpa has a very distinct tread print that has a Keen brand on it. The brand is very small though so it only shows up in fine dirt. We were on pea sized gravel so I was having a very tough time tracking her. I did see signs that made me hopeful but I wasn’t confident for at least a mile. That was a scary mile!

Just as I started to be sure of myself I saw Yote and 2.Toe who were very surprised that I popped out behind them. I explained and then we marched on to find Sherpa.

She was waiting on us in the parking lot and she already had scored a Shasta and a ride!

We were greeted by Matt who is a freelance photographer living out of his truck and working at the lone pine gear shop. Matt had all kinds of great climbing gear so I was really excited and he took us flying down a winding road that descends 6000 ft in 23 miles. It was a gorgeous and scary descent. Mainly because we weren’t used to the road more so than any criticism of his driving abilities.

When we reached town he took us to the gear shop where they had set up a really nice little hiker hang out. There we met two other hikers and the owner. The best news of the day for Sherpa was that she could exchange her Darn Tuff socks at the store! She did that and Yote and 2.Toe did some shopping then we all drifted over to the Mt Whitney Cafe for burgers and beer!

We polished off 2 pitchers and then went back to the gear shop to grab our bags and find a stealth campsite. Matt took pity on us and gave us a ride just out of town where we found some good flat spots.

We set up our gear under the stars and then went to bed. I slept for a few hours but then woke up around 2 or 3 and could not for the life of me go back to sleep. The wind was whipping and the air gave me an unquenchable cotton mouth and dry nose. Eventually I gave up and started researching and finding constellations. I found the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, North Star, Sirius, Lupus, and a few others in spite of a very bright moon. At around 5 a.m. I gave up and walked around where we were camping. A quarter mile away I discovered a small campground next to a narrow rushing creek. There were lots of sleeping cowboy campers next to their cars and remnants of a big party last night.

Sherpa, by contrast, slept like a little hiker baby.

 

Tofu worked her magic to gather a group of us to leave Kennedy Meadows together and head into the Sierra. It was her, Yote and 2.Toe, Vice and Boathouse, and Bam Bam. Vice and Boathouse set out early and the rest of us packed up and left at 8AM. 
It was incredibly hot already at 8! Plus all of our packs were quite heavy with the new gear we got at KM: bear canisters, ice axes, crampons/microspikes, and warm layers. Our first few miles were still through the desert and were very warm with the sun beating down on us. After that we started climbing and heading up into more mountainous terrain. Unfortunately the area we walked through was burned from a forest fire years ago so it was less lush than it once was, and also very hot. 

After a couple hours we left the burn area and came across a beautiful lush open grassy meadow with views of the snow capped Sierra in the distance. We took a break in the shade of a big tree and soaked up the beautiful views. After our break we sort of split into groups to walk with–we planned to go to a campsite at mile 721 and stay there or see how we felt when we got there. The different couples each walked together and Tofu and Bam Bam did their own things. Wolf Bird and I went ahead and the others took breaks for a little longer. 

We eventually went across a beautiful bridge over a river in the meadow and swallows were swooping around to their nests under the bridge which made an amazing sight. There were many people taking a break by the bridge but we decided to press on a bit more. We have a joke that we are “hiker bullies” because we like to pick on each other all the time. We also joke that we are “about the miles, not the smiles” which is switching around a phrase that people often use to remind themselves to enjoy their hike. As we walked, Wolf Bird and I had fun coming up with different little Dr Seuss rhymes about caring about miles instead of having fun. For example, some highlights were: “if you’re still having fun, you aren’t yet done” and “if your energy isn’t diminished, you aren’t finished”. 

As we walked we eventually came across a Hungarian guy we knew walking south instead of north. I liked him because before on a tough day he told me about the PCT that “it’s no merry Christmas everyday” in a thick accent and I found that a hilarious made up idiom and also really accurate. Anyway, he was walking the opposite direction and told us he had gone to mile 780 and there was a tough summit or two and also that he saw a bear and mountain lion tracks and also that he was done with the trail and walking back to Kennedy meadows and was doing a 35 mile day. He was a big ball of energy, mostly of frustration, and we felt bad he was having such a tough time. All of a sudden a thought came to him and he grabbed a small yellow bell off his pack and held it out to Wolf Bird for him to take it. He said it was to make noise so bears wouldn’t get us. Wolf Bird politely declined (this is a pretty pointless and excessive piece of gear–Bears would definitely hear our voices and be scared, or even if they didn’t get scared away we could easily yell at them if we needed). This guy shouted “nein” at wolf bird and made him take the bell so the rest of the day it sounded like a pack animal or Santa’s sleigh was walking behind me. 
Wolf Bird and I took a break at a stream and two retired guys Mayo and Z Man eventually caught up. We chatted with them for a bit-they’ve both hiked the AT before (separately, as they met on the PCT). Wolf Bird put his feet in the stream and almost cried it was so cold. Seems like a great sign for the many cold river fords we have ahead of us. 
We were kind of waiting for the rest of the group, but we waited an hour and no one showed up. We were getting antsy so we decided to walk another 3.5 miles to the campsite we’d talked about stopping at. The walking was uphill and was surprisingly strenuous–I think the high elevation of 8000 feet or so was making me more exhausted than usual. We got to the campsite and were hot and sweaty and to top it off there were mosquitoes swarming us. There wasn’t much shade either so we sat for a couple minutes swatting mosquitoes and feeling pretty miserable. As we were discussing what to do, Bam Bam caught us and told us the others were behind taking a break. We debated whether to stop or go on. It was only 430 or so and we didn’t feel like setting up our tent in the hot sun (as opposed to shade if there had been any) so we decided to press on another three and a half miles to the next listed campsite. This also meant we’d get the rest of the climbing up this big hill out of the way and not have to do it tomorrow morning. 

Bam Bam was on board but decided to take a break and said he’d pass on the plan to the others if we saw them. We debated trying to write a note to the others in the sand or something so they would know we went on, but decided they’d figure it out. We continued our climb up and came across some patches of snow. It was crazy to see snow when the air temp must have been at least 80 or 85. I’m sure a few weeks ago much of the trail in this area was covered in snow. We had amazing views of the mountains as we climbed and it made me so happy to see them as well as be surrounded by trees. 
We got to the campsite around 630 or so and found a bunch of other people already set up there. We didn’t know any of them but luckily there was plenty of tent space. It was super buggy so we put on some deet we’d just got at Kennedy meadows (thanks mom and dad!) and that did the trick. We set up our tent and cooked some dinner. A guy at KM had given wolf bird a mountain house meal and he had the most amazing dinner of chicken fajitas–it tasted like something you’d get at a restauarant. Bam Bam arrived not long after us but after an hour or so of no one else arriving we were getting a bit worried the others weren’t going to come. Just when we were going to give up, Yote and 2.Toe showed up! They told us them and Tofu had been confused when we weren’t at the last campsite and even thought we might have somehow gotten behind them. They pressed on to a campsite that was 0.5 miles past the last and still we weren’t there! Tofu was getting water and Yote and 2.Toe were waiting for her but when it was super buggy and she hadn’t shown up after a while, they decided to hike on and just asked a couple camped there to tell Tofu they were hiking on. 
We chatted with them and Bam Bam and as it grew darker we realized Tofu probably wasn’t coming. We all felt bad that we hadn’t waited for her and hoped she wasn’t mad! She loves doing big mile days so we thought she’d be excited we went further. I had somehow thought we’d hiked only 20 miles for the day but actually it was 23, so it was a pretty big day out of KM when we intended to not do a big day. We got into our tents (wolf bird and I watched some Abbot and Costello on his phone) and went to bed hoping Tofu would catch us in the morning and not hate us forever. 

Not too much to report today. Basically we spent the day lounging and clapping for hikers as they came in. In the morning Yote and I went to breakfast and got trapped at the Grumpy Bear, a breakfast joint about 3 miles from the general store where we were staying. We took one of the first shuttles out and then they were apparently cleaning the truck so we didn’t get back till late in the afternoon.

A couple games of hearts, Coors Lights, and burgers later it was evening. I had been waiting all day for the shade to reach the large driveway so we could play frisbee. As soon as there was just enough shade for me to stand under on one side and someone else on the other, I asked Yote to play. He agreed and we started tossing it around. Before long we had a rotating group of players having fun running around the dusty parking lot. The highlight of the day was when Vice put a beer bottle on his head and Yote send a disk flying and knocked it off! It was hilarious. Vice is a brave man willing to sacrifice his body for a little entertainment.

Sherpa went to bed as soon as it started getting dark and I spent a few minutes talking with Vice, Boathouse, Bam Bam, Tofu, and two other hikers then we all made our way over to the fire where people were sharing the best moment of the day. I walked up after Vice had just gone and shared the frisbee bottle story and apparently he had just done the same so we got a laugh.

I listened to a few more stories and then headed to my tent where I met Sherpa and before long we were asleep like little hiker babies.

We had an easy day of under five miles today until we reached the big milestone of Kennedy Meadows. Kennedy Meadows marks the end of the 700 mile desert section of the PCT and also is the gateway to the Sierras. After Kennedy Meadows is when we encounter one of the most beautiful yet also potentially most dangerous sections of trail. It is where the “real” mountains begin. It is a big milestone for all PCT hikers and it is tradition for hikers to be greeted by applause and cheering by the hikers already at Kennedy Meadows. We were all excited to reach this milestone today!
The morning hike was easy and quick. We passed the 700 mile mark and took a quick selfie and the five of us walked most of the way together. As we approached the road that goes to the general store (the general store is 0.7 miles down the road from the trail), there was a trail register. We stopped and signed our names (these appear randomly along the trail and are nice to be able to see how far ahead other hikers we’ve met are) and as we did so we noticed a guy in a white pickup truck sitting parked at the road. We dawdled a bit but the guy stayed parked looking at us. When we finally walked out to the road the guy asked if we wanted a ride for the 0.7 miles to the store. We said ok and hopped in the truck, glad to avoid walking any off trail miles. 
We pulled up to the general store and felt a little cheap and guilty to reach the milestone in a car rather than by foot. The driver shouted to the hikers at the store, “what do we do when new hikers arrive?” and everyone clapped and cheered. Not the exact tradition but we will take what we can get. Many of the hikers were actually waiting for the truck because it also shuttles hikers from the general store to Grumpy Bear Restaurant a couple miles down the road. 
There was a bit of chaos as we were arriving and other hikers started jumping in the truck to go to the restaurant. I started getting out but heard Wolf Bird saying he wanted to stay in to go get breakfast. The other three didn’t hear and jumped out only to discover there was now not enough space for them to get back in and go get breakfast. They said they’d catch the next ride and off we went in the truck. 
Grumpy Bears serves all you can eat pancakes, but for almost everyone that amounts to one pancake. The reason for this is that their pancakes are over a foot in diameter! We also got eggs and potatoes and bacon. Tofu and Yote and 2.Toe came along shortly and we had a nice breakfast with them along with an Australian couple we just met, Flash and Sam. 

We hung out for a while until we could get a ride back to the general store. There we spent the rest of the day relaxing and eating and drinking and catching up with other hikers we hadn’t seen in a while. It was cool to have all the hikers in one place, sitting on the porch of the general store for the day. We plan to zero tomorrow as well so we have time to sort out our gear and food from our packages and also so we can get to our next time on a weekday when the post office is open. 
While hanging out we managed to convince Vice and Boathouse, two guys who started the same day as us, to take an extra zero and head out with us on Friday. We had a fun lazy day and drank lots of beer and laughed a lot and played some card games. In the evening we had a fire under a big teepee structure, except it was just the wooden poles of the teepee lacking the actual canvas. It was nice to hang out and hear people tell funny stories etc. We went to bed past hiker midnight at 9 or so. 

We slept in this morning and the rest of the gang went to grab some breakfast while I stayed at our hotel and caught up on our blog and showered and relaxed. We finished up our chores before meeting Far Out at the cafe downtown at noon. He was very patient waiting for us to get our fill of coffee and ice cream before heading back to the trail. We were so grateful that he was willing to drive us back to the trail because it was a 45 minute drive away!
When we arrived at the trailhead we snapped some group photos and gave Far Out hugs goodbye before setting off on our uphill climb to start the afternoon. Luckily it was breezy and cool, making the climb a bit easier. We didn’t have a set destination for the day, but planned to stop and assess at a spring about ten miles ahead. Well actually it was 12 miles but we somehow did our math wrong and thought it was ten miles away until we got there. 
The terrain was already changing into rocky mountains instead of bare sandy desert hills. It was strikingly beautiful and we snapped a lot of photos. We passed Bam Bam on the way to the spring and found out Pebbles is nursing a chronic leg injury and they may be getting off trail, which we were sad to hear. 

We got to the spring around 5pm and debated whether to camp nearby or go another 5 miles to the next water and campsite. We decided to press on and the next five miles went by pretty quickly. We saw a snake too!

We got to the campsite to discover many tents already set up in the woods but luckily found enough space for the five of us. We cooked dinner and chatted. I eventually went to fill up my water at the nearby creek and when I came back I discovered a Smirnoff Ice in my pack!!! I had been betrayed. You see, back in Kernville Tofu had secretly bought a Smirnoff Ice and told me she wanted to “ice” Wolf Bird. If you aren’t familiar, “icing” someone was popular 5-10 years ago and is when you hide a Smirnoff Ice for someone to find and if they find it they have to immediately take a knee and chug the entire drink. I told Tofu that I’d help her get Wolf Bird so I was appalled she would turn the tables and ice me. 
When I discovered the drink, rather than chug it, I made a proposal. I suggested we continue the icing (hiding it in each others’ packs) until town and whoever ended up with the drink in their pack when we get to Kennedy Meadows would be the one who has to chug it. Everyone agreed and so began the distrust within our group! 
After that fiasco we soon went to bed and I already plotted to hide the Smirnoff Ice in Wolf Bird’s pack before setting out in the morning so I could avoid carrying the extra weight. 

Today was an easy day. We only had 8.2 miles to Walker Pass, where we planned to head to Lake Isabella. We had heard good things about Lake Isabella and we were looking forward to a town stop and a resupply. Some people skipped this resupply because it is known as a long hitch. The closest town is over 30 miles from the trail. Some hikers carried enough food from Tehachapi to get them all the way to Kennedy Meadows. We, on the other hand, love light packs and so of course we planned on stopping.

8.2 miles flew by in no time with much of the same desert conditions that we had been experiencing. It was a bit windy, but nothing like the passed day or two. A quarter mile from the road at Walker Pass, we found some hikers and a bunch of trail magic with tons of donuts. This has been an abundant trail!

While Sherpa, Tofu, and I were waiting for Yote and 2.Toe to show up, a Hungarian hiker walked up. He was a hiker I met a couple days ago because he had dropped his water bottle and I chased him down to return it. He was very grateful as we were in supposedly a really dry stretch. Of course there were water caches so he was in no real danger either way. Regardless, he was very scared and now we were good friends.

I could tell he was still not having a good time and he told me in broken English that he was getting off trail at Kennedy Meadows. He said that the PCT was too hard and he was done. It is interesting how different people have such different experiences in relatively the same environments. We all have our own struggles and there are more and more people leaving the trail for this reason or that reason. The snow in the Sierra Nevada is an excuse for many people and I don’t judge  anyone for making the decision to leave. I know it is one of the hardest decisions to live with after the trail.  As a hiker, you have invested so much time, energy, and money towards one aim and you are deciding to give it up. That has a cost of its own that likely weighs on everyone differently but it is significant.

Yote and 2.Toe showed up and the five of us headed to the road.

We were really excited to be at Walker Pass and 

It was SOO windy last night all night long. We’ve had some windy evenings but usually the wind had died down overnight. Not the case last night. Our tent was flapping around and swaying all night long. The wind was so strong that the stakes in Yote and 2.Toe’s tent came out overnight! Luckily ours stayed but we definitely had a restless night of sleep. 

Tofu and Yote and 2.Toe all got up early and were hiking by 4:30AM to try to beat the heat (we’d soon find out it was a surprisingly cool day actually). Wolf Bird heard them stirring and asked if I wanted to get up too and I of course said no at this ungodly hour. We slept for a while longer and set out around 6:30AM. It was still soo windy out. I am not great at estimating wind speeds so I really don’t know how hard the wind was blowing, but we were literally getting blown off the trail by the wind. It took a lot of work to walk into the wind and fight the wind to walk in a straight line. To make matters even more challenging, the trail in this area was all loose sand underfoot. It felt like walking on a beach with our calves burning. That, combined with leaning all our body weight forward to make forward progress as we walked into the wind made for slow going. Wind also makes me uneasy and feel rushed so I felt like I couldn’t even stop to catch my breath or take a break. It was tough mentally but also I had to just laugh a couple of times at how insane these conditions were!

We headed to Bird Spring Pass, 6.5 miles from where we camped, where there was a water cache. We didn’t know if the cache would be stocked (trail Angels from the area leave gallons upon gallons of water there every few days), so we’d packed enough water to get us through a 30 mile dry section just in case. The cache ended up being full but we didn’t even need water since we were carrying so much and drinking so little since it was a really chilly day, especially with the wind. 

After the cache we had a climb that looked intimidating on the elevation profile, going up to about 7000 feet. Thankfully, it turned out to be easier than expected and the hill we were climbing blocked a big portion of the wind making the walking easier. Once we got to the top of the mountain and started descending the other side, the wind was much less intense much to my delight. There were some beautiful views from the top as well. 

We descended down the other side and eventually came upon Yote and 2.Toe napping on the side of the trail. I found it hilarious where they chose to take a break because it was one of the windier spots and they were also laying on a super big slope. It was good to catch them and we stopped and chatted and snacked with them and another guy, Glass Half Full. We hadn’t stopped for a break except for at the water cache because it was so windy and cold, so we’d made good progress. We only had 4.5 miles or so until where we planned to camp… And it was only noon! We obviously could have pushed on further and gone into town tonight (another 7 miles past) but I was in no rush. 

We had a leisurely last 5 miles to the cabin we planned to stay at. Part of it was on a dirt forest service road and some dune buggies drove by us which was crazy. Right as we were nearing the cabin, five 4×4 jeeps passed us, also heading toward the cabin. 

The cabin was a quarter mile off trail and also had a nice spring at it. The cabin itself was dirty and gross with trash and graffiti everywhere. The area around it was nice though, with some shade and also a fire ring and even some chairs (quite the luxury!). Tofu had gotten to the cabin around 1 and was restless since it was around 230 now. I felt bad because we were holding her back… Hopefully she doesn’t hate us too much for being lazy. 

There was about 6 or so guys from the 4x4s milling about and we sort of felt like we had to compete with them for flat tentsites. But luckily four of the six cars decided to leave since it was still early in the day and we didn’t have to worry about it. We set up our tents and had a long and leisurely afternoon. I cooked a mid afternoon meal and Wolf Bird went and chatted up some guys who came in on dirt bikes and scored a couple beers from them, one of which he generously shared. Two of the guys from the 4x4s planned to stay overnight and started building a fire, which was a welcome sight since it was still pretty chilly. We went and hung out by the fire and chatted with the two guys. They were so nice and interested in our hike and also let us wash our hands in their hand washing station and also shared moonshine with us. We met two other thru hikers, Tinkle Master and Totem, and eventually some other thru hikers we already knew also showed up. It was our first campfire of the trail and it was a nice change having time to sit around and relax and chat in the afternoon and evening. We went to bed excited for an easy day to town tomorrow. 

Today was the day of Joshua Trees. Though we started in a beautiful pine forest we eventually descended to the hot desert with Joshua Trees everywhere with large clusters of fruit all over them.

Sherpa and I woke up around 5:30 and I packed up and walked a couple miles into a pine forest and caught up to the three of them at a stream where we filled up our bottles and then moved on. A couple miles later the trail led us to a road crossing where we noticed a can parked oddly and we thought it had wrecked.

When we rounded the corner we saw that it was trail magic! Santa’s Little Helper was there taking time off his hike to do trail magic out of his rental car. He had sodas and snacks and we pigged out for about 15 minutes.  Santa’s Little Helper was telling us he got out at Walker Pass and was waiting for the conditions to improve. He also said he would take a siesta every day under a Joshua Tree.  Both Sherpa and I were thinking to ourselves , “those trees are so small, how can you siesta under those?”

We were on our way and I spent some time chatting with the Jew Crew from Israel. That made the miles to by quickly and it was nice because the heat was kicking up.  After a while Sherpa caught up and we left them under the shade of a large rock.

We hiked a few more miles in the zone and came to Kelso Road where we heard there was a water cache. We all met up and and sure enough the only shade there was a Joshua Tree, where ironically we spent a few hours in the shade.

Sherpa and I were watching a movie when a hiker rolled up with a Mojave Green Rattlesnake in his hand. He said that the snake charged him and he stepped on its head. He was afraid it would bite him so he cut off its head!

I could tell from his tone and my tramily agreed that he was sad and felt he had to do what he did. All in all I am happy he didn’t have a $100,000 medical bill and have to leave the trail. I am sorry that the snake had to die but the outcome was respectable considering the circumstance.

After admiring the Mojave Green we packed up and were on our way. Pretty soon the wind picked up significantly. It was a bit of a grind dealing with such fierce, dry wind.

We arrived at camp pretty early and it seemed at first that our site was out of the wind. After we had spent a few minutes there it was apparent that it just felt sheltered because we had endured such a blustery climb. It turned out to be a very windy spot and it was hard to cook because our stoves kept blowing out.

Tofu and then 2.Toe and Yote showed up and made camp as well. They seemed pretty annoyed with the wind as well. We did our usual heckling of each other and then got into our tents.

Sherpa and I watched the rest of our movie and then switched off our phone and slept like little hiker babies.