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6/8/2017: Mile 573.3 to Robin Bird Spring Mile 602.1

We had 10 miles to go this morning to our first water source. The morning was a bit cooler than usual which made for nice walking. We passed the last of the wind turbines and I was so focused on taking a video of them that I almost didn’t notice two deer standing within ten feet of me! It is pretty unbelievable to me that deer live in the desert, since I associate them so much with woods and trees. 


We got to the spring probably around 9 or 930 and hung out for a bit waiting for Tofu, Yote, and 2.Toe. We were debating how much water to carry. The next water source was 18.8 miles away, so usually we’d carry maybe 3 liters for that far. However, if we planned to camp before the next water source we’d need to carry more water so we have enough to cook dinner and drink overnight when usually we get thirsty. Wolf Bird floated around the idea of walking the entire 18.8 miles today–which isn’t too far, but we’d already done ten miles for the day so that would make almost 30 miles for the day! That would be our longest day yet and I was not feeling it, especially since we are trying to slow down a bit to allow the snow further up the trail more time to melt. Wolf Bird asked Tofu when she arrived if she’d be up for walking to the next water source and she said yes, although Yote and 2.Toe were more in my camp when he asked them. For some reason I have to start the day knowing I’m going to have a big mile day. I really struggle with changing my plan to include higher miles when it’s midday. We didn’t really have a set plan when we got back to hiking after getting our water, but I sort of knew that now I felt obligated to do the big miles because it’d been discussed. I was really not happy about it and felt pressured into it and pouted about it for a while. 

I put in my headphones for most of the rest of the day which helped the miles go by more quickly. I listened to almost all of the podcast S-Town, which I had started before trail but never finished. It was a nice change listening to a podcast so it took my mind off my frustrations. Wolf Bird and I walked together the rest of the day with Tofu and Yote and 2.Toe not far behind. We only took two breaks the remainder of the day–we both prefer getting the walking over with so we can have maximum relaxation time. 


It did get hot later in the day and we had some uphill sections, one of which was steeper than most and really exhausted me! At one point we rounded a bend and saw “600” written in sticks on the ground. My immediate reaction was wondering why someone would write that as a joke-it seemed cruel! I really didn’t think we were already at mile 600! It seemed like we were just at mile 500. We snapped a quick picture and I was happy to know (after Yote and 2.Toe pointed out) that finally I had fewer miles than the entire Appalachian Trail remaining. 
We kept pushing to the next water source and finally arrived around 5:30. There were a few people there packing up to hike a few more miles after apparently taking their afternoon siestas. It was nice to arrive at camp earlier than usual and we took advantage by cooking double dinners. Soon Tofu and Yote and 2.Toe showed up and we hung out in our tent (it was cold) and chatted with them as they cooked their dinners. It was a big mile day today but felt doable, although we probably should have taken more breaks so it would’ve felt more leisurely. We went to bed exciting for a more relaxing 20 mile day tomorrow. 

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6/7/2017 Tehachapi 566.4 to Tentsite at 573.3

Today was pretty straight forward, or maybe it seems that way because I don’t feel like blogging that much.  Our plan was to neero out of Tehachapi and so we really took our time getting out of town.  I woke up early and ate breakfast at the hotel. We had some time to kill and I needed to do my blog so Tofu, Sherpa, and I went to the bakery and sat and drank coffee. Sherpa and Tofu worked on crosswords with eacbother. Afterwards Sherpa and I went to the pool for an hour or so. Luckily Snoop, Hikerpedia, and Kristen were taking over our room so we were able to hang out in the room until we were ready to go. 

We hung out until 5 and then headed to the road for a hitch. We got a ride within minutes from a guy in a truck. In a classic PCT coincidence the guy that picked us up was the same guy who heckled me for standing up like an old man at the Mexican restaurant the day before. He was really nice and we had a really enjoyable ride out.  He was an avid biker and was telling us about the many nearby mountbiking trails. 
We arrived at the trail and Tofu and Sherpa took off. I turned around and saw Yote and 2.Toe! I waited for them and we chatted for a couple miles until Yote had to pee then I took off and started hiker Excite Bike. I passed a lot of hikers that were carrying enough food to make it to Kennedy Meadows. They were carrying 7 days of food and it looked painful.  I guess we will have to do that soon in the Seira. 

We started out with a pretty steep hike and after a few miles I caught up with Sherpa. She yelled down to me to watch out for the snake. A few switchbacks later I came upon a beautiful and calm King Snake. I shot a quick video and was off again. 

Soon after we came upon Hobo and Caddyshack and they asked what pin I was wearing.  I showed them the pin I made for our trail family shortly after the AT. It says “Vote for Sherpa. She’s the worst!” They thought it was so funny and were so excited. It made me really happy!

When we got to a nice tent site out of the wind we stopped and set up our tent together next to some Canadians just as Tofu, Yote, and 2.Toe showed up. We all joked around ate dinner and went to bed. Sherpa and I, we slept like little hiker babies. 

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6/6/2017: Zero Day in Tehachapi

This was our first zero since taking time off in Idyllwild, so it was a welcome day of rest and relaxation. We slept in a bit later than usual and didn’t do anything too exciting all day. Mostly we just ate (shocking!) and hung out chatting with other hikers. We also went to the post office and a nice local woman drove us there and even waited for us so she could drive us back. Later, we got Thai Food at “Thai Hachapi” (I got a real quick out of the name) and saw Wonder Woman at the local theatre. We went to bed much later than usual at a wild 10PM! 

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6/5/2017: 549 Tentsite to Tehachapi 566.4

Today was a happy day. We hiked into Tehachapi a desert oasis of relaxation and entertainment adjacent to some of the driest, scenic stretches on the trail. 

We woke up lateish for how hot it was supposed to be at 5:15 a.m.  We had around 17 miles to the second entrance to Tehachapi. Apparently a lot of people exit at the first entrance because it is an easier hitch. The second entrance was along highway 58 and though there is little traffic on the ramp, there is a bus that stops there on it’s way between Mojave and Tehachapi. 

We got packed up quickly and walked 10 yards to a really cool water cache. The trail angels had built a cute hangout space and there was a lot book, seating, water, tp, and fruit. We signed the log book and started walking. Within a mile or two both Sherpa and I had to slip off the trail to take care of our morning ritual and then the hike really began. 

We were walking all day in the largest wind farm in the US. It was memorizing and there was a nice breeze all day that kept us relatively cool though slightly dehydrated. 

The trail was mostly downhill though it had these little high frequency ups and downs that were very jarring. I was getting slightly seasick. 

After about 10 miles we could see some camper vans below and I asked Sherpa if it was Coppertone. She said she thought he said he would be a couple miles ahead. When we reached the valley we saw a sign “Copertone is in”. 

We got very excited and picked up our pace and when we arrived Tofu was already there and relaxing. Copertone and Legend were both there chilling hard with a group of hikers.  We sat down and relaxed for a few minutes.  I was eager to get underway because I was concerned about the heat. 

We hiked across the road and up a gentle slope and through cow pastures and the wind farm. The wind continued so we were safe from the heat.  We found out later that a lot of hikers skipped this section because there was “nothing interesting”  That seemed like an excuse to skip, we found it to be very pretty and we were happy to knock off 8 miles on a very dry section.  Now when we return we only have a 17 mile waterless stretch. 

Three miles before the highway the three of us sat on a memorial bench and relaxed. We made it to the road by 12:30. 18 miles seems like no big deal, especially when it’s cool and mostly downhill. 

As soon as we arrived we walked towards the onramp to hitch and immediately we spotted the bus rolling in our direction. We were ecstatic! Such a trail coincidence. Stuff like that happens every day so you get used to it but I try not to expect it. I am very superstitious. 

The bus was pleasant and I really enjoyed this odd slice of normal life. Many people seemed to be on there way to work or some errand. Sherpa was saying later how she gets nostalgic for doing mundane things like running errands and that resonates with me as well.  That being said. There are so many errands involved in sustaining a hike! 

The bus pulled into a Kmart parking lot and we rushed off.  I love the momentary confusion of finding yourself in an unfamiliar place. Tofu spotted a resturant and we all headed inside and immediately ordered food and I got a beer. There we ran into two hikers names Hobo and Caddyshack. Hobo was from Maine! We chatted with them for a while until they left. 

While there Tofu and Sherpa figured out a hotel plan while I looked on pretending to help. We decided we would stay in the Best Western and it was a great decision. 

Tofu’s spagetti was cold and she had to have it reheated.  Then all of us realized our fopd wasnt hot as well but we just went ahead and ate it anyway. After finishing eating we headed to Kmart to look for town clothes. 

We were not successful but the ladies did get some bags of salad for later. Classy. We left there and headed for Best Western. We were early so we put in our names and then headed to a thrift store and found some great town clothes for under 4 bucks!

We headed back to the BW and checked in to our room and it was fabulous. Two giant beds, tv, microwave, hardwood floors, and fridge. Luxury. 

We showered then spent some time at the pool until we heard from Yote and 2.Toe. They just got in and were craving margs  so we headed to the Mexican restaurant and stuffed ourselves. It was good to see them again as we hadn’t seen them since we passed them near the bridge at the end of the aqueduct. They seemed like they had a tough but enjoyable hike. Apparently at the bridge they got some amazing trail magic. Beers, sodas and food. The pyramid of hiker power. 

Afterwards we grabbed some beer said goodbye to Toe and Yote and headed to the room. We hit up the pool and hot tub some more then back to the room to turn in. 

We relaxed and turned on the tv because we must enjoy all of the luxury. We were so excited when we found Who’s Line is It Anyway? We were cracking! Such s gem. 

The fun ended with the show and we switched off the lights. Sherpa turned to me and said “you are amazing” and we closed our eyes and slept like little hiker babies. 

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6/4/17: LA Aqueduct mile 526 to mile 549

After what definitely seemed like a very quick sleep, we awoke to our alarms going off at 3AM. The moon had set around 2AM so it was even darker than when we went to bed and hard to get up (also we’d only slept for four hours so that also made it tough). We packed up quickly and were off by about 330. I haven’t done a ton of night hiking because I don’t really like it (usually I feel like I’d be missing views) so this was different for me. But definitely worth it if it meant avoiding the heat of the day. We had about 9 miles until the water source that marked the end of the aqueduct and then another 6.6 miles after that until a creek where we planned to rest for most of the day. 

It was fun walking in the dark on the pretty flat road and aqueduct. Without moonlight it was occasionally difficult to see the best part of the road to walk on (areas where cars have driven are best as the sand is more packed down) but it was quite pleasant and peaceful. It was also funny to pass other hikers in the dark-kind of crazy that we are all out hiking at such an odd hour. 

There was one section where a dirt road intersected the road we were walking on. We weren’t sure which way the PCT went so we got out our phones. There were a couple hikers sleeping on the ground at the intersection and our debating which way to go must have woken them up because one of them said “it’s over the bridge” from his sleeping bag. We said thanks and started out in that direction but immediately noticed that it looked incorrect according to our GPS. We went the exact opposite way which turned out to be correct and chuckled to ourselves imagining how many people that guy must’ve gave incorrect directions to. 

As the sun rose, we approached a big wind farm that we’d be walking through for a portion of the day. It was amazing to see the huge wind turbines all around and mesmerizing to watch them. We finally reached the water source, which was a faucet drawing from the aqueduct we’d been been walking on top of all night/morning, around 6 or 7. We briefly stopped and also saw Yote and Two Point Toe’s tent set up (they opted to night hike the entire thing, from 9pm-4am or so). 

We then set off for another 6.6 miles to the next water and our siesta destination. I was feeling good to start out, but this next section was all uphill which ended up being fairly taxing. We continued walking amongst wind turbines and even saw what we think was a wild horse standing in the shade of one of the giant turbines! My sense of time was off, as I’d gotten probably three hours of sleep and had walked 27+ miles since my last full nights rest. I listened to music to power me up the hill and despite really struggling up the last uphill part, I finally made it around 9am. Wolf Bird kindly waited for me and he was glad to arrive as well, as his shins were starting to hurt him. 

We descended toward the creek and found a bunch of hikers hanging out, many crouched in the shade of small plants and bushes. Wolf Bird went on a reconnaissance mission to find us some shade and came back to show me the spot. He was being weirdly quiet and sketchy about it I guess so other hikers wouldn’t come and steal the shade. He led me to a big tree by the creek where about 4-5 tents were already set up in the shade. Everyone must have been napping so we whispered as we set up our tent in an area that Wolf Bird predicted would get more and more shaded as the day went on. We set up our tent and blew up our pads and I was so excited to get some sleep after all the walking and weird waking hours. Wolf Bird went and waited for Tofu back at the trail so he could show her our shaded area. She eventually came over and set up her tent as well. 

I finally laid down and put in my earplugs. Not five minutes later more hikers came over to the shade talking loudly despite it being quite clear everyone was in their tents trying to sleep. The two guys threw down their packs and walked around right next to our tent loudly discussing where they should set up. I was surprised they were being so loud because our tent fly was off so they could clearly see me laying down in the tent trying to sleep. In my grumpy state I did the classic loud sigh and when that didn’t work did some evil glares at them through the tent but they still continued to speak loudly at what seemed to me louder than conversational tone. I could still hear them loud and clear through my earplugs. Then four more hikers came along and also were talking (thankfully a little less loudly) but that was it, I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep with all that commotion around me even with how tired I was. 

I took out my earplugs and decided to cook some food. Wolf Bird and I then watched Moonlight on his phone for a while. I was excited to finally see it as we never saw it when it was in theatres. About 15 minutes into the movie more hikers showed up and sat practically on top of our tent. They were sitting less than six inches from us and then proceeded to talk pretty much nonstop for the next hour. It was hard to concentrate on the movie with their voices in the background so close, made even worse by them being like “dude!!” and talking about smoking weed and superficial topics while the movie was really emotional and serious. If you can’t tell I had my grumpy pants on and I guess am just an old grandma now so I was unreasonably annoyed at everyone. 

Finally everyone’s conversations seemed to die down and all the loud talkers decided they wanted to nap so at long last it was quiet! We paused the movie and tried to nap. I drifted in and out of sleep and Wolf Bird passed out. Eventually I woke up to the sounds of repetitive laughter. But not just any repetitive laughter. This girl was talking to other hikers in the creek right by our tent and through my earplugs I would hear her go, “blah blah blah [muffled conversation]” followed by a sing-songy laugh that pierced through by earplugs and was the most fake-sounding series of “ha’s” I’ve ever heard. It was ridiculous because I couldn’t hear anyone else’s muffled voices but hers and she also seemed to be the only one laughing. She must’ve done this series of talking for 10 seconds/forced laugh for 5 seconds at least 20 times in a row! Wolf Bird was also woken up by it and we just gave each other a knowing look as it was happening but also had to stifle our laughter because it was so ridiculous. Of course because we are immature and can’t let things go, we’ve repeated and mocked the fake laugh every hour since. 

So ended our nap. We finished watching the movie–I really liked it but found it really heart wrenching and sad. Wolf Bird liked it too but was disappointed at the abrupt ending and “felt the whole story was easily anticipated”. What an elitist. Haha, kidding about the elitist part (at least slightly), but I made him give me a hug after because I was feeling emotions. 

At this point it was probably 3pm and we’d be resting since 9am. There must’ve been at least 30 hikers under the tree with us. We knew maybe about a third of them. I am still adjusting to the big hordes of people so I was battling my inner judgements and frustrations a lot of the time. This is what I will call a character building experience. 

Finally around 6pm we decided the day had probably cooled off enough to make hiking bearable. We planned to walk about four more miles to a Tentsite where we’d spend the night. We were really pretty spent so we didn’t want to go very far. The four miles passed quickly and we descended way down into the canyon where the tentsites were. Even though it was 745 or so and almost sunset, no one was camped there yet. We all felt good and I think also felt like everyone else must’ve pushed on so we decided to keep going as well. The next Tentsite was another four miles ahead and all uphill. It looked like it would be a steep climb but we all were telling ourselves how glad we would be tomorrow morning to have it out of the way already. 

The climb was incredibly windy. There must’ve been 50mph gusts! It was hard walking straight into the wind at timea, especially because the sand beneath our feet was pretty soft and felt like we were walking on a soft beach. It was really beautiful though, with the sky turning a light pink and purple illuminating the desert floor below. We hiked up up up and it grew darker but the moon, which was just over halfway to full, provided enough light that we didn’t need our headlamps. I was growing really tired and felt like the hill was neverending. Wind makes me feel uneasy and leads me to walk very quickly as a result so I pushed through my fatigue and continued to fight my way uphill against the wind. 

Our app said there was only space for two tents at this area so we were a little nervous there may not be space for all the hikers aiming for this area. The app is often wrong in its edit images so we we weren’t sure. The two loud guys from earlier in the day were screaming at the top of their lungs about 0.3 miles before the campsite. When we caught up to them they were screaming about how they kept mistaking sticks for rattlesnakes. I think they may have been on something. Lucky for us, their freak out delayed their progress and like the opportunistic evil person I am, I sped past them to attempt to steal whatever tentsites remained up ahead. 

It turned out we didn’t need to worry about space-there were plenty of flat areas for tents left. It was dark at this point and a pretty late hike for us, around 9pm. Wolf Bird and I set up our tent in the wind and Tofu opted to cowboy camp next to us. We cooked dinner and chatted and were in bed around 10pm excited for town tomorrow and glad to have gotten the big climb out of the way tonight. 

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6/3/2017: Sawmill Camp 498.2 to LA Aqueduct 526.0

The content documented herein may cause the reader to visualize disturbing imagery and discretion is advised. 
THIS IS A TRUE STORY. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the victims, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred.

4:30 a.m. at camp. Dog Bat pulls out one earplug and reaches for his phone to switch off his alarm. He glances over at Derpa. 

Dog Bat: Did you hear the alarm?

Derpa: Yes! (angrily)

Derpa rolls over frustrated and annoyed. Dog Bat let’s the air out of his air mattress and begins packing his sleeping bag into a stuff sack. 

Derpa: Why do you do that?

Dog Bat: Because I want to make sure you heard the alarm! Next time, you can set your own alarm. 

Derpa: I obviously heard it. 

Dog Bat: How is that obvious? I’m trying to be nice! 

Dog Bat starts cramming his sleeping bag into the stuff sack harder hoping that Derpa will hear his displeasure. Derpa switches on her headlamp and is looking around vigorously. Dog Bat eyes her.

Dog Bat: What are you doing?

Derpa: I am putting in my contacts. 

Derpa leans away from Dog Bat and begins putting in her contacts. 

[Scene.]

Derpa and Dog Bat are nearly packed and ready to start hiking. Tofurkey has her bag on and is looking at them. 

Tofurkey: See you soon!

Derpa and Dog Bat together: See you soon!

Tofu starts down the trail. Derpa and Dog Bat put on their packs and Dog Bat eyes the privy then chugs almost two litres of water to reduce weight. 

[Scene.]

Dog Bat and Derpa walking single file down the trail, Dog Bat behind. Sun rising as they walk downhill through dense and scrubby brush.  

Dog Bat: This is beautiful. I love walking early in the morning. Also, I kind of wish I had tried to use the privy back there. 

Derpa: Do you need to go?

Dog Bat: I’m not sure yet. I should be fine till we get there.  I forgot to pack out TP anyway. 

Derpa: I have some you can use.

Dog Bat: Yeah I might have to take you up on that. 

The two of them continue walking for a while. 

Dog Bat (singing intermittently): Man! I feel like a woman!

Dog Bat (singing intermittently): Oh, oh, oh!

Derpa (interjecting also singing): Let’s go girls!

Dog Bat: Good ole Shania! We need to play some when we get to Hiker Town. 

Derpa: I know!  Let’s go girls!

Dog Bat: I think I need to find a spot to poop. I don’t know if I can make it. 

Derpa: Do you want my TP?

Dog Bat: Not right now. 

They continue walking for a few more moments intermittently singing different Shania verses and sounds. 

Dog Bat: There are no good places to go. All the brush is so dense. 

Dog Bat is visibly agitated. 

Dog Bat: I need to find a spot, fast!

Derpa: Do you want to go ahead?

Dog Bat (more anxious): No I just need to find a spot. 

They walk by a dirt road. 

Derpa: Go down that road. 

Dog Bat (relived): Oh good. Thank God! I’ll catch up in a few. 

Derpa: OK

Dog Bat walks down the dirt road and discovers 3 tents. Turns around exasperated. 

Dog Bat (shouting first then tapering off thinking of the sleeping hikers): THERE ARe tents here!

Dog Bat steps quickly to catch Derpa. 

Derpa: Why didn’t you go on the dirt road?

Dog Bat doesn’t respond and his anxiety is visibly increasing as he looks from side to side. 

Derpa: What happened?

Dog Bat (yelling with extreme anxiety): STOP ASKING ME QUESTIONS!

Derpa starts to cry and stops walking. 

Derpa: Just leave me alone!

Dog Bat (storming passed): Fine! I would love to. 

Dog Bat marched on frustrated and mumbling to himself. 

Dog Bat (mumbling): I obviously need to poop and she is asking a buch of questions and if I break my concentration I am going to shit my pants. She should understand that and not be upset!

Dog Bat marches on for a while. Derpa sniffling walking behind very indignant. After a few moments Dog Bat’ s anxiety decreases and his mood softens.  He stops and turns to Derpa. 

Dog Bat: I am sorry I just have an emergency and I needed every bit of my concentration to not shit my pants. 

Derpa (feeling slightly better): That’s fine, you just don’t need to be so mean. 

Dog Bat: I’m sorry. I didnt mean to be unkind. I was just in a bad way. I think I have it under control now. 

Dog Bat and Derpa walk on. 

[Scene.]

Dog Bat and Derpa round the bend and approach the 500 mile mark. Dense brush and narrow trail all around. 

Derpa: We are here babe! We made it!

Dog Bat: Oh wow! 

Derpa takes out her iPhone and they both smile for a selfy next to a 500 made out of rocks in the sand. 

Dog Bat (again with anxiety): Can you give me your toilet paper? Just in case it’s an emergency again? 

Derpa: Sure. 

Derpa takes off her pack and reaches inside and starts to take it out. Dog Bat starts dancing around. The sight of the toilet paper makes his emergency even more urgent. 

Dog Bat: Oh! I need to go now!

Derpa walks a few yards away and points with her pole to an opening.

Derpa:  There is a tent site right here!

Dog Bat dancing around let’s a fast loose and it’s clear from his expression that it was a shart. Sweating and dancing around he despretly looks for an opening in the brush. Derpa continues walking. 

Dog Bat (pretending like he didn’t just shit his pants as Sherpa exits): I have to go now! 

Dog Bat forces his way behind a bush next to the trail dancing, farting, and shitting his pants as he does. He frantically digs a hole then pulls his pants down and drops to squat over the poorly dug hole. All kinds of horrific sounds echo from behind the scraggly bush. 

After a moment a hiker passes and makes eye contact. 

Dog Bat: Sorry. 

Hiker #1 (smiling and walking): When you gotta go, you gotta go.  

Dog Bat continues to squat over the whole and looks in his pants.  

Dog Bat (to himself): It’s like cleaning a poopy diaper! 

Soon three other hikers walk by and Dog Bat holds his breath. They seem not to notice. Dog Bat uses all the toilet paper and wet wipes to clean his shorts and his poopy ass. 

[Scene.]

Dog Bat is walking and sees Tofurky and Derpa standing on a cistern in the distance along with Hiker #1, #2, #3, #4. He reluctantly approaches. 

Derpa: Are you all better.

Dog Bat: It was dark. 

Derpa: What happened?

Dog Bat (whispering): I shat my pants. 

Derpa laughs hard and loud. 

Tofurkey: What happened? I want to know!

Dog Bat: You will have to read about it on the blog. 

 [Fin.]

Today was an unusual day because we were heading into supposedly one of the hottest sections of the trail along the LA Aqueduct. 

The hiking was at first very easy but gradually got more difficult after the above scene. Before long we were getting close to the valley floor and walking parallel to it which meant we were on a rollercoaster of large hills that made up the foothills.  

The terrain was difficult on it’s own but to make matters worse, it was exceptionally hot. We were entering a breezy valley but the foothills prevented the wind from making our hike manageable. Sherpa was especially affected and was starting to get scared. We had to stop in the shade a few times and take stock. We found out later that she was not alone. Lots of hikers were concerned. 

The catch with stopping is that with each passing minute it gets hotter. So though the breaks can cool you down, the hiking ahead is now hotter than when you paused. 

After A couple breakdown moments we finally could see the road.  The trail meandered for miles before we descended to the road. It was tough knowing it was so close yet the trail was certainly taking its time.  

Finally we hit the scorching road and walked the last mile in some intense heat. We then arrived at Hiker Town, a hostel where the founders built a mini town out of trailers and sheds.  We glanced at our watches and realized we had time for the 12 shuttle to the Neenach Cafe. We walked through the front gate, threw down our bags, and collapsed in some chairs on a porch. Tofu showed up not too long after and we decided to hitch as the shuttle had not arrived and it was almost 1. 

As soon as we walked out to the road the shuttle arrived and we piled in and headed to Neenach. 

Once there we saw that they were having a little town festival so they were only serving bbq from a tent. Sherpa and Tofu were a little disappointed.  Sherpa wasn’t in the mood for BBQ and Tofu is a vegetarian.  They got snacks from the market and I got the bbq.  Outside we found a picnic table and moved it into the shade next to a dj setup. 

After hanging out and eating for a while, we were joking about getting him to play some Shania Twain. I said why not ask but the girls didn’t want to ask.  So I said I would. 

I went up to the white haired, white bearded man and asked him if he had any Shania, he said no. I could tell he was kind of dissappointed that he couldn’t accommodate, especially since we were the only people listening to the music. Soon he was on the internet and playing a whole album.  Sherpa and Tofu were psyched and singing along!

After hanging out outside we moved the party inside for a while and Sherpa and I got cheeseburgers while Tofu played cards with Vice, Boat House, and Steve. At one point, in classic hiker trash fashion, Vice made a burrito right on the table. 

Yote and 2.Toe showed up and were laying out in the shade on the porch. I gave them a corona and a lime to go with their dinner. 
Before long we were all back at Hiker Town and packing our bags and preparing to do some night hiking.  Tofu, Sherpa, and I planned to hike at least a couple miles then get up around 3 and hike the rest of the hot section.  Yote and 2.Toe wanted to go farther and were pounding redbull. 

We said goodbye and hit the trail with what seemed like 30 other hikers.  It was pretty cool watching all of them on the road in a big hiker gaggle.

Hiking on the aqueduct was beautiful, fun, and a little hypnotic. It was mostly straight to the east and very flat. The flatest section was covered but early on we saw some open sections with the sunset and it was gorgeous. 

We hiked on into the moonlit night for about 9 miles passing many shadowy hikers in the dark. Finally around 10 p.m. we decided to camp. We started to set up in the aqueduct but every hiker had to stop and tell us we were going to get hit by a car, even though we were clearly off the vacant dirt road.  Finally we relented just so we weren’t woken up by some do gooder on a mission. 

We set up in the sand and cooked dinner and went to bed under the stars. After a little tossing and turning we slept like little hiker babies. 

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6/2/17: Casa De Luna to Sawmill Campground

We woke up just before 6 and packed up our stuff before breakfast. The Andersons made pancakes and coffee for the 80 or more hikers and they were some of the thickest pancakes I’ve ever had! After filling up on those plus coffee, Wolf Bird, Tofu, Yote, Two Point Two and I hung out and were ready to get back on trail before it got too hot. Terrie (the trail angel) offered to give us a ride back to the trail and we of course jumped at the opportunity. Unfortunately when it was time to hop in the car Yote and Two Point Toe were doing something so a couple other hikers jumped in the car in their place. Not a huge deal as Terrie would make more trips but sad we didn’t start out the day together. Before we left Terrie had us take a group photo and as the person taking it was counting down, Terrie mooned us!! I’m sure our faces were hilarious and full of shock. I guess now we know why it’s called Casa De Luna (House of the Moon in Spanish).

We were on trail by about 8AM and it was already hot! We planned to hike to a campground with water to take a siesta, which was about 15 miles away. We had a big climb up out of town and I immediately was sweating profusely. It was sporadically breezy and the times without a breeze were incredibly hot with no protection or relief from the sun. I usually try to keep going and not stop too much before our siestas, as I want to be done and resting as soon as possible. That was perhaps not the best strategy on as warm a day as today–after four or so hours of continuous hiking in the heat I was really worn out and tired. I was glad to come upon Wolf Burd who’d been hiking in front of me. We stopped and rested in the shade until Tofu caught up. Then we headed to the campground to take our siesta. 


The campground was annoyingly located a half mile off trail, and very downhill. We already dreaded the walk back up as we descended. We went to get water once we arrived at the deserted campground and that was of course even more downhill! The campground was pretty buggy so we set up our tents to rest for a few hours. Wolf Bird and I watched  Almost Famous on his phone (he’d downloaded it from Amazon) while Tofu read. Yote and Toe Point Tor arrived after a while and also rested for a while. 

Finally around 5 when it was a bit cooler we packed up and set out to walk the last five miles to Sawmill Campground, our destination for the day. The hike back up the the PCT was hot and uphill but not as bad as we imagined. The next five miles were pretty easy but made much more difficult and frustrating by swarms of flies/gnats. They weren’t biting us but were flying all around us, especially our heads, which really tested our patience (mainly mine). Sawmill Campground was also off trail a half mile, except uphill. We arrived there relatively quickly around 7 or so and found a big open campground overlooking the valley below with plenty of spaces to camp. Many other hikers were here but it didn’t feel crowded at all since it was such a big space.

The water source at this campground was a half mile away (a full mile from the PCT!) which was pretty far, as many sources are right on trail or at least at the campground. I absolutely hate walking off trail miles (miles that aren’t on the actual PCT that don’t “count”) because I am lazy, so I was delighted when Wolf Bird proposed a deal. He would walk the one mile round trip to get water if I set up our tent and inflated our sleeping pads. I of course agreed and felt like I was getting the much better end of the deal (even more so when it ended up taking him maybe 45 minutes to come back!). We cooked dinner with Tofu and Yote and Two Point Two as well as Vice and Boathouse, who we’ve been hiking around since the beginning. 

It was a nice evening made even nicer by a breeze that kept the bugs away from our campsite. 

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6/1/2017: 464.3 to Casa de Luna 478.2

Today we headed to Green Valley and Casa De Luna. Casa De Luna, we heard, was named because it is the spot most hikers hit after a month on the trail.  We discovered later that was only half the tale.

It will be a month to the day tomorrow for Shedpa and I and we are planning on celebrating. 

We woke up at 5:30 a.m. and as I was wiping the sleep out of my eyes, Yote and 2.Toe passed the tent and jokingly whispered something to the effect of “what kind of jerks put their tent right in the middle of the trail?” I laughed and we started packing up our bags.  We heard Tofu say goodbye and start hiking.  We weren’t too far behind. 

The hiking was enjoyable and after a short climb, not to hard. We passed a sort of leader board and memorial bench.  The board had times for record setters to that point.  Pretty remarkable. 

Before long we could see the Green Valley Fire station as we descended to the road crossing where we would hitch to Casa De Luna.  When we arrived we decided to wait on Tofu, Tote, and 2.Toe who were not far behind.  We were in no rush and felt pretty confident about an easy hitch.  Soon we could see them descending and Sherpa was spying on them through the “monocular” I got from the hiker box in Hiker Town.  Tofu showed up first and then Yote. As he crossed the road I put the monocular on my phone camera and snapped a pretty unflattering picture, which will come in handy later. Hiker bullies strike again!

Soon we were all together again and it was time to hit the road. Hitching took all of 2 minutes. A realtor in a red truck stopped and said she couldn’t take us all the way. I asked how far and she said pretty close, so we all piled in the back. We have ridden in the back of some great trucks so far and it’s by far my favorite way to hitch. 

On the way she picked up another hiker in front of a cafe that we heard had milkshakes and hamburgers. Our mouths salivated as we passed and she took us all the way to Casa De Luna.  I have to say my first impression was sort of “Oh god, what have we gotten ourselves into.”

We were created by a skinny man in a cowboy hat and all black long underwear. He had an unusual way of taking and there were groggy people laying around on dirty mattresses and there was junk kind of laying here and there. 
I snapped a photo because I thought, I am going to want to remember this moment.

The skinny man introduced himself as Country Gold and gave us a quick tour. Among other things he said we could camp anywhere in the back yard.  After getting the lay if the land we headed into the wooded back yard.  Instantly I started feeling better and the fear of the bazaar dissipated. The backyard was very large and full of tunnels and openings inside what looked like scrub oaks. Before long we all found a good spot to throw up our tents and stake our claim before going to the cafe.  

On the way out we bumped into Giggles and he gave us great directions to get to the cafe quickly. The walk was pleasant and we all chatted along the way. 

We arrived at the cafe and pushed two tables together and ordered food.  Yote and I ordered a cheeseburger with an egg on top, waffle fries, and a side salad. Sherpa got chicken tenders and waffle fries.  Tofu got s giant ceaser and waffle fries. 2.Toe ordered something but I forget. We devoured it and then we headed to the gas station to get celebratory drinks and use their bathroom. 

The gas station had everything we needed. A good IPA selection and lots of 8% Bud Light Lime tall boys in assorted, festive flavors in packs of 2. I bought a pack and a 6 pack of IPA’s for Sherpa and I to share. I accidentally bought Omission which is gluten free so I had to go back to swap it out.  

I went back outside and sat on the curb with the other Hiker Bullies. The Bud Light Lime tall boys became very popular and everyone was drinking them.  Before I knew it, I had drank 3 of them and I was starting to feel very celebratory! After more than an hour of drinking on a curb in front of a no loitering sign, it was time to leave. We went by the cafe again so Sherpa could get a milkshake! We also hike sometimes. 

There we saw two brothers that are doing a long section and I stayed and chatted them up for a while, then we all started the walk back.  

By this time I was feeling exceptionally good, some would say mildly intoxicated. We arrived back at Casa and there lots of people gathered, drinking, and hanging out. I sat and chatted with woodpecker and continued to enhance my condition. 

Unfortunately, my dedication to the celebration was catching up to me. I saw someone out down a biker shirt with flames.  Oh yeah, at Casa everyone had to wear a Hawaiian shirt. This shirt was barely passing as Hawaiian but I wanted it. I was really struggling to figure out how buttons work and I was making a spectical so Sherpa had to help me. After my big win with the shirt we moved to painting rocks, another Casa pass time. Everyone was doing such a fine job on their rock but I was employing the finger painting method and wasn’t having much success due to my new addiction to Bud Light Lime. Soon the paint was on my nose and then Tofu’s nose. 

I put the last touches on my creation and turned to Sherpa and said I am going to relax in the tent. She knew what that meant, I was down for the count. 

I walked back to my tent and took four ibprophine, because with Bud Light Lime, the hangover starts before you finish. I fell asleep instantly. 

Sherpa woke me with a start and I felt drunk and grumpy. She kindly had made a giant plate of taco salad. However it was the last thing a hungover drunk person wants to eat. I tried to do anything in my power to graciously get her to go away but the only thing I could do was to take the plate. After she left I ate three bites and put it at my feet in the tent, because that’s smart. 

I heard someone yell “Carpe Nocturn” and run by. It was a odd night. Luckily Sherpa returned soon and managed the rogue plate and came to bed. I owe her big time! Soon we were both asleep like little hiker babies.