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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. 

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5/31/17: Hiker Heaven to Mile 464.3

It was very nice sleeping in a bed last night in our own private room. It does feel like we get some unfair privileges as a couple. Everyone else was just tenting in the yard in the dirt next to horses or Portapotties and we got a nice bed and room to ourselves! There was definitely a level of guilt for us. 


After getting up, Wolf Bird and I went to get breakfast in town. I wasn’t really feeling any of the breakfast food on the menu but was delighted when the waiter said  it was an open menu and I could order my chicken fingers and fries even though it was 9AM! We enjoyed our meal and spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon packing up our stuff and obviously eating more food. 

Wolf Bird also found a monocular in the hiker box that allowed him to spy on people and get a super up close look at them from far away. He had a lot of fun playing around with it before we left town. 

We headed out at the same time as a lot of other hikers and had a big uphill climb to start us off. It went by pretty quickly and it was nice to walk and chat with some new hikers for a bit. We didn’t have a set destination for the evening and ending up settling for some semi flat spots on a ridge. Wolf Bird and I went against trail etiquette and camped right in the trail as it was the only really flat spot we could find. Yote and two point toe made sure to take a photo to document our wrongdoing. 

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5/30/2017: Highway 451.1 to Hiker Heaven 454.5 ish

This post is going to be really short. We set our alarm to 6:30 the night before to really sleep in! Its crazy to think of 6:30 as sleeping in but the fact that we woke up at 6 feeling rested shows how our circadian rhythm has evolved. We packed up and hit the road by 7. The first thing we came accross was a long eerie tunnel under the highway. Sherpa  pointed out that it looks like a PCT symbol.

On the other side of the tunnel was Vaquez Rocks and they were stunning! It was a really pleasant walk through canyons of crazy conglomerated, cliffs, caves, and boulders. On the way we were coordinating breakfast plans with Amelia, now Tofu. She got her trail name and it is very fitting. We are so excited to catch up to her and we also got a message from Yote and 2.toe who were on there way! It’s really nice to catch up with old friends.

We met Tofu in town and went and had a delicious breakfast then got a ride to Hiker Heaven. Hiker Heaven’s efficiency is only matched by Scout and Frodo’s in Campo. They have their shit together. Tofu tipped us off to their mechanical precision, but we had no idea how many hiker trash management systems they had in place.


When we arrived we got an orientation by a guy who reminded me so much of a happy John McCain who hiked a couple of years ago. Quick list of amenities:

  • Couples Private Suite
  • Internet Tent
  • Power
  • Sewing Tent with Sodas
  • Laundry
  • Showers
  • Towels
  • Hiker Clothes
  • Plenty of Shaded Lounging
  • Package Pickup
  • Mailing Station
  • Water
  • Kitchen
  • TV Lounge
  • Ear Plugs

It’s a magical place. We have seen so many good trail friends and had a room to ourselves because we were a couple and arrived early. We went to bed around 9:30 and before we knew it, we were sleeping like little hiker babies.

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5/29/17: Dirt road to highway 14, mile 451.1

Our morning was relatively uneventful and the first 7 or so miles passed quickly. We took a break at a ranger station where we could fill up on water. We chatted with the other hikers there and also enjoyed a couple of sodas each as they had a cooler of them for $1 each. We are developing a soda addiction on this trail! Also the coozies from Tom are coming in quite handy. 


Our break lasted much longer than usual and we set out around 1030 or so into the now very hot morning. There was a group of four guys and a girl ahead of us. We had 8 miles downhill until the Acton KOA where we planned to take a long break. Wolf Bird and I had made up a song about the KOA and all the amenities we heard it offered. We had a great time singing it while walking and making up new verses. It goes “Whatchu know about the KOA?!” And the other person replies with an amenity they have, like “I heard they got free wifi” or “water spigots!”  We were making ourselves laugh so hard singing it. Our only regret is not recording a music video for it. 

After a while, Wolf Bird went ahead on this downhill section and sped past everyone. I put on some music which really got me in the zone and found myself also passing everyone. It was super hot and without a breeze at times so I was glad most of the section was downhill. 

Eventually we caught a glimpse of where we were heading down in the valley. There were some cool rock formations around and trains kept passing by down in the valley below. We also spotted a van that looked like Coppertone’s van, who is the previous PCT thru hiker who gave us Trail magic. Once we descended we discovered it was indeed Coppertone. 

We took a break in the shade by his van and enjoyed fruit and doughnuts and a root beer float as we chatted with the other hikers that came in (Dirt, Gumby, Borat, etc). Then we decided to walk over to the infamous KOA just down the road to check out all the amenities we’d been singing about. 

There were a lot of people grilling and tons of kids running around as it was Memorial Day. We found out that earlier in the weekend this big field had been so filled with tents you could barely walk through it! It was much emptier but still busy when we went thru. We weren’t planning on camping here since we would be in town tomorrow with laundry and showers (the KOA offered these amenities of course) but we did eat many snacks of course. We watched a dad and son play catch with a boomerang which unsurprisingly turned out to be extremely dangerous and almost result in some decapitations. Other highlights included meeting some new hikers Pac Man and Kate who gave us beer and chatted with us, me accidentally drinking water that tasted like it came from a toilet, and of course eating even more. 


We set out around 530 to hike a few more miles to get us closer to the town for tomorrow morning. I was glad to leave the KOA, as it was a really strange place (even with all those amenities). It was just pretty dirty and crowded overall. We enjoyed our evening walk as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky (and we’re glad for slowly cooling temps) and treated ourselves by listening to music while we walked. We were feeling good and walked about 7 miles to just before a tunnel that goes under the highway. We could hear the buzz of cars driving by but it was nice white noise to lull us to sleep. 

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5/28/2017: Camp Glenwood 400.6 to Dirt Road 424.9

We stayed up pretty late eating Brats the night before so we slept in until 6 a.m. which is luxurious for us. I was out of my tent pretty quickly and decided to make a quick coffee to get my bones moving. I had one Starbucks via from the trail magic right before Spencer’s Cabin. Sherpa had a few sips and we quickly packed up our stuff said goodbye to the friendly folk at Camp Glenwood, Storm Trooper, and Energizer Bunny.

The hiking wasn’t too eventful hiking wise, just the usual deserty vistas, snakes and lizards. What was striking was the amount of trail magic we encountered. It was kind of insane and we started to think maybe we are on a very luxurious trail. Within 2 hours we ran into a section hiker that said someone was giving out trail magic about a mile ahead and soon we came across a sign at a trail split put there by the Sobohobos. The split was the first of its kind that we have noticed where the horses were supposed to go to the right and hikers had the option of going either direction. The trail magic was down the horse-pedi-path, my new word, we followed hand drawn arrows to a campsite next to Sulpher Springs Trail Camp.

We could tell right away that we were going to like this crew. Not just because they did the AT in the right direction, south, but because they were just really kind and funny. They offered us pancakes, beer, and burgers and of course we accepted. We are really caring people and don’t want to offend so we ate it all and had 2 beers at 9 am. There were four people hosting the trail magic: Barrel Roll, Moosey, Handy-J, and What’s His Name. Really I don’t remember his name, but he was really nice. Barrel Roll and Moosey were both previous thru-hikers and Handy-J and What’s His Name are soon to be long distance hikers. We spent a good amount of time chatting with them and a Couple of Nuts (Walnut and Pecan).

After we had our fill of fun and conversation we packed up and offered to help carry some of the gear out since they were planning on leaving soon. They asked us to help carry a stove and a big blue tub. The car was about .6 from their site on trail. It was mildly tough but we were happy to help and it was on our way. They also asked us to take a beverage for the road. I took a Natty Ice because I am classy and Sherpa took a Dr. Pepper because she is intelligent and motivated.

After we left them we hiked another 10 miles and of course came across another trail magic stop at the Mill Creek Fire Station. Beers and amazing Baritos! Brenna informed us that this was turning into a food blog and I am starting to think that she is right. Apparently we are walking in search of free food all across America’s Pacific Crest. They were exceptionally delicious with egg, chorizo, cheese, and beans. Pretty unbelievable. All the hikers there were hovering under the thinning shade of a porta potty and it was all there was for miles. We met some new hikers, most notably we met a really funny couple named Magellan and Turtle.

They were hilarious and we immediately had a friend crush on them. They were going a little slower because of some shoe issues but we seriously talked about slowing down just so we could hang out with them. Good times were had by all. We hung out for about 3-4 hours until around 5:00 p.m., Sherpa cooked some dinner and then we hit the road. We were hiking through a section that was recently closed because of a fire and poodle dog bush. It turned out to be a really beautiful evening hike. After a steep climb we walked along a ridge through pleasantly overgrown trail and watched the sunset. Sherpa had me walk in front for a while to watch for poodle dog bush as she claims I am a little better at identifying it. A likely story. We had a great time chatting together and hiking in the cool air.

Along the way we ran into Energizer Bunny camped on the hill. We also found Malibu’s painters cap laying on the ground, so we bagged that and chased him for a few miles. When we finally caught him he was facetiming with his wife and he was really excited to have his hat back.

After about 3 miles after the poodle dog detour junction we found a flat spot on the trail at a dirt road. It was nice and cool because it had a very tiny underground stream next to us and the breeze was channeling down through the narrow valley. We threw up our tent, I made a quick ramen, and we went to bed. The moon was beautiful, the sky was clear, and soon we were asleep like little hiker babies.

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5/27/17: Tentsite mile 376.9 to Camp Glenwood 400.6

We arose around 6 and hiked the last mile up Baden-Powell. The PCT doesn’t technically go the to summit–it goes within 0.4 miles and then you have to opt to take a side trail to the summit. We of course opted to do so and were rewarded with some beautiful views. It was very peaceful and breathtaking to see mountains all around us and clouds below us. We also saw a tree near the summit with a sign that said it is estimated to be 1500 years old!! Pretty crazy. 


We hiked until our next water source at Little Jimmy Campground (I made Wolf Bird take a photo with the sign since it’s his namesake). There we took quite a long luxurious break where Wolf Bird took advantage of the pit toilets and we ate snacks and also met Dirty B, who hiked the PCT last year and is out hiking a section for a couple of weeks until the snow melts up north and he can begin his thru hike of the Pacific Northwest trail. It was nice chatting with him and relaxing but we had hiking to do!


We set out downhill for a few miles and passed so many day hikers. I guess it shouldn’t have been surprising given the fact it is Memorial Day Weekend, but it was quite the change from our normal day to day to see upwards of 25 day hikers. Wolf Bird didn’t like that I was being courteous and stopping to let the day hikers by so he went ahead for a bit and made them stop for us instead. 

We then hiked another few miles until we reached Eagle’s Roost Picnic Area. This marked the start of a trail closure. The trail is closed for about 3-4 miles as it is the breeding season for a yellow legged frog (or something like that). We have two options–either road walk for a couple miles and then reconnect with the trail later, or walk on trails the whole time but have to go way downhill then way back uphill for an 18 mile detour. We opted for the shorter road walk option but not before taking a break at the picnic area. There was a big Korean hiking group (most of them must have been 50+) having lunch at the picnic area while we were there. They had the most amazing looking Korean lunch with rice and veggies and meats. We looked on desperately but our puppy dog eyes did not win them over and we had to set off without getting a taste!

I was a bit nervous for the road walk as the road was very winding and it looked like cars drove very fast on it. It was also Memorial Day weekend so it was pretty busy. It ended up not being terrible and Wolf Bird walked in front and sacrificed himself. A total of 73 cars passed us in the 2 mile or so road walk but there weren’t any close calls. We then entered a campground off the main road and found a side trail that then led us to the PCT. We later found out that many people got hitches and skipped the road walk portion or even got driven many miles ahead but I was glad we walked it. 

We had a nice lunch break by a stream and then set out to do our final miles of the day. It was pretty hot but cooled off as time went on. We crossed the highway several times and also followed what just have been old forest roads or old logging roads. We didn’t have a set destination and I kept wanting to stop and set up camp but Wolf Bird was interested in a “private cabin” that was just a bit further. I reluctantly relented and was later very glad I did! We passed the 400 mile mark and soon after got to the cabin which was called Camp Glenwood. The way it was listed in our app made it seem like it was someone’s house and off limits to us, but we discovered this was not be case at all when we arrived. 

There was a group of four people out for the weekend who told us we were welcome to camp at the cabin! They had nice tentsites with picnic tables so we claimed one and said hello to Stormtrooper and Energizer Bunny who were already set up. They were the first fellow thru hikers that we saw all day! Energizer Bunny is from Hong Kong and only first heard about the trail in October and decided to do it!

We set up our tent and then cooked some dinner. Soon after, Jen, one of the people staying at the cabin, came over and asked if we wanted to eat dinner with them-they were cooking brats. We of course said yes and headed up the hill to the cabin to hang out with them until dinner was ready. We had a great time chatting with Jen and Kurt and George and ate the most amazing brats with all the fixings as well as watermelon and pickles and beer and even nutter butters for dessert! We found out that the previous evening they’d cooked up enough burgers for over 20 hikers! We were so grateful for their generosity and good company. We went to bed past our bedtime with happy full bellies.