Days 37 - 46
May 17 - 26, 2021
Miles 541.5 - 702.2
The wind from the day before lasted all night. It was miserable and I slept poorly. My tent, constantly buffeted by the strong gusts, kept hitting my head all night and no matter how much I adjusted, I couldn't escape it. Fed up and fully annoyed with it, I finally just decided to hike out early in the dark. I packed up my tent, somehow managing to not let the wind carry it away as I took out the stakes, and left. It was still completely dark and the stars were out.
The wind didn't let up the entire day. It was so strong and I could feel it blowing me around. I didn't have much fun hiking in it. I thought going under the Tehachapi pass wind turbines was pretty cool, but couldn't really enjoy it because the wind was just so miserable. Note to self: if there are wind turbines, expect wind.
At the top of a four mile incline is a fun break spot, the "Mile 549 Bar & Grill." I would have taken a break here, but the wind was merciless and pushed me forward. This spot is managed by some local Trail Angel volunteers. There were chairs and a collapsed sun umbrella, a wooden pantry that looked like it may at other times contain snacks, a water cache, and a log book. I signed the log book and took a bit of water. It seemed like it would be a fun spot to hang out on a much calmer day. But that umbrella would have been halfway across the canyon in two seconds if I had tried to open it up. I carried on.
I took a short snack break much later on a bench about three miles before the highway. After a sleepless night and walking 22 miles straight, I needed a moment off my feet and couldn't resist a bench on trail. It was almost all downhill from here. I saw quite a few Horny Toads along the way and loved another opportunity to appreciate their absolute perfection. I made it Cameron Canyon Rd, a small paved road led to the highway. I ran into a rancher waiting by a large trailer. I stopped to talk to him for a couple minutes. He mentioned that he really likes it when there are hikers on the road when they are driving cattle in as it helps keeps the cows from running too far ahead. I turned around and saw a hiker I didn't know followed by a small herd of cattle and a woman on a horse. Sure enough, the cows, urged on by the woman, didn't want to go past the hiker and stayed in a tight group. The man said he had to get the cattle loaded, but if we were still at the highway by the time he was ready to go, he would be glad to give us a lift into town. It was very kind of him.
I continued on to a nice big pullout area just off the highway and by then the other hiker caught up with me. His name was "Foggy." There was a woman in a car waiting for her husband and she offered to take us into town with her. Her husband arrived minutes later and we all drove to Tehachapi. She dropped Foggy and I off at a Best Western and we decided to split a room. We both had gotten in earlier than the rest of our tramilies and entered this new unknown town together. Despite only meeting this person not even an hour before, it felt totally normal to share a hotel room. That was another thing I had not expected I would experience before beginning this hike.
The rest of the gang showed up and they got their own rooms. We met up for a bit and hung out. Bushwhack found me a starbucks and brought me my favorite drink, an iced peach green tea lemonade. It was good to be back with everyone. It was also really nice to be indoors. I laid in bed and thought how luxurious it was to be in a room with four solid walls around me, keeping the wind off me.
We spent the next two days in town and taking a rest. Tehachapi was such a wonderful little town. They had this amazing bakery, Kohnen's Bakery, with the most delicious pastries and breads. We went to see a movie, the first time I had been in a theater since before the covid-19 shutdowns. It was so nice to be in an air-conditioned room eating a bunch of snacks and out of the desert heat. Foggy only took one rest day so when he left on day two, the guys moved into the room. We went to breakfast at a diner and a hiker who had just finished doing the "49 mile challenge" joined us. He had arrived ahead of his group and was feeling a little disoriented after hiking 49 miles straight and not sleeping. His trail name was "Spamuel Adams," a pun nod to both his beer and meat of choice on the trail. He disappeared after breakfast to find lodging. I spent the rest of the day in our hotel room, enjoying my last day of not moving for a while. By the end of it, I was feeling rested and ready to get back out on trail!
The next day, we were back on trail and by the end of it, I was feeling awful and ready to go back to Tehachapi. It was an absolute doozy of a day. The climb up from Tehachapi pass/Highway 58 was a complete nightmare. I thought the wind was strong the other day before I had reached Tehachapi. That was a mere gentle breeze compared to this. The wind was blowing so strong it was gale force, near hurricane strength. And I was hiking along an exposed desert mountain ridgeline. I was completely at its mercy and it blew me all over the place like a ragdoll. I would get pushed off the trail 20 feet. I fell twice, once into a bush. There were times I couldn't take a step forward if I was facing into the wind. And if my back was to it, I was pushed from behind and forced to run and couldn't stop. Every step was so much extra work and my muscles ached from it. My face and hands had gone numb. My skin was tender from all the sand and dirt stinging me. My loose hairs whipped my face and eyes and any loose straps on my pack slapped me. I kept pushing on, sure that I would turn a corner and it would relent.
After six miles of that absolute terrifying hell, I reached the top of the incline and while the wind hadn't died down at all, I found a small copse of pines that I took shelter in. I think I had panic attack. I started crying and hyperventilating. I couldn't think logically. My mind just kept replaying everything I had just gone through. It was terrifying not being able to control my body, especially when the trail had steep drop offs on one or both sides of it. Something really bad could have happened, and I am lucky it didn't.
I stayed there for at least 20 minutes, sure that my tramily would soon arrive and they would tell me everything was okay. I watched, but they didn't appear. I didn't think they could have been too far behind me and realized they must have chosen to turn back. I was alone. I was still freaking out, but realized that if I really was on my own then I would need to get myself together. I ate a snack and put on some of my layers. It was time to keep walking. Feeling somewhat resigned, I left my little sanctuary and headed back out into the wind. I'm glad I had the break. I needed it. The wind was still awful, but slightly less so. The trail up here wasn't as exposed and there were some trees to help break the wind a little.
At Golden Oaks Spring, one of the few water sources in this next section, I met a few other hikers. They had also hiked through the windstorm. One of the women was able to confirm that the rest of my friends had turned around. She had learned that from her husband's text message, who was down at the base of the trail and must have ran into my tramily. I was sad to hear that we had officially become separated, but also incredibly relieved that they were safe. I am glad that they made the smart call to turn around. That wind was a serious safety hazard. These other hikers said they had to scoot on their bums or crawl in some sections to avoid being blown off a steep edge.
My campsite for the day was protected and out of the wind, thank goodness. I really needed that safe place to rest. Today was the hardest day I had on trail so far. While it was certainly physically challenging battling against the wind, I was really more mentally torn up. I had never really had a panic attack where I lost control and broke down like that. It was really scary being out in those conditions. And finding myself alone without my tramily after almost 600 miles of hiking with them added to my feelings of vulnerability and powerlessness.
The difficulties of the day continued into the night - my new sleeping pad was busted. I had to reinflate it three times throughout the night. This was only my fifth night using it and it already had a hole in it. It felt like the trail was just adding insult to injury at this point. I planned to replace it with something else entirely once I got to Kennedy Meadows.
At least the wind had died down and it was again pleasant walking along the trail. It was really beautiful hiking. I passed under pine trees, through oak woodlands, and across green grassy areas. It felt so new compared to last 600 miles of desert hiking. Especially when it started to snow. Fat white flakes began falling on me as I hiked across an open ridgeline and I was so confused. It was a warm day in mid May and I was still surrounded by brown hills covered in desert adapted plants. At first, I thought it was ash raining down on me from a wildfire. But then I saw a flake melt when it landed on my hand. Relieved, confused, and thinking I'd lived out west for too long, I just went with it and continued on down the trail.
I was able to find a spot with cell service in the afternoon and texted my tramily that I was okay. While I knew that they were safe, they had not heard from me yet and were a little worried. They had ended up hitching to the next pass the trail crosses, Walker Pass, and were hiking this section south, so I should see them tomorrow. I camped at Landers campground that night. There was a bountiful spring with good clear flowing water that tasted delicious. The campground was accessible by car so there were quite a few other people there. I found some of the other hikers I had talked to yesterday and ate dinner with them. I did a quick field repair of my sleeping pad and then went to bed. Fingers crossed my patch job help up.
Most hikers consider Kennedy Meadows to the be the "gateway" to the Sierra Nevada mountains. But geologically, they begin just north of Tehachapi pass. I was getting strong Sierra vibes today during the sunrise and I was so excited to see the end of the desert section. But it didn't take too long to be swiftly reminded that I was not out of the desert yet. These mountains may be part of the Sierra Nevada range, but I still had to contend with dry brown hills and sparse vegetation for a while longer.
I got to see my tramily today! It was so good to see them safe and well. They all had their own harrowing accounts of that section and I was glad they made it off the mountain safely. It looked like there was a minor injury and a narrowly avoided close call. They lost a day of hiking turning around and getting a ride, so I was not sure when I would see them next. But at least I got to see them then, safe and in good spirits.
I camped at Bird Spring Pass where there was a water cache. It was right at the base of a 3.5 mile incline that I will get to do first thing tomorrow morning. My sleeping pad field repair held up last night and the pad held air all throughout the night. I hoped that it would have a repeat performance so I could get another decent night's sleep.
The next day felt really easy for me. I cruised up the mountains with no trouble. The trail was so smooth it felt like butter. I hiked 20.5 miles and made it to Walker Campground by 12:45pm. Some Trail Angels had left some fresh fruit under one of the picnic shade structures. I hiked another mile to the pass, Highway 178 and did my first "Hero." A Hero is when you go into and come back out of a town in the same day. Every time I have gone into a town so far, I stayed there for one or more nights. But today, I got a ride into Ridgecrest, ate way too big of a lunch, bought way too much food, and then got a ride back to the trail. I thought about hiking further that night, but it would be several miles uphill to the next decent camp site and my belly was too full to want to go anywhere. I shared my excess food with some other hikers who were also staying at the Walker Pass campground. Note to self: do not do your resupply shopping on an empty stomach.
Today marked 651.3 miles done! Only 2,000 more to go!
The next day was my biggest day on trail to date: 29.6 miles. I was a little annoyed that I didn't make it a full 30, but my feet were aching like crazy and my shin felt stiff by the end of the day so it was probably for the best. It was a really beautiful day with a lot of elevation changes. The trail wound its way across these mountains, crossing ridges and traversing valleys. I passed by another burn zone, this one burned back in 2010, the tree trunks still blackened and charred. I could see the changes between desert and mountain vegetation easier between the lower and higher elevations of the day. I camped at Chimney Creek campground, another car accessible campground. I soaked my sore feet in the cold creek before bed and already they felt better after the long day.
I met another hiker today, her name was Rocket. I met her during my lunch break where I stopped at Spanish Needle Creek. Then again at the campground where she was also staying for the night. Apparently she also camped at Walker Pass last night. Rocket seemed really cool. Near 30 mile days seemed to be much more normal for her than it was for me and I felt a little intimidated by her.
Day 45 on trail marked a big day for me - I made it to Kennedy Meadows! This marks the perceived end of the 700 mile desert section and the beginning of the Sierra Nevada on the PCT. I can tell that I am getting stronger because even though I had to climb 2,400ft in elevation, it felt easy and I felt like I was flying across the trail. Much different than what I had been 6.5 weeks ago.
I made it so the south fork of the Kern river around midmorning. I spent over an hour just enjoying being by a river, soaking up my last moments of the desert, thinking of how it would feel to walk into Kennedy Meadows. I also may have been procrastinating a little as I was nervous for the new challenges that I would face in the High Sierra Nevada. But excitement eventually surpassed my nerves and I hiked the remaining 4.3 miles to Sherman Pass road, and then 0.75 miles to the Kennedy Meadows General Store.
All of my nerves and excitement were a little dashed as I approached the wooden building. The store was quiet and there weren't many people there. I had built up this moment in my head so much, but it felt like walking up to any random building. I decided to head down the road a couple miles to Grumpy Bears Retreat. This was where everyone was hanging out and it was loud and crowded. Again, my expectations were slightly crushed. I didn't recognize most of the other hikers. I felt lonely surrounded by all these people I didn't really know. I missed my tramily and wished they were here. It wasn't at all the big celebration I had imagined.
But I was still amongst other thru hikers and a group welcomed me to join them and made room for me at their table. Grumpy Bear's served excellent food and it was so good to be sitting down with a burger in hand. After (over)eating, I went across the field to Triple Crown Outfitters, a gear shop set up by two-time triple crowner, Jackie McDonnell "Yogi." I purchased a new sleeping, a Nemo Tensor, and crossed all my fingers and toes that this one would hold up.
I walked a little ways away from the buildings to set my tent up and spend some time going through my food and gear resupply. Hikers are required to carry a bear cannister from Kennedy Meadows to Sonora Pass, so my friend had mailed me mine, along with some snow gear. There was very little snow this year, though. As a California resident, this made me very nervous. But as a PCT hiker, this made me very happy. I set aside the snow gear to mail back home, and figured out how to shove my bulky bear cannister into my pack.
I took a zero day here the next day and got to bum around and eat more food. I was able to take a shower and do laundry. I got a ride back to the General Store and camped there for the night so I would be closer to the trail for tomorrow morning. Right as I arrived there, Sorority Steve and Bushwhack were just leaving it to go to Grumpy Bear's. It was so great to see them! They were going to take a zero day tomorrow, just as I had done. I was ready to get back on trail and didn't want to take another day off (and possibly spend all of my money on food at Grumpy Bear's). So we said our hellos and goodbyes. Slice, Mango, and Redline weren't getting in until tomorrow and I was sad to miss them. I was sad to lose them, and I hoped I would see them all further up the trail.
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