Day 39
May 27
624.3-652
27.7 miles

As I climbed the switchbacks that I had hoped to climb last night, the wind blew strongly and made the walking tough. I assumed that it was even stronger last night and was glad to be doing this part in the morning, hard as it was. I scanned the terrain as I walked to see where I might have camped had I continued on last night and was happy with my decision to stop where I did. Although the wind made me feel cold and uncomfortable, the moon was still out and I tried to take in the beauty of my surroundings.

The lack of trees made the world seem more open around me and I spent a moment at the top of the climb, looking out at the new landscape that was now revealed on the other side.

As I descended into a small desert valley, I came upon Razor taking a break. I greeted him and headed up new hills and wound my way around ridge lines where telephone poles that gave no reception stood. As I got closer to the location of the next water cache, I heard someone call my name. I looked up to see Salty standing on the side of the trail and all I could do was laugh. With my stopping short last night, my non-existent ability to ever get up early, and Salty’s desire to get as far as possible in order to make today’s mileage to get to Walker Pass reasonable, it was immensely funny to me that we were now in the exact same place! I laughed and laughed and then we walked over to the water cache together. Salty told me that the wind was awful last night and that he wasn’t able to make it as far as he had wanted because of it. And to make matters worse, the moon took forever to rise! Mark ended up sleeping at the cache, but Chip stopped short and camped close to Salty.
It was now close to 9. Salty still intended to make it to Walker Pass and I thought I had a chance to do the same. First, we had to make it over the big, exposed climb in front of us, which was not recommended to be climbed mid-day. I debated whether or not I should take the time to make some hot chocolate. Salty said he definitely would if he had some. So, I did. He went on to start the climb. As I was preparing to leave, Razor came along and wanted to talk. His personality is very different from mine and the conversation was definitely not easy for me. I strongly felt that he wanted me to be someone other than who I am. I tried to be polite and provide him with some company, but I really desired to get hiking!
Finally, I excused myself and started the climb. When I was about half way up the mountain, I realized that this climb was not nearly as tough as it was billed and that I was actually enjoying it! Beautiful trees provided respite from the sun at the top of the mountain and I noticed several nice camping spots in case of a possible future visit.

As the day wore on and I began to tire, I realized that I still had fifteen miles to hike until I made it to Walker Pass. Fifteen miles! That was a lot and my spirits sank. I needed a way to boost my energy. Somehow, in the next couple of hours, I checked my progress and realized that I was hiking 3 miles per hour, which I almost couldn’t believe! That piece of information gave me the boost that I needed!
I climbed another hill and began looking for a place to take a quick break. I ended up choosing a particular tree to sit under and was very surprised to find that I had some reception there! I took a minute to send out a quick e-mail to my friend, Erik, who happened to be visiting his family in Michigan at the time (he now lives in the Netherlands), and asked him if there was an outfitter close to where he lived. I explained that I was in need of a fleece jacket before I entered the Sierras (now only about 60 miles away!)- otherwise, I was going to freeze! I had an extremely narrow window frame to get this request out, and was so happy that I was able to do so! I ate a quick snack and got moving again.
Later, I caught up to Salty. I asked him what his plan was in terms of waiting for his father. Nothing had changed. I asked him if he knew there was reception a little ways back and he exclaimed, “No! And I guess you didn’t leave a sign for other hikers on the tree saying ‘Free Wi-fi’ or ‘Wendy’s phone booth’ did you?”.
He pointed out our first distant view of the Sierras as we walked. His guidebook was an informative one!

Later on, I found a place to take our last break of the day, but jumped up when I noticed ants swarming me! We had one last push to get to Walker Pass and we wishfully talked about a barbecue and an easy ride into town awaiting us!

Of course, we found nothing of the sort. Mark was there and had collected most of the water that had been left by someone for himself and Chip. There was also a plastic bag hanging from a tree that contained some individual packets of Oreos and a couple of eggs. Other than that, there was only the wind blowing. Mark was wondering where Chip had disappeared to and Salty began looking for a place to set up camp. I followed him down and wondered where I should set up. Then, he was called over to another area by Iceman and Cattywampus. The wind was blowing strongly and the sky was covered with gray clouds that looked like they might burst open with rain. It was only a little after six and I wondered why I would spend the night in these conditions when I had the chance to get into town! I picked up my pack and followed Chip out to the road. He and Mark had decided that it would be easiest if only one of them tried to hitch into Onyx and agreed that Chip could pick up both of their resupply boxes. Mark would spend the night at Walker Pass.
And so, I waited for passing cars with Chip. Unfortunately, almost all of the traffic was headed in the opposite direction! The few cars that came towards us didn’t even slow down. I figured I would spend an hour trying to get a ride and if that didn’t work, I could head back to where the others were sleeping.
After 20 or 25 minutes, however, a car that was coming from the opposite direction gave us a sign and turned around. They had seen us when they passed by the first time and turned around for us after letting their other family members in another car know what they were doing. How nice! They lived about half way between Onyx and Lake Isabella, so it was no problem for them to drop Chip off, and they said that I could hitch again at the gas station further up the road. Chip was extremely talkative as usual, and didn’t allow the couple to get in a word! I just sat there and smiled. He said I was welcome to camp with him outside the post office and perhaps go to jail with him if he was caught, but I said I would try to get into Lake Isabella that night.
As we drove on, the woman said, “You’re friend sure likes to talk a lot!”. The man ended up dropping his wife off and taking me all the way into Lake Isabella. His wife said that her husband was very quiet and not at all like Chip, and I told her that was a good thing! He delivered me right to the motel and when I offered to give him some gas money, he said, “You’re not going to give me anything.”
I checked in and got a room and after I asked how to get to Nelda’s where the milkshakes were, was told it was a mile and a half away. However, he might be able to give me a ride there since things at the motel were quiet. I think he expected me to shower before I went, but it was already so late and I wanted to get there before they closed. So, off we went and I had a mediocre burger, but a very delicious milkshake that lived up to its reputation! I also got to talk to Erik about the fleece jacket that I needed. Then, I walked the mile and a half back to my motel along the highway, because what’s a mile and a half more when you’ve already walked almost 28 miles with a heavy backpack? I finally got to shower and sunk into my bed.

Day 38
May 26
mile 603.4-624.3
20.9 miles

I finally slept well! It was neither too windy nor too cold and I had some very intense dreams. I would wake up and then go right back into the scene repeatedly. I allowed myself to sleep in until 6:30, but I really wished I could have slept so much longer! I was so tired!!
I started walking at 7:36 and soon caught up to Salty. He called down to me from above the trail and I asked him what he was doing up there. He said that he was checking out an old water tank. He wanted to go down the hill and explore some log cabin ruins that his guidebook had talked about. I wanted to get in my miles (especially since I had just started the day) but I ended up going down the hill to find the ruins with him. It was fun to do something a little different and wonder about how people lived out here all by themselves many years ago.
As we walked back up to the trail, Chip and Mark came along. We took the lead and stayed ahead. Salty was getting overheated and wanted to take off his extra layers, but said he would wait until we got to the next water source. I told him that was still 2 miles away! He pulled out his GPS to confirm what I had just told him and then stopped right there. I told him I would let him catch up to me.

I crossed over a marshy area and then a dirt road and came to a registry. There were benches beyond it, so I put down my backpack and went to look for a place to go to the bathroom.

I was happy that I had a little time to myself. Salty came along and after reading through the registry himself, said to me, “I wish you had stayed with me… I just saw the biggest bear of my life! I stood there watching him for five minutes.” Darn it! I totally missed that! My stupid hat really restricted the view of my surroundings! Salty said the bear was making its way out of the marsh. Its fur was all wet and he assumed it had been taking a bath. He also told me that he had seen a mountain lion in the dark after the Anderson’s oasis cache! Lucky guy!
We walked to the road and then turned left to head towards the campground which had a water source nearby. Salty contemplated spending the day there since he had so much time to kill before his father would arrive. He said he has a hard time taking zeros in town and I wondered how he was going to take a zero out here and watch everyone walk by him! He agreed that that would be a very tough thing for him to do. I asked him why he didn’t call his father to ask him to come earlier and he said that he had had no reception. “What about at that blue house?” I asked.
“I saw a man walking around that house with a pistol on his hip! I didn’t see a sign that said ‘free Wi-fi'”, he exclaimed. “I wasn’t about to linger around that place!”.

We both moved on after filtering our water and having a snack. We came to yet another burn area and as I stopped to take pictures of flowers, Salty went on ahead.

As I descended to the road and water cache, Mark caught up to me. I arrived there just before 1.
Salty spotted a lone Joshua tree across the road and up a hill and wanted to take his break there. I didn’t want to spend the energy to go all the way over there, so I set up in the sand on a hill above the water. I shaded my legs with my umbrella and snacked on a power bar, an english muffin, some peanut butter, some pork jerky, and a snickers. Chip and Razor came along and joined the other guys under the Joshua tree.

I tried to nap a little in between wind gusts that threatened to blow my umbrella away. When I finally got up, I discovered that I was covered in dirt!
I was the first to head out at 2:10, and Mark followed close behind. As I read through the next register, which dated back to last year, Mark went ahead. For the rest of the afternoon, I walked alone, which was really nice.

We had another big climb coming up and with four liters of water, my pack was very heavy! Joshua trees dotted the environment and the sand on the trail was deep, which took a lot of energy to get through. I took my time and plodded along.

Once on the ridge, I sat down and ate another power bar. The sun was burning my legs! Forty-five minutes later, I was hungry again.
I was also having bad chafing problems in the area I was having trouble with yesterday. It was incredible painful. I finally decided to walk without my underwear on. For 10 minutes, I experienced incredible stinging and then, very slowly, it subsided a little.
I reached a flat area that looked like it would be ideal for camping, but I wanted to get in another 2-3 miles. I walked on and came to another spot that I could see myself camping in. I debated for a couple of minutes, and even though it was only just after six, I decided I had better stop here or I would have proven to myself that I didn’t learn my lesson after that awful night when my sleeping pad blew away. I could see that we had a climb ahead and I didn’t want to be caught on switchbacks in high wind again. So, I set up my cowboy camp under a Joshua tree that I hoped would provide enough shelter from the wind. As I was cooking dinner, Salty walked by, but didn’t seem to see me. I called his name, startling him a bit. I wasn’t expecting to see him because he had told me that he was going to walk down to a campground 2 miles off the PCT which had water and spend the night there. Apparently, however, Weeds and Icebucket made it to the water cache before Salty left and said there would probably be a barbecue at Walker Pass tomorrow because it was Memorial Day. But Weeds told Salty he would never make it there by then. “Don’t even try!”. At that point, he decided he was going to get to Walker Pass by Monday no matter what! And so, his plan was immediately changed!
He asked if he could join me for dinner and then headed back out to get in as many of the 28 remaining miles to Walker Pass as he could. Razor later walked by and told me about having set up his tent in a saddle. He was cooking dinner when the wind came whipping through, ripped up a tent stake, and knocked over his boiling noodles! He then decided to pack everything up and move! (He also told me that he had gotten sprayed in the face by a skunk earlier on the hike!).
As the last remnants of light were fading, Chip came along in his funny hat, with a smug smile on his face. He asked if I had seen Mark and seemed intent on catching up to him that evening with the help of the moonlight.
(Oh, Chip…)

It took a long time to wipe the dirt from my legs, and the extra time that I thought I would have to journal quickly disappeared. I wrote down a few words with cold hands and then huddled in my sleeping bag.

Day 37
May 25
mile 582-603.4
21.4 miles

I was unable to get any sleep due to the constant roar of the wind all night long! It was at least as bad as the night my sleeping pad blew away, but this time, I was on pretty level ground. I imagined that Weeds and IceBucket were sleeping soundly in their low elevation, sheltered spot. It was very cold and there was no way that I was going to get up at 5 something! So, I remained in my sleeping bag until 7:00! The wind still hadn’t lessened. I spent 10 to 15 minutes futily trying to put in my contacts. It was impossible! The wind would not let up for more than a second. While I was trying to do this, a couple walked by. I couldn’t see who they were. They said it was SunDog and Giggles. “I thought you guys slept at the water source last night!” Nope. They stopped just short of where I did, but found a spot away from the trail in the woods. “Were you guys able to sleep at all?”. They said they got some sleep early on, but couldn’t sleep because of the wind during the second half of the night. Still, they were smiling and chipper, as usual.
I finally got going and was able to put my contacts in on a stretch of the trail where the wind wasn’t as strong. I passed by Joe, who had also camped before the water source. And then, I walked by Jug, still in his sleeping bag next to the dirt road by the trough, and found Salty at the trough. We had all slept in! Wow! I didn’t feel so bad anymore! SunDog and Giggles were about to move on, so it was my turn to collect water. Joe had come along by this point. He was cursing over and over because his Sawyer squeeze bag had a tear in it. I asked him if he wanted some of my duct tape to repair it and he took some, still angry. As I was finishing up my filtering process, Chip and Mark rolled in. I had to get going! It was now 9:00! I had never started so late before!

Soon, I reached another huge burn area. All of the trees surrounding the trail were charred. I had walked through many, many burned parts of the PCT by now, but this one made me mad. It was too much!

I was tired and my mood was not good. The side of my big right toe was hurting where there was a huge callous. I wondered if a blister had formed underneath it. I was also experiencing more chafing pain. This time, it was not in an area that IceBucket could have helped with even if he was around. The burn area was extensive and there was no protected place that I could go to take care of my problem. I climbed up a slope along the trail and sat under a burned tree. I still had my baggie of Goldbond powder that Dr. Sole had given me back at kick-off, as well as a tiny free tube of ointment that I had picked up in Big Bear. I hoped no one would walk by.
Of course, someone did. I remained still, and I was amazed that the hiker did not see me! He had headphones in and was distracted by the music, I guess. Later, two other hikers also passed by without seeing me! I realized, that with our attention so focused on this narrow ribbon of trail, that we are missing out on seeing a great deal of our surroundings!

The zipper on my wind jacket had broken and I started worrying about freezing in the Sierras! I wished I had left my fleece jacket with my resupply people, but in my preparation for this trail, I thought my wind jacket was the replacement for that layer. It did not provide much warmth, however, and even less so when it was unable to zip up! I wondered if I was going to have an opportunity to buy a fleece jacket in Lake Isabella or at the Kennedy Meadows General Store.

Later in the afternoon, I saw Salty up on a slope. He appeared to be talking to someone on the phone. (I figured he must have been calling his family to tell them to come earlier). I kept going and later found a place to take a break along a climb. He passed by and wanted to know if I had seen him. He said, “I think you caught me talking to myself” and seemed embarrassed. I told him I thought he was on the phone, and that I talk to myself all the time! We were now only a couple of miles away from the 600 mile point!

He continued on as I finished my snack.
After the climb, the trail turned onto a dirt road. I walked by a blue house that was set off the road that gave me an eerie feeling. I turned on my GPS to see what mile I was at and discovered that I had reception! I texted Muk Muk and found out that she and UB were now three days behind me.
Then, I reached the 600 mile mark! It was impossible to take a picture of myself by some rocks on the ground, but I tried. I was a bit disappointed that Salty couldn’t have stayed with me for that little bit so we could have taken pictures of each other! He had told me earlier that he was excited to reach this point.

I listened to some Beyonce and Ray LaMontagne to help me through the last few miles of the day.
When I reached the intersection to Robin’s Spring, I turned away from the PCT and headed down the side trail to collect water. Salty was just coming down from the spring on the hill and he helped me open the wired gate, which was a Colorado style enclosure, and nearly impossible to get through! He spent a few minutes re-looping the wiring. I went up the hill and was surprised to see a man sitting up there with his winter hat on. I assumed he was a weekend hiker. He asked me if I was going to camp there. I didn’t feel so comfortable and told him I was going to move on.
As I was getting ready to leave, Mark hiked in. He planned on staying there for the night. Salty was hoping he could catch up to SunDog and Giggles, as this was one of his last chances to spend time with them. He was headed home for two weeks and would start the hike again with his mother for the next two months.
I made my way back to the PCT and after a mile or so, started looking for a spot to camp. I thought I saw a possible area down a hill, but after making the trek down, it turned out to be unsuitable. My guidebook was misleading as to possible camping spots in this area.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before I rounded a bend and saw a place I could set up. I was done for the night! I set up my cowboy camp, cooked dinner, and was in my sleeping bag at 8:45. I hoped tonight would be less windy so I could finally get some sleep! Today was a hard day!

Day 36
May 24
558.5- about 582
23.5 miles

I woke up early, but was only briefly able to speak to my friend, as he was running late for jury duty. He told me that he could call back at 9 am, my time, but I told him I would be hiking!
I walked over to the fastfood restaurant and founds Weeds and Icebucket. They had taken my advice of bringing over their Starbucks via packets, as this town had no good coffee! I asked them where they got the hot water and they said they just added it to the coffee from the restaurant! I ordered the french toast special and sat with Weeds, while Icebucket returned to the motel. I felt very rushed, as I had still had to fill up my water bottles, which I had forgotten to bring to the restaurant, and finish packing my last few things. Weeds reminded me that Cheryl Strayed had started her hike from Mojave, and I sat there for a moment, taking in this information. I wondered what motel she stayed at and thought about how she had spent her last night before the start of her hike. I also thought about how much of the PCT she had skipped. I told Weeds my opinion of the book and that to me, the conclusion of the book seemed too nicely wrapped up to be believable for someone that had hiked only 1,000 miles. I had already backpacked over 3,300 miles, and my life is definitely not drastically different and better than before I ever hiked. She is definitely a very good writer, and describes what it is like to be on the trail extremely well, however. Weeds told me that she has already witnessed transformative changes in some hikers. One time, she found a hiker crying on the side of the trail, saying, “I’ve been an asshole my whole life.” She said she has witnessed others writing deeper things in the registries along the trail. I suppose the amount of change one can expect greatly depends on the person’s starting behavior, as well as how much they truly want to change themselves.
Weeds left me to finish my french toast and said she would stall Ted. I hurried back to my room, filled up my water bottles cup by cup (as they were too tall for the sink), and packed everything up. My phone wasn’t even fully charged.
Everyone was standing around chatting by the car and hadn’t even begun to fill out Ted’s questionnaire for the article. I suggested we start doing that. Weeds and Ice Bucket wrote down some basic info and I wrote a few lines on why we hike these long trails and what it does for us. Weeds was growing impatient and called me a “time consumer”! Then, we were off to the trailhead! Ted entertained us with stories about mingling with Miss Ohio and Miss California at a conference at Disney World during our drive.
We arrived at the PCT, got out of the car and had our picture taken by Ted for the article. As he left, I shouted out, “We’ll never forget you!”.
Weeds said that I most definitely won’t be forgotten, either- along with Miss Ohio and Miss California!


There were a lot of informative signs in the area at the start of our hike, and we took our time reading them and taking pictures. Weeds put on a bandana so the wind wouldn’t blow her hair all over the place and it gave me the idea to put on my buff. But I was antsy to get going, so I decided I would do that later.
I headed into the brown hills feeling happy and alive. The wind was forecasted to be strong again today, but we are thru-hikers and push through whatever is given to us! I headed towards the next batch of windmills.


Ahead, I saw a farm and lots of cows and I stopped to observe them for a few minutes. Two hikers were approaching and I saw that it was SunDog and Giggles, who had stayed in Tehachapi. SunDog told me that he had come up with a trailname for me- Sweet Tooth because I have a cute smile and eat lots of candy, he said. He thought it was much a much better name than Sasahy. (I had stopped introducing myself as Sashay after Chip kept calling out, “Hey Sasha!” over and over again while he and Mark were hiking with me. It was very annoying!). SunDog opened the gate for Giggles, and I wished I had a nice strong man to do the same for me!

I found a bush up ahead to stop and dig out my buff. Ice Bucket came by and asked me if I was okay! My friend from home said he would call me at 9, but did not. I kept checking my reception and finally found some at 9:23 and texted him, but he did not respond. I later stopped under a bush and left him a voicemail. Weeds and a male hiker that I had not met passed by me.

We descended a series of switchbacks down to the road, arriving at a small water cache. SunDog, Giggles, Salty, Weeds, and Icebucket were all there. We headed out in pairs at slightly different times, walking along a road. I asked Salty if he was going into Lake Isabella and he said that his father was coming to pick him up at Walker Pass on Wednesday. “Wednesday? Then you better slow down!”. I told him that I planned on getting there on Tuesday and he walks faster than I do!
As I continued to walk, I thought about my friend having to serve on jury duty, as well as continue to work full-time, and I felt bad that I was out here hiking for myself without having to deal with any of that kind of stress. Then, I realized that I had CHOSEN to do this, and that he could do the same if he wanted to!

We walked over the highway 58 overpass and soon found a display of trail magic treats that had been left by Chief’s wife! She had left homemade cookies, apples, and soda, and while I definitely did not need any of this food, we all stood around and enjoyed it for a few minutes. Icebucket was having some problems with his most recent download of PCT maps and waypoints and was only getting an image of the Atlantic Ocean, which I thought was funny.

The trail continued along the highway for awhile before climbing back up. When these climbs are built up by people before I start them, I often dread them, but once I am actually climbing, I remember that this is what I love to do! I passed Ice Bucket, feeling very strong.

When I took a short break along the trail, I saw him approaching. For some reason, he did not seem to see me! I said, “Hi Icebucket” to let him know I was there and not be creepy and he jumped back like I had just given him a heart attack! “How could you have not seen me?” I asked him. He told me that he gets very lost in his thoughts when he hikes.
I continued to the top of the climb and found a Joshua tree to rest under while I ate something for “lunch”. Salty passed by and I later caught up to him and SunDog and Giggles after their break. They all went ahead sometime later.
I was very thankful for the sleeping pad that Ted had given me, not only for sleeping on, but for sitting on during breaks. The PCT is a very dirty, sandy, and eroded trail, and a sitting pad is necessary for breaks! There is no outfitter store in Mojave, and it was incredible that he did this for me! Somehow, whatever I needed was appearing…

I decided to stop and cook my dinner instead of waiting until I set up camp. Ice Bucket walked by and got scared again when I said hi! I wondered how he doesn’t get lost all the time if he is that into his head!
I even scared him a third time when I caught up to him after resuming my walk! He had to have known I was going to be right behind him! By this time, my lower back was on fire from chafing, which I didn’t understand. Why was this happening after I had already hiked 580 miles and why was it happening on the day I left town, after having washed my clothes?
I kept pushing on, wincing every few steps. When Ice Bucket pulled over, I followed him, complaining about the pain. He didn’t understand what I meant by chafing, but when he lifted up my shirt to see, he gasped! It was all red and raw. I asked him what I should do- put goldbond powder on it? He said he had the perfect thing and went about digging in his pack. He pulled out a purple tube and told me it was a miracle cream- Vagisil! He rubbed some onto my wound, and told me to let it heal overnight. I said I was going to continue hiking! He said I should sit for 10 minutes to let it soak in and then see how it was tomorrow. If I needed more, I could wait for him. And he told to buy a tube for myself in Lake Isabella.
Weeds came along and asked me to watch their packs while they scouted out their campsites. She was afraid of bears taking them. When I told her I was going to move on, she was very dismayed. “Stay with us! We’re a hoot!”.
“But I am stopping at Lake Isabella and you guys aren’t, so I have to keep moving.”
I told her I would see them tomorrow.
I continued on through the evening hours. More windmills came into sight! No! We weren’t done with them yet! These ones were of an older style.

As the light began to fade and the mountaintops glowed pink, I rounded a corner and saw three deer! The sight of them took my breath away.

I was glad I had continued on. (Although Weeds and Ice Bucket probably saw an incredible sunset where they stayed!).
Then, I saw another deer and two grouse with funny plumes sticking up on top of their heads!
I rounded another bend, and this time, I was just stunned. The moon was just coming up behind the mountains, hanging full and bright in the sky.

My jaw dropped open. Is this real? It was huge! I had never seen anything like it. This was the reason I was out here! I watched it rise as the remnants of light faded.

I knew that I wasn’t going to make it to the water trough tonight (where I thought everyone else was camping) and started scanning for a place to camp. Just above a bend in the trail, I found a space that would just fit my sleeping bag. I wedged it in between a bush and rock, put on my warm clothes, and washed up. I was talking to myself, as I was taking out my contacts and was startled my a hiker. I told him I didn’t think I knew him. He said his name was “Jug.” I wished him a goodnight and tucked myself in. It was 53 degrees by 8:20. The temperature had dropped quickly and the winds began to pick up…
I would not be able to sleep again…

Day 35
May 23
mile 554.5-558.5 (Mojave)
4 miles

I had been debating since the planning of this hike on whether or not I should stop in Lake Isabella to resupply. It is a town that is 35 miles off the PCT and notoriously hard to hitch to. However, it supposedly has the best milkshakes on the entire PCT and it splits up an otherwise 145 mile stretch, which equals a VERY heavy pack in the desert. Once my sleeping pad blew away, the choice was made for me. I resisted turning on my phone and texting my resupply people at 4 in the morning and instead tried to relax my mind for a bit and try to rest. When it became a reasonable hour, I sent out a text explaining what had happened and asked if they could ship out another of my sleeping pads to Lake Isabella. The wind continued to blow strongly and there was no way that I could put my contacts in in those conditions. I ate a quick breakfast, looked around to see if my sleeping pad had perhaps gotten caught in a branch, stuffed my things into my pack, and moved away from that awful spot. I continued down the remaining switchbacks, bundled up in all my layers. The wind knocked me sideways. I was not in a good mood! As I descended, I found that one direction only provided a bit of respite from the wind, and I decided to stop and put in my contacts there. As soon as I rounded the corner, it picked up again. It was a long four miles!

As I approached the bottom of the hill, I saw a yellow tent. The person appeared to still be sleeping peacefully. Had I known about this spot…I read through the register comments (some people hated the wind, while others enjoyed it) and made my way toward the road.
A hiker was trying to hitch into Tehachapi without any luck and asked to borrow my phone to call for a cab. He said I could share the ride, but I had sent my resupply box to Mojave, which was 11 miles in the other direction. I walked down the highway to Willow Springs Road, set my pack down, and stuck out my thumb. One guy waved to me, but I didn’t need a wave. I needed a ride! I was so cold and had to keep moving around to generate a little body heat. It seemed that every truck that passed was a working vehicle. It wasn’t looking so good for me! I got hungry and had to dig a Snickers bar out of my pack. I tried to send out happy energy, but no one would stop! I had been waiting an hour already and wondered if I wouldn’t get my breakfast.

A car turned down the road and I waved it down. It stopped and I asked the man if he could take me to Mojave. The driver, Ted, happened to be a trail angel in Mojave and had seen me on his way to dropping off another hiker at the trail head. He assumed that I would be picked up in the meantime, but if I hadn’t, he planned on taking me in! I don’t know what I would have done if it weren’t for him! He told me about the boom in windmill construction in the last couple of years and talked about a few of the hikers he had met this year. He seemed impressed with our various backgrounds! We drove past his house and then into the town of Mojave. I told him that I had been looking forward to getting some breakfast and he said he knew just the place. He was meeting his friends at the donut shop and would take me there. I had been looking forward to an omelette, but made do with a breakfast sandwich and coffee with powdered creamer. The donut shop had enormous pastries and I stared at them, wondering how anyone could eat such a thing if it was unappealing to even a hiker appetite! I joined Ted and his friends at their table, happy for some company.

Weeds and Icebucket came in and sat at the table behind us, reading the newspaper on their zero day, which looked very relaxing!
Ted had to get going to a meeting, so I left with him and he dropped me off at the Motel 6, where I had my resupply box sent. He offered to give me an extra blue foam sleeping pad that he had at home and said he never used. Amazing!
I spent the remainder of the day washing myself and my clothes, sorting through my resupply items, walking a mile to the post office to ship extra items ahead on the trail, and then walking the mile back through the strip mall. I ran across the highway, dodging traffic, to finally get an omelette at a fastfood restaurant, and then went back later for a very bad bacon cheeseburger!
Weeds and Icebucket had told me to come find them to figure out a ride back to the trail the following morning. I found them in their room, was invited in for a beer and a chat, and called up Ted to see if he was available to take us. He had told us that he wakes up at 7:00, but agreed to meet us at 7 at the motel. Wonderful! He asked us if we would be willing to write down some information for an article in the local paper about our hikes, which, of course, we were more than happy to do! Weeds and Icebucket had put together their own hiker box of unwanted items, and I ended up taking a ziplock bag of Icebucket’s leftover grape nuts cereal that he had been carrying from the border, as well as a baggie of chocolate protein powder, and I took Weed’s city scarf that she was discarding! It was nice to hang out with them, but I had to get back to my chores.
I decided, that since I had received no care packages by this time, I would put a message on facebook, letting people know that I could sent them my resupply stop addresses if they wanted to send me a little love along my journey. To my surprise, several people responded, asking for them! It took a lot of effort to write each person back with the instructions on how and what to send. I wished I had a person at home who could organize that for me!
Finally, it was time to lie down in my bed for a few hours before an early morning wake up to talk to someone from back home. I could hear the wind roaring outside my window and was thankful to be ensconced inside.

Day 34
May 22
mile 529.7-554.5
24.8

After about four hours of sleep, I woke up to start a new day.

I was motivated to stay ahead of the group that had left around 3am from Hikertown. They were planning on reaching the Cottonweed Creek bridge around 9 or so. I resumed my walk along the sandy road lined with joshua trees, seeing this environment for the first time in daylight!

After about an hour of walking, windmills started coming into sight. I was about to enter a new land of gigantic alien-like machines. And as if on cue, the wind began picking up with the appearance of these towering objects. It suddenly became a bit harder to move forward! The desert is generally a windy place, and I struggled often to keep my hat on my head, pulling up the bead on the leather ties that made my chinstrap, and pushing down the brim of my hat. In this new land, however, it was futile to even try to wear my sunhat. I took photograph after photograph of the landscape of windmills. The symmetry was quite pretty. As I passed by some of them, I could see little doors and wondered about the people entering them.

After a few more miles, I approached the bridge and was surprised to see a vehicle crossing it! I didn’t realize this part of the trail was accessible to cars. It creeped along and I could see the driver looking out, but they didn’t seem to want to interact with me. I found a side path leading down to another tank of water that was stocked by Hikertown. I collected and filtered the water, ate a snack, and was greeted by Chief, who was the first of the late-night hikers to roll in. He found his own shady spot a bit away, and I continued along the trail, enjoying the flat terrain and the contrast of nature and machine. The wind became stronger, so I put on my winter hat. My pace slowed as I worked harder to fight my way through the moving air. Juniper bushes started to appear and I looked for one to take respite from the high wind. I found one that could shelter me, unrolled my sleeping pad, put on some warm clothes, and curled up. Lying down felt so delightful! A hiker passed by as I was packing up, whooping, and throwing his arms in the air. “You gotta love it!” he shouted out. He had the right attitude!
I moved on, hoping the wind might have died down, but it only seemed stronger. I was beginning to hate the windmills. I wondered if they were creating more wind, or if they were just placed in an already very windy area. As I looked ahead, it seemed like there were only a few left, and I kept telling myself that I only needed to make it that far until I was out of their vicinity. But they never ended…

I started the descent into Tylerhorse Canyon, where I could see a couple of hikers. By the time I arrived, they were just about to leave. I looked for a sheltered place to sit and decided to cook a meal in the afternoon instead of the night to help warm my body. As I ate, Chief came in, scouting out a place to camp, and then Iceman and Cattywampus followed, searching for a place along the creek. While Chief napped with a bandana over his eyes, the couple went about setting up their tent. It was only 3:00, but Chief’s wife was coming to visit him in Tehachapi in two days, so he had plenty of time to kill. I went down to the creek to collect water and then returned to my spot on the hill under the tree to filter it.
I moved on, starting the climbs out of the Mojave desert. The open space between the brown mountains surrounding me made me feel so happy. I decided to listen to some music, feeling so thankful to have such an expansive area to myself. One of the songs strongly reminded me that I know the truth of my experience from what I feel, and that no one else’s words or actions can ever take that away.


I moved from the rims of bare mountains back into trees. The moon was rising as the sun set. I watched the changing colors of the sky as I moved along.

Soon, I came upon a group of chairs in a small cove beside the trail. A nice carpenter named Daniel had created this resting spot for us, and had left apples and bottled water, as well! He put out a sign welcoming us to Tehachapi! I never factor in time to spend at such places, so after drinking a bottle of water, I resumed my walk. Night was coming. I was motivated to get as far as I could tonight, because I wanted to get to the town of Mojave in time for breakfast- my favorite meal! I figured that since I had night hiked last night in the moonlight, I could do it again tonight! The temperature dropped and my hands got cold. I walked past a tent and saw by the outline, that it was Puma inside. I decided to continue on so I had a better chance to get my breakfast.
I saw the road down below and wondered if I should hike all the way down to it, but decided I didn’t want to camp next to the road. The sky turned pink as I moved down the switchbacks.

Soon, there was nothing but black, and the moon oddly did not seem to provide nearly as much light as it had the night before! I began to tire and decided I should start looking for a place to camp. However, I was walking down a path of never-ending switchbacks, which meant that there were no flat spaces. At 9:00, with four miles to get to the road, I decided that I was finished for the day. I picked the best spot that I could, given the situation, which meant that I would have to sleep on a slope. I placed my backpack on the sloping side, but I was also set up on a vertical slope and knew I would slide downward during the night. After putting on my warm clothes, I huddled in my sleeping bag. The wind grew stronger and stronger throughout the night. At one point, I woke up wondering why my hip was hurting so much! I realized that I had rolled off my sleeping pad and when I went to get back on it, discovered that there was no sleeping pad there at all! It had blown away in the ferocious wind! I lifted up my head to see if it was anywhere near me, and my down jacket that I was using as a pillow, immediately flew out. I instinctively reached out my arm and just managed to grab it! Oh my gosh… this was a bad situation! I looked around to see what else might have blown away. Were my shoes still there? I turned on my headlamp and shone it into the bushes around me. I saw no trace of my sleeping pad. This was a terrible, no good, very bad night!

Day 33
May 21
mile 498.2-about 529.7
31.5 miles!

Today was going to be a big day! I had 19.4 miles to get to a place called “Hikertown”, which I had heard was creepy and wasn’t recommended to stay at. I planned on picking up my resupply box and finding a tree to lie down under for a couple of hours and then night hiking the start of the Mojave Desert (where it could easily be 115 degrees during the day). I never get up really early, so I was surprised to see that I was the first one to head out in the morning! I noticed the clouds hanging in the sky and realized what a rare sight that was out here!

In less than 2 miles, I reached the 500 mile point. Bean had said she was excited to reach this milestone, but I didn’t feel the same way. I knew we still had the entire length of the Appalachian Trail to hike and over a month less to do it in! 500 miles didn’t seem like such a great achievement. (But I realized that if I were hiking the Colorado Trail, my hike would now be over, and I was so happy that I still had a long way to go! The thought of only being out here for four more months made me feel sad!). No one was around when I passed the marker, so I took a picture and moved on.
I could see Cattywampus and Iceman ahead. Soon, I caught and passed them. Iceman said he was happy I passed them so I could be the one to get the spider webs in my face and not him. (Nice…)

I could see the soft green folds in the distant mountains. When I reached a dirt round, I found a rock to sit on and snacked before the trail took me back into the trees, and eventually wound down the side of a mountain.

I came to a tank of water that was put there by the owner of Hikertown. After collecting some water in my squeeze bags, I looked around for a shaded spot, which didn’t seem to exist. So, I opened my umbrella (for the third time on the hike) and shaded my legs as I squeezed the water through the filter. Chief, Iceman, and Cattywampus came along and found a tree to sit under nearby. Chief commented that the only shade in the area was under my umbrella.
I got going, excited to maintain the lead position as I crossed over the Angeles National Forest Boundary. (I had essentially hiked from San Diego to Los Angeles by now!).
Trees gave way to shrub as we dropped in elevation, and the real desert came more and more into view. It was stunning to see this dry expansive brown plateau that we would soon be walking across!

Eventually, I dropped low enough to see some buildings in the distance. I wondered which one was Hikertown!

I passed by a random junkyard area of old, unwanted electronics, and a sign warning me to stay on the trail. I was now on a dusty road and felt like it was taking forever to reach the end of it!

Finally, I reached a paved road and located Hikertown, diagonally across the street. I made my way over to the entrance, opened the gate, and found some firemen there. One of them asked me who I was. I told him that I was hiking the PCT from Mexico to Canada and he said that he had never heard of such a thing until the owner was just telling him about it. He thought I was incredible to be doing that and asked me a couple of questions about it. A lady who worked there told me where I could hang out and I asked her for my resupply box. I followed her to the room containing the boxes and started looking through them (they were not arranged in any order). I knew what the box looked like, so I was able to narrow the search, but I didn’t see it anywhere! I looked a second and third time and my heart sank. I figured someone must have stolen my box! Cattywampus and Iceman came in and quickly retrieved their boxes while I texted my resupply people to ask when they had sent it. I started to wonder if the other hikers might be able to give me a little of their extra food. A bunch of hikers were hanging out in the tiny building labeled “City Hall”, while others were in the room attached to the kitchen. I brought my pack over to the kitchen area and found some plugs to start charging my electronics. My external adaptor takes four hours to charge and uses the same plug that I need to charge my iphone with, so those had to be charged separately. Brian had meanwhile found a tracking number for my package, but wasn’t able to get any information on when it was delivered. Then, he informed me that he had just mailed it 2 days ago! At least there was still hope that it could arrive today. The mail came after 4pm and I didn’t feel like I could afford to sit around here and wait an entire other day for it. Somehow, I needed to get enough food to make it the 40 miles through the Mojave desert! I had hoped to be the first to use the outdoor shower, since I was the first person to arrive, but Iceman had jumped in while I was looking for my package. Cattywampus said she was going to use it after him… So, I had to wait. When my turn came, no water was coming out! I asked some hikers for help, but they said I could figure it out. Finally, I asked SunDog if he could try it out. He couldn’t get it to work either, so I sought out one of the workers. The tank needed to be refilled. Finally, I was able to take a shower, which felt really good. I was starting to get used to showering outside!
I returned to my things and found that Mark and Chip had come in. Everyone seemed to be planning on spending the night and waking up around 3 to start the desert hike. I preferred to hike during the late night and sleep in the morning. My box did end up arriving, which I was extremely thankful for- especially when I discovered that they had put my second pair of shoes in there! I had asked for them to be put in the Mojave box since these ones still had some miles left in them. It’s a good thing I didn’t have to walk away from that box!
I sorted through my food and other resupply items, re-organizing for the next stretch of trail. Chip, Mark, and the Chief had decided to order some lunch and I figured I might as well have some real food, too, rather than eat my disgusting backpacking food. I hadn’t planned on spending the money, but for $10, you could get salad, a meal, and ice cream. When I cut into my chicken, I discovered it was still raw and wondered what to do. I returned it to the lady who had cooked it and waited for her to cook it some more. It definitely wasn’t the greatest meal!
I returned to the couch and rested my head on my pack, as I needed to get in a little nap. Cattywampus walked past me and loudly said, “Did she fall asleep right here?”. One of the employees noticed that this wasn’t the best place for me to sleep and asked if I wanted a place to nap for a little while. I nodded. This room was too loud. He took me to his room, with the TV blaring and said I was welcome to hang out there, pointing to the bed. I told myself in my tired state that “this is normal…”. (“Normal” takes on a different meaning when you are a tired traveler at the mercy of others). I was about to step into the room when he said that wasn’t what he had in mind, unless I was thinking otherwise. It was now getting weirder! He then took me to another room with no TV and said I could sleep there unless I got lonely. I asked if I could bring his dog in with me. I lied down on top of the bed, but I wasn’t feeling comfortable enough to actually fall asleep. And the dog wanted to go back outside. I stayed there for about an hour, and then headed back to sort through my things. I was made fun of by some of the hikers for my nap. (?). By this time, the owner had come in, and had a captive audience listening to his stories on how this place came to be a haven for PCT hikers. The sun was starting to set and I needed to be on my way. “But he’s telling really interesting stories!” someone said.


The moon was full and the night air was pretty as I headed out along the road and across a field. Soon, the sun disappeared and darkness took over. I had my headlamp ready. I got very confused at the road crossing and went back and forth looking for the trail and then, I was finally on my way! I reached the LA aqueduct, which at this point was an open canal. As I looked back at a bridge crossing the water, I felt like I could be in Paris right now! I followed the water, checking my GPS often to make sure I was on the right course.

Then, I came to the big metal pipe, routing the water underground, which felt a bit more eerie. I realized that the moon was bright enough that I didn’t need to use my headlamp, for the most part. As I passed by some tiny houses and horses, I felt so happy. It was just me, my new kicks, the crickets chirping, the stars overhead, and the moon illuminating my path. I could smell my clean hair, which felt nice against my skin when it was blown by the wind. I was almost surprised at how at ease I felt night hiking alone!
I passed by a bunch of white concrete blocks and was suddenly startled to find a person in a sleeping bag behind one of them! I calmed my shock by telling myself he was someone just like me, finding a flat spot to sleep (although I wouldn’t have chosen that place!). We are all vagrants.
At one intersection that I had continued straight ahead on, I decided to double-check my GPS and make sure I was still on track. I wasn’t! I went back and took the right hand turn, wondering how many people had made this same mistake, especially in the dark! There were a couple more intersections ahead and I took my time making sure I was following the PCT. I would stop and pee and rest my shoulders and snack, as usual, and for the most part, my energy remained pretty strong. But then, I started feeling tired.
At 1:30, I found a little sandy area in between some Joshua trees that looked like it would be a perfect place to sleep. I set up my bed and closed my eyes after having hiked over 30 miles for the first time in my life!

Day 32
May 20
mile 478.2-498.2 (Sawmill Campground)
20 miles

We were told that pancakes would be served at 7. Many of us were conflicted about whether we should stick around and wait for breakfast or hit the trail and get in some miles. I packed up my things and headed over to the front of the house. I got a cup of coffee and sat down on a mattress and listened to the banter. Eventually, we were told to form a line for the pancakes, which were made one by one. It was better than I expected, so I decided not to rush to try to get a ride back to the trail with the others and stick around for a second one, instead!

A van full of hikers took off, including Tumbleweed, Puma, Walking Home, Cattywampus, and Iceman. Spoonman, Sprinkles, and Skinny D were going to spend a few days hanging out there. Only one other guy wanted a back to the trail with me. While I waited, I discovered the collection of rocks painted by the hikers who had hung out there during the day. My hiker companions were also impressive artists!

We all had to have our pictures taken before we were allowed to leave. I had mine taken twice- the first by Joe, which was the normal one, and then later by Terri, who did her signature move to get a better expression from us!
She dropped us off at the trailhead with a hug, and then it was back to the shadeless hills! It took only a few minutes for the other hiker and I to find our own space and for the rest of the morning, I remained alone.

About seven miles away, there was a small water cache. (Man, I am sounding spoiled! It’s true. There are so many people helping us along this trail these days, purely out of the kindness in their hearts. I often wished I could have done this trail when there wasn’t much assistance, when it was more challenging…). There was a female hiker about to take-off, who I had never seen before. I sat down at the picnic table, had a little snack, refilled my water and continued on.

I started to feel tired and needed another break. I spotted a tree that looked good for sitting under and then saw that a couple of other hikers had also chosen the same tree! I felt like being alone, so I decided to sit away from them. (I guess that was a bit creepy). Then, I noticed that 5-Star was one of the hikers, and he invited me to join them. He and the girl were both about to take naps. That sounded wonderful! It was something I almost never allowed myself because I feel like I have to keep hiking to put in the miles that I need to. I decided I could lie down for a few minutes. I lightly napped and then woke up to snoring sounds. I decided I had better get moving.

Once back on the trail, I found that I had reception and needed to do some communicating with my resupply people on what to send to Kennedy Meadows (I needed winter gear and a different outfit, which was the thing I most couldn’t wait for! This desert skirt was way too big!). I also let them know that I was now 4 days ahead of schedule. It wasn’t so comfortable to sit in the hot sun on the dirt to take care of this and I felt like I was losing a lot of hiking time.
5 Star passed by me on one of my pack breaks. Our next water source was a guzzler up ahead and the directions on how to get to it sounded very confusing to me. I reached the dirt road and looked around. Then, I heard 5-Star calling to me from across the way. Luckily, he directed me on how to get up there! The water was below the surface of a concrete slab and part of me just wanted to stop there for the night!

A nice, flat spot right next to water seemed ideal! After I filtered my water, I lied down for a moment. I could get used to these kinds of breaks! 5-Star rested against a metal traffic barrier and wondered what one of those was doing up here. It was a good question!
We both decided to press on and make it to the Sawmill Campground. Views of the Mojave desert we would soon be crossing appeared.

The campground was about a quarter mile off the trail- uphill, of course! I passed by a couple of tents and then saw two other hikers at a picnic table. I went over to join Chief and Bean for dinner. They had already set up their camp. They informed me of a very loud party across the way and advised me to stay on this side of the campground. 5-Star joined us at the table after setting up his tent. Night was falling, so I wandered over to find some space of my own and set up to cowboy camp. I discovered that I had reception and stayed up later than normal, texting a friend while I charged my phone with my external adaptor. It’s a rough life out here…

Day 31
May 19
454.5-478.2
24 miles

One of my tent mates woke up very early and already headed out before I got up. I quietly packed up and headed over to the gate. Luckily, John Deere offered a group of us a ride downtown. I wondered if I should have another real breakfast before I hit the trail, but decided to compromise and go to the bakery instead. 5 Star joined me.


I enjoyed a breakfast sandwich on a croissant and coffee and then noticed UB heading back up the hill! I called after him and he joined us at the bakery. He wanted to know how far I had planned on hiking today- whether I was going to make it to the Anderson’s or not. I told him that 24 miles was too much and that I would probably only do about 20. He told me not to be surprised if he came and found me during the night.
I headed out alone, continuing the road walk that brought me into town.

I had no idea how long it would be until I reached the actual trail! Finally, I reached the dirt path that had now become my home. By this time, I really needed to pee, but I could still see houses!

I had to hold on a bit longer until I rounded a corner. The trail wound through pretty desert hills.

As I looked back, I saw a couple of other hikers well behind me. I stopped to read a register placed along the trail and take my usual pack break. Gradually, they caught up to me and passed me on another break. They looked like a very energetic and happy couple with light packs and I had to remind myself that my pack was much heavier and that my pace was just fine.

I reached a water cache that was tucked into a grove of trees and found the happy couple, who I learned were named SunDog and Giggles, finishing their lunch. SunDog asked me if I wanted his leftover brown rice! The idea was not at all appealing to me, so I declined. They kept talking it up, though, and I finally agreed to try it. I got out my jetboil, and dumped out the candy I was storing in there. I felt embarrassed about the display of my junk food while they were obviously eating much healthier food. The rice actually tasted good and I realized that I needed to start eating better! Giggles told me that it came from a California company called Lundberg’s. They packed up and continued on their way and as I was getting ready to leave, Spoonman, Sprinkles, and Skinny D rolled in. They had all hiked at least a part of the trail before and were planning on taking a shortcut to the Anderson’s. They told me that I would come upon a surprise later in the day.
I continued up the ridge, wondering what they were referring to. Spoonman was the first of the three to pass me with his ipod blaring out loud. The others followed behind with empty-looking packs. I took my time and hiked at a pace that was I was comfortable with.



In the late afternoon, I reached the Anderson water cache and found a bunch of hikers sitting on chairs in a little cove which also contained Halloween-like plastic decorations. I was informed that this was the surprise they had mentioned and I disappointingly said, “But, I already knew about this!”. (That’s what happens when you read other people’s journals!). I sipped on some water and listened to SunDog’s scary stories about the snow in Washington. He and Giggles were forced to end their hike in 2007 at Snoqualmie Pass due to the amount of snow that had accumulated. I assumed they were hiking so quickly to beat the snow this time! Other hikers chimed in, saying that mild winters meant an early winter the following year. Bambi, who is from Washington, told me at the Saufley’s, that even if it is not an early snow year, that the last two weeks in September are cold and consistently rainy and that he did not want to be hiking in that. I had originally planned on finishing my hike by September 30, but with all of these warnings, I knew I had to aim for mid-September.
Sprinkles, Spoonman, and Skinny D headed out for the road walk shortcut while Giggles, SunDog, and I chose to remain on the PCT.

There were only a few miles to go until we reached the road, but I was growing tired. I found a bench next to a plaque and took a moment to rest on it before continuing on. SunDog and Giggles approached, hiking together as if they were a unit, step for step. They decided to rest, and I found enough energy to make it down the hill to the road. I was going to make it to the Anderson’s after all! A truck drove by and asked me if I needed a ride. Yes! She was a firefighter who worked at the station I had taken a break at with Dinnertime and JT! She knew where the Anderson’s lived (a couple of miles away) and dropped me in front of their house. I saw a bunch of hikers that I didn’t know sitting in front of the house in Hawaiian shirts. I had heard a lot about this place and wasn’t sure if I wanted to stop here, but decided it would be good to get the full PCT experience. As I retrieved my pack from the back of the truck, I said, “Oh, boy.”
Terri Anderson came over and welcomed me with a hug, and Bean (the only hiker I knew) gave me a tour of the property. There was an outdoor shower and a grove of manzanita trees with little camping spaces that extended as far back as we could imagine. I chose an empty spot next to Bean and went over to shower. I couldn’t get any water to come out, however, so I had to ask Joe for help. I guess I was lucky to arrive in the evening because there was no way to control the water temperature and it was scalding hot during the day! This was my first outdoor shower experience!
I went over to sit with the others, feeling a bit uncomfortable, but relieved that I had made it in time for the taco dinner. Terri explained the rules and said she would be watching us and come over to smack us on the backside with her wooden spoon if we didn’t do as she said! The group that was staying there was very quiet, and while I was glad it was not a party atmosphere, I grew quite bored. I was happy to return to my little camp spot and get ready for bed!

Day 30
May 18
Zero day

I got up at 6, went to collect my clothes (my wool clothes on the clothesline were still wet, of course, because it was dewy and the sun hadn’t come out yet), plugged in my electronics that needed charging, and headed out to breakfast. I met Donna and she said I could take one of the bikes. I said I didn’t mind walking (as I have had tremendous fear about riding a bike ever since I flew over the handlebars at age 12). She said that if I gathered enough people, she could take me down in the van. So, I went around asking the other hikers if they wanted to go downtown for breakfast. Bambi started running to get his stuff! Others were taking their time, in no hurry to go anywhere.
We broke into two groups at the restaurant. I sat at a table with 5-Star, Bambi, and Elizabeth (who was now going by the name Bean). We caught each other up on our most interesting trail stories, most of which revolved around the Warner Springs trail angel. I was so relieved to hear 5-Star describe his experience of staying at this guy’s house and how he texted his friend to let him know the address if he didn’t return… I have found that a lot of males brush off his behavior, but women have much more direct and unsettling experiences that really affect our hike. He was completely empathetic with me. At one point, I looked at the clock and thought it said 11:35! How can it possibly be that late already? Someone corrected me. It was actually 6:55! Apparently, along with forgetting how to look out for traffic, I had also forgotten how to read a clock!
We all ordered the breakfast special of 2 eggs, bacon, and french toast. After the waitress brought out our food and told us to “enjoy!”, I looked down at the small portions on my plate and the words, “It’s not enough for us!” spilled out of my mouth. (It wasn’t!) Elizabeth said, “Did you really just say that out loud?”. (Later, 5-Star said that was the quote of the day!). My french toast came without any butter on it and I had no fork. The service was very poor in this place. I was filled in on the stories of the older man who had started the hike the day before me, who they now called ice-cream man because he went up to a girl he didn’t know and asked if she wanted to lick his cone! Elizabeth had a lot of trials with him early on in the hike, but had finally separated from him awhile ago (he assumed she was going to be his partner for the trail and told her she should always be close by in case something happened to him). After hurting his Achilles, he had gone back home. I wasn’t surprised to hear this.
On our way back to the Saufley’s, we stopped in at the bakery to check it out. Two hikers that I had not yet met (Weeds and Icebucket) were in there, getting ready to head back to the trail. Bambi wasted no time in ordering a ham and cheese croissant, apple cobbler, and tiramisu, and ate it all immediately after his original breakfast!

We got a ride back with John Deere, who happened to be dropping off a couple of hikers. I checked the progress of my charging electronics and decided to write down a few notes about the preceding days. Some other hikers were gathering for an REI run. One of my Sawyer squeeze bags already had a leak and I was considering switching to the in-line filter system that Bambi was using, but since there was a replacement bag in the hiker box, I decided to stick with the squeezing method.
More and more hikers streamed in throughout the day. Elizabeth and I watched Donna wash out her horse’s infected hoof. This horse looked so sad because his partner had passed away just days ago! I petted him a little and told him he would be okay.

I started to walk the mile back to the restaurant for lunch when Chief’s wife offered me a ride! Nice! I ate lunch alone and then sat outside and called my friend Amanda to catch up a little. She said I sounded very happy. While I was on the phone, UB walked by! I asked Amanda if she could hold on while I called him over to get my hug!
After I hung up, some older men hanging out nearby commented on how much I was laughing while I was on the phone. I ended up joining them for awhile. I think they enjoyed having a new listener for their jokes! They had to go to a flea market, but one of them offered to give me a ride back up to the Saufley’s.
I decided to join the people sitting around and socialize a bit. Legend’s niece was passing out candy because her mother had sent her way too much! UB joined us and started going through his resupply boxes and I got an extra package of Reece’s Pieces! Just what I had been wishing for! Most of the hikers were receiving care packages from their friends and families, but I hadn’t received anything but the boxes I had packed myself. I wondered how many miles I had to hike before anyone would want to send me something. When UB got up from the table, I noticed that he had lost a lot of weight! I told him that he was looking really thin and he seemed to take a bit of offense. When Cool Ranch, who had hiked the trail last year, heard that UB had already lost 25 pounds, he told UB that he would help him go over his food and show him what he should be eating each day. That was too much weight to lose so early on in the hike! Mark joined us and the discussion turned to the book, “Wild.” Mark was not a fan…


UB and I walked back downtown to the Mexican restaurant for dinner. He was talking about his need to set records in order to continue getting support from his blog followers. He asked me if he should try to beat the record for the most miles hiked in a day. “No!” I told him. I said that he didn’t need to do anything other than hike the trail in a normal way and that he was already offering his viewers a huge gift with the videos he was producing during his hike. “It’s all about sustainability,” I said. There was no need to try to outdo anyone or kill himself trying to set crazy records.
At dinner, we talked about what it was like to experience deep depression and about how to deal with the loss of family members. He said he could talk about that stuff for hours, but that we should get back.
I spent a few moments looking at the horse and then went to my cot to sort through my food. I gave a Snickers bar to my new tent-mate, which made him really happy! The Saufley’s was now crowded with hikers. They had put up the canvas tents in the late afternoon to accommodate everyone. I was growing more and more antsy to get back on the trail and keep ahead of the “herd”. I found Cool Ranch and El Capitan helping UB with his food. Cool Ranch told him that what he was eating was not nearly enough for his body’s requirements and that if he didn’t drastically change his diet, he would end up in the hospital, unable to finish his hike. He told him that he was lucky to have friends like me who cared enough about him to tell him he wasn’t looking so good. Cool Ranch suggested he cut back his mileage for a little while until he felt more comfortable with cooking meals and eating more often.
We had been expecting Muk Muk to show up at any moment. It was nearly 11pm, when she and PacMan rolled in! She was so happy to see UB! We chatted a bit and she told us about feeling the hairs stand up on her arms while she was hiking through the Vasquez Rocks area. Pacman apparently saw a mountain lion standing on a rock watching them! We both did not like that place!
I headed back to my cot to catch a little sleep.