May 29, 2017
Total miles: 25 miles
Start: mile 639.4
End: mile 664.4
Total elevation gain/loss: 3541.7/4959 ft
We were up early and eager to get to the spring. The super long dry section was almost over! It was immediately clear that it would be another hot day. It was a warm night and I getting out of my sleeping bag (not that I was really in it) wasn’t as painful as usual.
May 28, 2017
Total miles: 23.5 miles
Start: Kelso Road (mile 615.9)
End: mile 639.4
Total elevation gain/loss: 4938.3/3309.4 ft
Last night was the warmest night we’ve had so far on the trail. I basically couldn’t stay in my sleeping bag and had to keep my arms out of the bag — unheard of with all our cold nights thus far. When we got up with our 4:30 alarm, it was still only slightly chilly.
Now I know why we talk about “purple” mountains.
May 27, 2017
Total miles: 23 miles
Start: mile 592.9
End: Kelso Road (mile 615.9)
Total elevation gain/loss: 3892.4/3947.5 ft
Our camp spot in the valley was hit by the early morning sun today. It was already feeling warm as we packed up. What a difference from yesterday!
The meadow that we camped in last night in the early morning light.
May 26, 2017
Total miles: 22.9 miles
Start: mile 570.1
End: mile 592.9
Total elevation gain/loss: 4249/3883.2ft
Today started out bad, got worse, got worse again, and then actually turned out to be okay. That’s life on the PCT I guess!
I slept horribly last night. The wind seemed to grow stronger during the night. Even in our semi-protected spot and with earplugs it kept me up. When our 4:30 alarm went off, the wind was still raging and we decided to push it back to 5:00… and then 5:30. By then, it was clear that the wind was not going away and we just needed to get up and deal with it.
As we packed up, Michael discovered that he was missing his rain jacket. We looked everywhere, but we simply didn’t have it. As luck would have it, this was one of our few camp sites where we actually had decent cell/data signal. I called the hotel to see if they’d found it. Nope. It must have fallen out of his full pack at some point. Maybe during one of our hitches?
May 25, 2017
Total miles: 3.5 miles
Start: Tehachapi (mile 566.5)
End: mile 570.1
Total elevation gain/loss: 964.6/139.4ft
Getting out of town after two zero days is tough! Today’s remaining town chores consisted of an assortment of packing/cleaning remaining gear items and various online tasks. We still weren’t done when our noon checkout rolled around, so we just moved on over to the lobby.
Avocado from the hiker box!
May 23 & 24, 2017
It’s amazing how quickly a zero day (a day with no walking) can pass!
After hiking into Tehachapi we were exhausted. We got up in time for breakfast at our hotel on the morning (surprisingly good) and then the hours quickly slipped away. While Michael set to work cleaning our backpacks (getting stinky), I headed to the Post Office.
My dreams of making Michael do chores such as going to pick up packages have quickly slipped away. It turns out that it’s much easier for innocent and harmless-looking me to get a hitch ;). This time actually took awhile, but I caught quite the ride!
Sweet ride!
May 22, 2017
Total miles: 24.8 miles
Start: mile 541.5
End: Tehachapi (mile 566.5)
Total elevation gain/loss: 3835.3/4846.8ft
What a windy night! I’m not sure what time the wind finally stopped, but it did its best to keep us up. When our alarm went off at 4:30 we were still exhausted, but fear of the oncoming heat got us out of bed (after hitting the snooze button a couple times).
May 21, 2017
Total miles: 24 miles
Start: Hikertown (mile 517.6)
End: mile 541.5
Total elevation gain/loss: 2653.3/826.8ft
When my alarm went off at 3:30 this morning we were ready to go. Michael was feeling better, but tired (surprise, it’s 3:30am!). I was similarly feeling tired since I didn’t sleep very well. I’m not sure if it had something to do with the soft bed, but it felt like I was constantly waking up throughout the night. I guess I’m getting used to sleeping on a sleeping pad!
We were walking by 4:10 a.m. It was cool, but not cold, and the wind from last night had died down. With our headlamps on we set out to walk the LA aqueduct. This section of the trail is notorious for being long, hot, and boring. I was hoping that we’d make good time and get to the bridge (17 miles down trail) as soon as possible.
Our first mile or so was on a trail through a field of some sort (it was dark). Immediately we started to see the area’s nocturnal inhabitants: field mice (or some kind of rat?). They would scurry across the trail as we got near and then, like a deer in headlights (or mice in headlamps in our case) they would freeze in place. I had to slow down at points to avoid stepping on these little guys and to give them a chance to regain their senses and hurry back on.
I swear my camera got a better view of the canal than I did!
May 20, 2017
Total miles: 19.6 miles
Start: Sawmill Camp (0.3 miles from mile 498.2)
End: Hikertown (mile 517.6)
Total elevation gain/loss: 2631.6/4794.6ft
Another long day today. It was a struggle getting up this morning, but after a few hits of the snooze button we were ready to go at around 5:45.
My photo doesn’t do it justice, but the sun was a brilliant orange as it came up this morning.
May 19, 2017
Total miles: 20.3 miles
Start: Case de Luna (mile 478.2)
End: Sawmill Camp (0.3 mikes from mile 498.2)
Total elevation gain/loss: 4857/3042.7ft
What a peaceful night! I’d been concerned about going to Casa de Luna because of its party reputation, but I didn’t hear a thing up in the manzanita grove. They’ve got a great setup.
PCT Class of 2017 “trail register” at Casa de Luna
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two backpacks, no plan 