By the time I got out of my tent, Mayo had left and the other 2 folks were packing up. I spent some extra time doing stretches and, after the last one left, found a nice vista for a morning constitution.  

We camped around mile 587 last night. Didn’t have much of an objective today, just wanted to make the next water and see what else I could do. Unfortunately it turned out to be a rough day.

Started at about 5k feet and the trail is generally a long exposed mild upward climb for a while. These loud windmills seem to never go away. There are not that many of them, it is just that the trail seems to keep coming back to the same area. Had to blast the headphones to get that grinding sound out of my head.

Before Hamp Williams Pass at around 594, the trail turned vicious. Steep, exposed climb up to 5.8, down to the Pass, then another slog up to 6.2k at 597.5. I stopped for a some brunch at 10:30 with a couple of folks (Pinata and Sour Straws). Temp on my thermometer was 92 and climbing. By the time I reached the second peak, I was covered in sweat and could not keep up on the water intake. Shin splint on the right leg was killing me from the brief down hills.

Time for a change in tactics. Around noon, I found a nice shady spot under a tree, threw down my pad and went to sleep.

It is hard to describe water anxiety when the temps are pushing 100 degrees. Middle of the day, Out of water, leg hurting, still carrying at least 35 pounds, and relief is 4 miles away. Only solution is to reach down and grab some grit.

If I had the water, I’d have stayed longer. By this point I was down to 1 liter and getting worried. Still another 4 or 5 miles to Robin Bird Spring. So, back on the trail.

The trail joins some crappy dirt road to a private residence. There are lots of “No Trespassing” and “No Water” signs next to the structures here. I expected to see some bearded guy with a shotgun standing guard. Didn’t see a single hiker and pulled the last water from my bladder 2 miles from the spring. No love in this stretch.

Reached Robin Bird around 3:30. I’m pissing dark yellow and I’m super dehydrated. Bunch of hikers laying around, some of whom are packing up to do some late hiking. Shade and water. Paradise.

I setup my tent and then spent the rest of the day drinking, eating, and sleeping. I pounded at least 4 liters before nightfall. Was dozing in my tent when a couple and another dude setup next to me. The couple wanted to start a fire. The dude was like “I think that is a really bad idea…the wind is going to blow embers into our tents”. It went back and forth for a while but I figured he was going to win the argument, so I went back to sleep. There was no fire thankfully.

I did a pathetic ~14 miles today. Need a better plan tomorrow.

 

At first light I wake up to the dull throb of shin pain.    Sitting still is uncomfortable.  When I start walking on it there is going to be a pain-party.  

My plan was to get to 566 and hitch to Tehachapi.   That’s what most of us wanted to do.   Instead I’m going to aim for 558 and catch the early alternate.   I don’t think I’m going to make it much further.  

The trail follows the several ridge lines in a gradual and, for me, painful downhill grade.    Eventually I run into a monster wind farm that seems to go on forever.  

I reach Willow Springs road, happy to just be able to still walk.   I run into a German couple who are trying to catch a ride too.   We try calling some folks listed on the trail angel paper posted at the exit do not have much luck.   

We give up on this angle and head to the road.   Johan lays out the strategy.   His GF Anna on the road with her thumb out while we, the male portion of the group, sit on a rock.   When a car pulls over we join her and the driver gets a 3 for 1 deal.    Sounds good to me.   Within 5 minutes, some unlucky motorist is driving our smelly asses to town.   Thanks Anna.   

When I load my pack in the car I realize that I forgot to turn on my footpath tracing today.   I’m really off my game.   Hopefully Alice is not freaking out.    I flip it on and jump in for the ride to town.    All I want to do is find a cafe and sit there all day.

Once in town I ring Alice and arrange a pick-up.   I need to get off the trail for a while and get this leg working properly again.    She arrives around 2ish and we head back.   Funny enough, the route takes us through Green valley and find a couple of PCTer’s trying to hitch to Casa De Luna.   We pull over and give them a lift.   

After X-Rays and various examinations it seems to be some muscle tear.   Folks are telling me I could be out of action for several weeks.    I’m shooting for 1 week.   If I can get to Kennedy Meadows, I can take another 2 week break while waiting for the snow to melt a little.    

As I’m writing this on Sunday, June 4th, the leg is definitely feeling better.   It is still swollen but that is going down little by little.  I’ve spent 5 days off the trail with my iced leg propped up watching TV.   I’m going crazy. 

So here’s the plan: I’m going to wrap my leg up tomorrow and hit the trail.   I’ll try to hold it together for the last 140 miles to Kennedy Meadows, then work out a ride to Mammoth.   I’ll meet my cousin up there and hang out there for a week or two of healing while wait out the snow melt.   Perhaps we can section some bits while we are there.    Sometime around July 1, I’ll give Kennedy another try. 

 

Didn’t know it last night, but we are camped almost underneath several huge wind generators.    Could hear their whoosing, but it was cool waking at dawn under these swinging blades.   

Video of Generators in the Morning

I’m first up and first packed.    I do my usual stretches, but my leg is still killing me.    This is definitely a new injury for me.   I dose up on Ibuprofen and take off while the others are packing.   I’m pretty sure everyone will be passing me today. 

Turns out that I can climb without much pain.   The flats hurt and the downhills are pain-stabbed misery.    It was mostly climbing so I did alright. 

After 6 miles, the heat was getting ridiculous again.    Most of us stopped at Tylerhorse canyon to get water, find shade, and wait it out.   The hard part was that the shade was skimpy.   We were jockeying around trying to find shade that would last a few hours for a nap before moving.   I had to relocate 4 times throughout the day.   Bam Bam tried huddling valiantly under his umbrella until giving up and disappearing somewhere up stream.    

Most were napping until 2ish, when folks began drifting together in some shade near the stream.   Spent a few hours chit chatting.    Manny and I spent some time geeking out on the wind farm, trying to figure out how the blades control their speed, the peak and average output, etc.   The rest of the group….well, they talked about something else.  

I filled up my water bottles and bladder from the creek.   Laying on the ground looking at my bladder, I noticed some of the sediment in the bag was moving.   Hmm.   On closer inspection I found various sea creatures swimming around in my drinking water.    They seemed happy in there.   According to one of the guys a few looked like mosquito larvae.   Hope my filter still works.

Folks started pulling out at 4:00.   I was the last to leave, since my leg is still hurting.   I know it is going to be a long night.  Goal is get another 17 miles in tonight.  

The trail is rather dull up/down ridge running.    The ups are fine, the downs are pain-wracked.  

In the fading light I found a nice vantage point to take a good panoramic at around mile 545.   For the last 3 weeks most of the trail has been going West and Northwest.   Only now is it switching to North and Northeast.  This picture is looking South and shows the mountains and hills we have been hiking through over the last 2+ weeks.   Mostly blocked at the extreme left is the 15 coming through the Cajon pass.  Moving to the right is probably Baden-Powell.   It might even be the peaks around Wrightwood.   Center is Angeles Forest.  To the right are the hills North of Lake Hughes.    

Panoramic of the last 3 weeks of hikingHad dinner on top of some ridge as the wind was building up.  Both before and after dinner was mostly climbing so I made decent progress.   Into the night.    Then the trail flattened and the pain became unbearable.   I setup for the night at around mile 550, giving me a pathetic day total of 15 miles.  

The shin splints on my right leg are definitely hurting more.   Even worse, my limping around is causing me to favor my left foot which is developing hot spots.   Those will soon be blisters if I don’t change something.   I wrapped my leg in magical unicorn duct tape.   Maybe that will help.