Last night the trailer was buffeted by some high winds.    It was rocking around while some tree next to it kept scraping and scratching.   I had plenty of time awake to contemplate just how nasty the cushions are that I’m laying on.   In hindsight, I think my tent would have been a better option.  

It was already in the 80’s when I stepped out of the trailer.    Caught a cafe ride for breakfast.   Came back and dug into my resupply box to prep for the next leg.   After yet another round for lunch I brought back some beer and ice for the group and spent the remainder of the day lounging.

Happy Times showed up in the morning.   He immediately began digging through the hiker boxes for discards.   I gave him some of my stuff which he combined with random baggies of dehydrated grains people had pitched.   Some of that stuff looked pretty sketch.   Happy Times seems unfazed.

The lounging was split between the shade pictured below and “city hall”.   I asked the folks at city hall when they planned to leave for the evening/night hike.    There is a dial thermometer on the wall that looks like a clock.  The consensus was at 80 degrees.   No time, just 80 degrees.  

Lounging

Trash Panda took off at 2 together with this dude.   Bam Bam and I kept a running debate about when to pull the trigger.   Sitting in the shade things seemed ok, but a couple minutes of full sun sent us back to our chairs with another beer.  I got tired of the debate and just told him to make the call.

It was interesting hearing the younger folks at the table get into a long debates about society.   Being on the trail tends to generate a semi-utopian feeling about humanity.   Folks are letting us lounge on their properties.    They give us water, beer, food, and rides.  Hikers are honest, generally considerate of each other, and are either riding the high of a 20 mile hike or the satisfaction of a well deserved rest.

The debate goes something like, “Why can’t the normal world be more like this”.   If I was in my 20’s again, I suppose I’d be asking the same thing.  Instead Bam Bam and I are jaded old guys.   We don’t have the heart to give them our opinions on reality.   Better to just enjoy the moment.   I suspect this explains why I run into so many repeat hikers out here.  

Bam Bam and I have similar styles, generally hiking alone or in pick-up groups.  He had some good observations about group dynamics on the trail.  When these groups form, there is typically some Alpha setting schedules, planning the distances, and acting as chief recruiter.  Wonder how two of these little tribes would react to one another if there was only enough water for one of them.  

At 4:30, Bam Bam had enough.  It was time to leave and since I delegated the start time authority, that means me too.

After a short flat walk, hit the Aqueduct.   Bam Bam was fascinated by this.   I, well, wasn’t.   That put me in the lead.  Turned off the exposed aqueduct and began walking this pipe.

Probably 6 miles of pipe walking.   As the sun was setting we caught up with Melinda, who is a young gal who started last week on a section hike.  She is new to all this and wanted to join us.   The dark was freaking her out a little.  

After leaving the pipe, it was dirt road walking for the rest of the night.   We ran into kangaroo mice every 100 yards or so running around.   They would freeze when our lights hit them.    I offered to spear one for Melinda,  but it was Bam Bam who impressed.   He snatched one.   

By this time, my right leg is killing me.   Appears I have some kind of shin splint.   It hurts more and more with every step.   Doesn’t help that Bam Bam is telling me about friends who had to quit the trail due to this type of injury.   By the end of the night, I’m limping using my trekking poles more like a walker.     

We make our stop around 11:00 at mile 534.   There is supposed to be some water around here.   I’m a mess.   I can barely stand on my right leg and just want to pass out.   Maybe the pain will be less tomorrow morning.   Melinda and Bam Bam setup their tents, cook some food, etc.   I just throw my mat on the ground and curl up in my sleeping bag.   This sucks. 

 

Had to trek to the water catchment which was 200 feet up some hill and in an obscure location.    Took a while to find it.   

Once I found the thing, I had the figure out the operating procedure.   First you take a stick with a leaky Gatorade bottle, kneel in the mud, and try to reach under the enclosure to a small pool of water.   Of course, once you pull the Gatorade bottle out, it has 3 or 4 holes in it leaking all over me, the ground, and my pack.   Less than half the bottle eventually reaches my platypus bladder per round, so I get plenty of time to practice.

 

Chatted with the car campers up here and got the route on the dirt roads.   This is another one for a moto trip next year.

Ran into the 500 mile marker.   This one is kind of significant for me.   Stopped to have a little fun.

Soon the trail broke out of the tree cover and began the decent down to Lancaster.    Going to lose 4k feet today. 

Most folks stopped at Pine Canyon Creek for lunch.   It is the only water stop on this 20 mile stretch.    Most of the gang from Casa De Luna was here.   Trash Panda, Joe Dirt, Manny Pack, Grams, Melinda, Bad Ass, Iron Man, Mashed Potatoes, and others.   Most of us hung out hoping the heat would go away (it wasn’t), then finally getting up one by one and taking off.   

The last 7 miles sucked.    Downhill, super hot, no wind.   If we are lucky there is some thorny scrub.   Mostly it is just burned misery.   I decided to trail run some of this.   Made great time until I ran into an area where someone had cut some bushes off the trail leaving little 1 inch diameter stumps sticking up on the trail.    They were hard to see and one got me on the left foot.  Man that hurt.

Of course, this is another one where the destination can be seen while there are still miles of switchbacks to hike.   Afterward everyone shared my frustration.  

Made Hiker Town at 4:00.   So this place looks like a big movie set.    There is a bunk house and a bunch of shacks and old RV’s that you can sleep in.   The caretaker comes out and gives me a trailer to sleep in.    It had two bunks, so I invited Bam Bam to take the other.  

Every hour the owner from the cafe down the street shows up in a van to take hikers to his place.   They’ve a general store there as well.   It is quite a racket….everybody wants a burger and beer. 

Did a solid 20 miles today.   Plan for tomorrow is to hang around Hiker Town until it gets cooler, then take on the Mojave Desert.  Bam Bam seems to have a similar plan.   We might be hiking together tomorrow night.

 

 

Took me a while to pack-up and beg a ride back to the trail.   Got there around 10, when see Sitting Rock and her Mom hanging out.    Hadn’t seen them since Wrightwood, so we spent 30 minutes catching up.   Turns out that Sitting Rock is going off trail today.    Her Mom will be back in a week or so to carry on alone.  

I figured today would be just more of the same, since I pretty familiar with this area.    Low hills and shrubs.  Fortunately, the temps were in the 60’s, cloudy, with 20-30 mph winds.    It was a little uncomfortable, but way better than the usual 90’s and sun. 

 

After Lake Hughes crossing I stopped for some lunch next to a borehole from some failed mine.   Happy Times turned up mid lunch and hung out for a while.    He’s lost his wallet and phone.   Fortunately it was found, but shipped way ahead to Mojave.  So for the next week he’s is going 100% trail generosity.   Dude always has a great attitude.   Hence the name.  Seems to like the challenge…wouldn’t take any cash from me.

Goldmine !!!Munching on lunch I watched Happy Times climb the hill and walk across the ridge.   Every minute or two I’d snap a pic.   Here is my photo study of a broke, phoneless hiker.  

To my surpise, the trail started climbing into the tree line.   After 4, it was nice forest trails again.   Never thought I’d see this again until the Sierras.   Pleasant surprise.

This I ran into Manny Pack and hiked with him for an hour until he took dinner at 6.   He’s an electrical engineer from Seattle.   Our paces are similar.

After I split with Manny, I immediately run into TJ and Emily who are section hiking for a couple months.   Both just graduated.   TJ is going to Africa for a couple years in the peace corps, Emily is going to med school.   Really nice folks.    

They saw a bear at the last water source and freaked out a bit, so were out of water.   There was supposed to be some kind of tank at 496, but all we found was a steel pipe sticking out of the ground with some water in it.  I said “no thanks” and moved on, but they stuck around to filter.

Found the cut-off trail to Sawmill Campground 498.    It was a bit of a climb off the trail, but a wonderful protected meadow on top of the ridge.    There were some car campers here together with at least 10+ hiker tents.    Busy spot.   It was after 7, dark, and cold when I arrived.   A few folks were out, but I decided to just put up the tent and cook there.  

While sucking on a jolly rancher after dinner, I bit down on the last bit and managed pop a molar cap off.   Great, now I need a dentist.   I stuck it back on and went to sleep.

Feeling pretty good overall.   Did a 20 mile day after a late start and got 4k of climbing in.  

 

Slept in a little.   Heard a couple of hikers walk by in the morning which finally got me moving.   Back on the trail around 7:30am.  

I ran into Hot Diggity (Gal from UK) a few minutes later at Bear Spring.   There was some water dribbling out of a plastic pipe stuck into the hillside and we all were filling up.  

HD and I hiked for about 10 miles.   She is/was a property manager in London.   Now she wants to change it up.   Now she’s thinking about joining the “Territorial Army” (UK’s equivalent to the National Guard I think).  

She had some interesting stories about the class structure there.   One interesting bit was about a family who was somewhat wealthy and titled somehow in the social hierarchy.   They blew 8 million pounds putting their 3 kids through a privileged private school….and wound up going bankrupt.    One kid went on to be a physicist.   Other two…well not so much.  At least they know how to act rich 🙂  

HD’s BF will be coming out soon and they plan to take a week off, then hike together for 3 weeks.   She trained for months to get ready, hiking through London to work carrying a 30 pound pack to get in shape.   His training was playing soccer.    Will be interesting to see those two on the trail.

We split at lunch.   She stopped and I wanted more miles.   Been debating whether to stop at Casa De Luna.   Most do.   There is a free PCT bandana in it.    

This is the spot Darrel and I last rode motorcycles together on.  

I got to the Green Valley fire station (mile 478).   This is also the exit for Casa De Luna.   I filled up the water bottles and seriously considered moving on…but….I really want that bandana.   Just 15 miles today.  Thumb went out and got a ride within 5 minutes.  

So now we enter the world of Casa De Luna.    The Anderson’s have been hosting hikers for 18 years.   Their front yard is filled with hiker trash lounging around in plastic chairs, some old couches and coolers.   One  group is painting rocks, another their finger/toenails, the rest are lounging with beers and weed.  Bathrooms are 4 porta potties.   Shower is a hose over a 3 sided wooden wall.  

The coolest part was a dense manzanita forest in their back 5 or so acres.   there are pathways cut through that lead to small tent sites all over.    Lots of painted rocks scattered throughout the forest. Here are a few I saw on my way back to setup my tent.

I setup next to this gal

Bought some beer to share and sat down in the middle of the hiker trash for the evening.   30+ hikers here.   Spent a lot of time chatting with Joe Dirt (Geologist graduate).   Cat girl was there.   She is still carrying her kitten.   Funniest name was a gal named “Trash Panda”.   Supposedly in reference to her acting like a raccoon in the hiker boxes.    Apparently she has no shame when it comes to free stuff, even if the package has been half-eaten.    

Feeding time was 6AM.   It is a plate of tortilla chips, vats of beans and melted cheese, and huge bowls of onions, shredded lettuce, and cut jalapenos.  

Teri Anderson came out to announce the rules.   Hold your plate below the table while loading up or get spanked by the yardstick she’s holding.   After dinner, you have to come up individually or small groups and dance for your bandanna.   I asked if there are any other ways to get spanked.  That comment puts me on the list for the first dancer….hmm.

After folks finished, Teri and her entourage walk out on the porch / dance floor.   Teri has a stack of bandanna’s and is dancing around on the stage while one of the gals cycles through songs from various Genres.    Given our earlier disobedience, Manny Pack and I are singled out kick it off.  Manny snags his bandana.   Teri snatches mine and tucks it napkin style outside her sweater.    I bite it off with a goofy look on my face.   Turns out there is another reason to get slapped by the yardstick. 

After that little display of stupid, people seemed to loosen up.  I found a seat far away with a beer and watched the next hour as folks did their best to get their bandana.  

It seems that a hiker name for me is getting sticky.   Folks have been calling me “Salty J” for days now.   The unwashed boonie hat is an easy trigger.   So after 400 miles, SALTY J it is.  

Stayed up to 10 then stumbled back to the forest trying to find my tent when my iphone flashlight died.   I wondered around for a while until someone with a headlamp helped me out.  

Here are a couple pics of the sign-in sheets.    

Lot of folks are zeroing here tomorrow.   My plan is to get out early.    

 

       

 

This next segment will be in the low hills next to the Bouquet Reservoir and the strangely named “Green Valley”.    Weather over the next few days will be 90+, so night hiking is on the agenda.   

Alice dropped me at Agua Dulce around 7pm. 

No hikers around.   This was going to be a solo walk.   Figured I’d get 8 miles or so in and try to camp before 12.

The “trail” through the remainder of Agua Dulce continued to be road walking.   Pretty boring.    Only notable was watching some guy take off in a helicopter from his backyard.   

Finally got off the hardball on to a dirt road which eventually turned into a trail.   Found a big junkyard.   It seems lots of folks with land in the desert like to park old cars and, in this case, also an airliner fuselage.  

 

That was the end of the light.    I put on the headphones and head lamp.   The night hike was fun.   Lots of little critters on the trail.   Their eyes were glowing in the light.    Turns out most of them are little kangaroo mice + an occasional possum.   The highlight of the night was a damn skunk wandering down the trail.   That one stopped me for a while until he cleared out. 

Passed some tents at 2 different campsites.   Wind was coming up.   I took a few compass readings to figure out the direction.   Those campsites were exposed so I kept on.   Eventually,  I got below a ridge in some Manzanita trees and setup just before 12.    Did about 8 trail miles.   I’ll start tomorrow at 462.