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.  

 

Cleaned my nasty sleeping bag which seems to take 2 days to dry.   That is such a hassle.   Got resupplied and re hydrated.   Interesting all day I was drinking and eating and drinking and drinking.   I have to be careful about this in the future.   I need a lot of water on the trail and I need to stop cutting that short.  

Birthday party with Francine at a lot of pizza and talked about pooing in the woods.   That seems to be the first question everyone wants to talk about, lol. 

Showed off my hat which I haven’t washed for 3 weeks.   It has a pound of sweat-salt on the rim.   Yumm.

Plan is to hit the trail late tomorrow and do some serious night hiking.     

Packed and scooted early.   Can’t wait to see my wife!

There was a small hot climb then down to a valley that crossed under the 14.   This portion of the trail enters Vasquez Rocks park.   Turns out that this is pretty neat place.   I’ve seen it from the highway for years, but never stopped here.   I need to go back some time with Alice.

There is a drainage tunnel under the 14 that we cross through.   It was long, dark, wet and full of horse shit.   But…..it was soooo cool.    Every hiker came through here and sat down in the muck to get out of the heat.   Met up with Wing It again and we talked about this.   Our families would never understand how wonderful this is….sitting next to a pile of horse manure.  

Anyway, after cooling down we headed out together again.  Got some cool pictures of Vasquez Rocks area as we climbed up.

And out of the park

The last 1.5 miles looked like this on the map:

When you see straight lines like this, it can be certain we’ll be walking on the highway.   That sucked, but the bar at the end of the line didn’t !    Burgers, smoothies, 3 jars of water later I was pretty happy.   Meanwhile Alice was driving around trying to find me. 

I was sitting on the porch of the grill half-asleep with some other hikers when I saw this red truck drive by with my wife at the wheel.   I called her and waited while she passed by the other direction yet again, then finally she figured out where to park.   OMG.   The hikers I was with got a little laugh out of it all.  

But it was a happy ending!   Time to go home for a couple days !