Acton Up On Trail

Hiker parties are the best parties!

Acton KOA is a quint little campground in the middle of no where, but boyy is it a vortex (a place that never lets you leave because, well, you are having the time of your life).

Recovering from “yesterday’s” 33, I preceded to hike the eight miles into Acton in my crocs. A reasonable descent waltzing around for three hours till arriving at said KOA filthy feet and all.

GodFather caught up, the aforementioned favorite ginger hiker, as well as Leathermaid and her band of nonrelated brothers, Gatsby, Crikey, White Rabbit, and a whole gaggle of other hikers around for a good time. A pizza shop not far delivered to us, and beer was at the ready, with just enough shade to accommodate the blistering sun and a pool for cooling off.

I for sure complained and wined about my predicament but overall was in good nature through the day while convincing other hikers to stay the night, two of which were Huck and Ponyboy. I got to ask them questions about Alaska and Washington and crack jokes with all the hikers around. KOA was the first time I got the Thru-hiker experience without all the suck. Eventually, we all dispersed into our tents and teepees with the intentions set for an early morning.

Five AM:

Well, I woke up; that is a start. I packed up all my shenanigans and attempted to break down my tent. An attempt is a crucial word here. My stakes were rooted into the ground. LITERALLY. The night before, I had pounded them into the roots of a tree nearby. With the help of a lady named Scooter, we prevailed, and I continued packing.

Previously, I lost one of the securing balls on my horseshoe nose ring, causing it to fall out all the time. Thus far, I hadn’t lost it, and this morning was almost the last time. So when Huck and Ponyboy rolled up and helped me find it, I was ecstatic. They handed me a beer, and we hiked forward.

Whoever said you should not drink and hike is…

Right. They are completely right. It is a terrible idea to be drunk walking in the wilderness. But hey, it happens! And it is still a lot of fun. The rest of the day was filled with silly pictures, misreading maps, naps, and good laughs. Rolling into Auga Dulce around eleven, rolling out after a long nap behind an abandoned grocery store proved to be a sweaty one.

I saw a coyote and my first horse on the trail; considering this is an equestrian trail, I was surprised it took this long to see one of those big ole horseys galloping on these skinny trails.

Later, after the decent climb up, I cowboy camped with some friends, this time a little less swampy than the last attempt. Much more enjoyable than sleeping in a cloud and a lot more restful. The next day would be full of fun as well. Orange peel’s parents showed up at a trail crossing to do trail magic, and I ended my day at an ostrich farm!

Yes, an Ostrich Farm.

There was a fire closure around Lake Hughes. With this in mind, the road walk around it had a few interesting stops. A bar, a little hotel, and an ostrich farm you could camp at. Collectively I think about 12 hikers were staying the night. One of which loved birds! He was a hiker who stayed in the Airbnb in Wrightwood; Wrightwood earned him the name Alexa as in Hey Alexa. Alexa, unfortunately, was having feet issues and chose to rest with the birds. A birdman in his natural habitat.

The next morning a few of us would begin the rest of the road walk. Super windy with little to no traffic, this road walk seemed to take FOREVER. We all know that is dramatic, but hey, isn’t that what it’s all about. A few miles in, a fire truck zoomed past us, sirens on. We would not find out till later that same truck was heading for one of the markets we would have resupplied at later that day.

Heading to Hikertown

A good amount in Gatbsy, Crikey, and I got a ride the rest of the way to Hikertown. Unintentionally, the original plan was to hit the trail that was open eight miles before. However, the hitch that gave us a ride decided he knew what was best and what the hikers wanted, so he took us directly to Hikertown, USA. Hikertown is a little metropolis created to look like an old western town, each room a place in the city. And it is the last place you get to before the infamous Aquaduct everyone talks about. If you have never heard of it, imagine walking through a desert without water next to a pipe that has all your water. The pipe taunts you laughing at the very presence of your struggle.

We, a group of about ten hikers, would begin hiking the Aquaduct later that evening.