The four of us arranged a ride with trail angel Abel back to the trailhead in Tehachapi. We began our hike along the trail next to the 58 and then began our climb. Our packs were loaded with water as our next water stop would not be for 17 miles. Not only were we climbing, but it was warm. After climbing and taking breaks, we found camp nearly 12 miles up trail, which had 3,700 feet of climbing. I was tired and it felt good to set up camp, eat, and lay down for the night.

More Water Please

The next morning, we woke up, broke down camp, and began our hike to water. We had five miles to go before we would refill our heavy packs with more water. After a couple hours we arrived at the green algae covered spring. We took a break in the shade, refilled our water, then we began our hike again. The day would have us hike 16 miles and 2,700 feet of gain. Once we arrived to camp, we had to walk down a hill and back up to get more water, adding another two miles and 700 feet of gain.

My Last Day Being 50

I woke up and had my morning coffee, ate breakfast, packed up camp and headed out on the trail. The hike started climbing through the red grasses and I carefully watched for snakes hiding in the tall grass. Soon I found myself walking in the pine trees. I paused and listened to the wind flowing through the pine needles, the birds were singing, and I could smell the pines. I felt happiness that brought tears to my eyes, I felt like I was home. The hike weaved through the trees and then along a creek. Water!! Oh, I love the sound of a babbling creek! Pine trees, Mountain View’s, and water! I was happy. Before I knew it, I hit the 600 mile mark. Yay! After 16.5 miles and nearly 4,000 feet of gain I found myself at camp. There was an off-road vehicle camp with a privy and a spring.  I set up camp, got some water, ate dinner, and laid down for the night. It was a good day.

It’s My Birthday!

I woke up feeling a little older. Today I was 51 and my body let me know by hurting everywhere. I enjoyed my morning coffee, ate, packed up, and headed out on the trail. I was sad to be leaving the pine trees and headed back to the dessert and Joshua Trees. The desert is beautiful too, but this girl loves the mountains a little bit more. The hike was to Kelso Road where a water cache was present to fill up on water. Thank you trail angels!! I took a break at the road and loaded up on four liters of water before heading back out on the trail. After 16.2 miles and 2,700 feet of gain we found ourselves by an old mining area. We set up camp next to a Joshua Tree hoping it would protect us from the wind. I had the view of the desert below and the sunset was beautiful.

It’s the Pacific Peak Trail

I woke to condensation on my tent. It was a breezy night in the desert, how does that even happen?!? I enjoyed my morning coffee, ate, and packed up before heading out on the trail. The trail descended down a little bit before it began to climb up. I felt like I was climbing to a peak. Then I climbed down to the road to the Bird Spring water cache, thank you trail angels. After a break and loading up on water, I began my climb in the warm sun. The climb was relentless. How far would I climb?! There is perfectly good flat ground to hike on down below. But the trail would take me to the top. I felt like I was going to get sick and then finally I made it to the top. I took a break before continuing on. Around 14 miles we arrived at a camp. I was done but it was only 3:00 p.m. My back was killing me. I took a break and stretched. Way Finder continued on, she wanted to camp at the cabin. I checked FarOut and saw there was a camp in another mile. So I continued to hike to the next camp. Once I arrived I didn’t not like the camp very much, so I continued to where the trail joined the road. After arriving I took another break to rest my back. There was just two more miles to go to get to the cabin, I pushed on. Around 6:00 p.m I arrived at the cabin, set up my tent and retrieved water. I was tired, I did 19.5 miles with nearly 4,400 feet of gain. As we were cooking, we were greeted by the nearby camper’s dog. Yay for dog love. The owner came over to make sure his dog was okay visiting and we began to chat about our hike. He asked if we needed anything and offered us food and drinks. Yes! We ate rice, beans, and chicken with mild spices and had a soda. It was amazing! After we were done eating, we headed back to camp and went to bed.

Hurry Up! It’s Town Day!

We woke up early and we’re on trail by 7:00 a.m. Soon we were nearly running down the trail since we only had eight miles to go to Walker Pass. As we got closer to the campground a day hiker said there was trail magic! It’s amazing how fast one can hike when there is trail magic ahead. We arrived at the covered picnic tables to fruit, muffins, Gatorade, and beer. A beer before 10:00 a.m. was winning!! After a short while a trail angel arrived and we asked if we could get a ride to Ridgecrest. Before we knew it, we were on the road to enjoy a zero in town.

Thanks for following along.
Next up is Kennedy Meadows!