Day 38 • May 25th • Mile 572.88
Tehachapi to "small campsite under tree"
Do yah think they maybe oughta put some windmills up in this place?
Whirlwind of a day! Feeling just a bit wind blown here at the end of it. Pun definitely intended. Never feel like there's enough time time get chores done in town, and yet never want to quite stay long enough to do them. Why the urgency? Hm. Well it has a lot to do with the flow of the community. The Five Star Crew are headed out today! And so is Flow, of PeanutButter Sunrise, tho the rest of that crew is "spread" out behind... *drum tap!*
Hoping to night hike, another reason to get going again rather than zero. I figure it would probably be awful to leave midday in this heat... When Flow and I started back on the trail this evening, the wind durn near blew us back to Tehachapi. Gail force winds threatened to scoop me up and glide me right back to the base of the mountain! We pushed against the wind to the top of the ridge and "small campsite under tree" according to Halfmile.
Trav and Kels were up there with a friend who was cooking them a spaghetti dinner on a freakin' Coleman grill! They shared, good people. So at the end of a cold windy day we enjoyed a nice hot meal. Praise.
Song of the Day - I Believe I Can Fly, R. Kelly
Day 39 • May 26th • Mile 596.50
"small campsite" to Hamp Williams Pass
The Enchanted Forest
Woke up with Bruce Springstein singing to my feet. My alarm had been going off for over 20 mins before I could be stirred on a very misty icy kind of morning. I don't know how many times he sang that he'd "Drive All Night", but it was going to take more than that to get me excited...
Everyone was having a bit of a slow start. Flow was in his tent until I brought him a sip of coffee. I discovered that the Kraken (Kels' trail name) was not so scary in the morning if Ottis Redding were played. Left that campsite late. It was hard to get motivated to walk in the cold and wet. I knew it would probably get better as I moved along and off that ridge... and it did. The sky cleared up almost immediately!
The day passed pretty uneventfully. Reconnected with The Five Star Crew around lunch. There were quite a lot of hikers out on the trail today! My favorite part of the day (Sophia/T-LO would love this because she asks every night!) was when we walked through an enchanted forest. Reminded me of the one in our field area at Blue Ridge along the Chattooga River. Fond memories there...
Song of the Day - Drive all Night, Bruce Springstien
Day 40 • May 27th • Mile 613.29
Hamp Williams Pass to Cabin in the Woods on Piuret Road... to Random Plop
Being Open to Outcome
Today we passed the 600 mile mark. I walked and talked with Saskia (now Fresh!) in Spanish. She is a great teacher! Very patient. It's makes me feel confident that I will learn one day.
In the midst of what has turned out to be a surprisingly social trail, I have found myself overwhelmed by the lack of "me time." I think I finally realized today... went to wash my socks and the feeling was there. I forget sometimes that I am actually and introvert, because I just loooove people. I care too much about what I could be missing if I take time to myself.
Had a sort of failed time to myself. After we were thru hangin' at the Cabin on Puiret Road, I thought I'd return to the trail and walk alone for a bit instead of just reconnecting via the road with the group. Realized I'd left my socks and gators and had to go back. Decided after all the hemming and hawing that I'd better just take the road and over took the group while they were getting water. Now, tho not what intended to do, I am camping solo again. And rather than feeling refreshed, I am flustered.
Can't seem to find the balance between hiking with a group and just doing me. I love hiking with these people and I don't always want to be alone. Sometimes it's nice, but then I like to know I have a community out here. I feel sort of lost at the moment. Not sure what I want to do... Pienso demasiado!!!!
[NOT the best solo experience either! Felt exhausted. Needed rest. Woke with a stomach ache and some desert mouse effing with me all night. Chewing on my trekking poles and running laps around my tent! Grumble grumble...]
Song of the Day - All Time Low, Jon Bellin
Day 41 • May 28th • Mile 630.91
Rando to Bird Spring Pass Road
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Day
[1,000KM, apparently a significant mark for our only forgiener in the group... she's the distracted one. 😂]
The ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Crew came strolling by after I'd had my breakfast. Apparently they'd camped just a mile back. Joined them and walked and talked with Fresh again to practice my Spanish. I finally learned what a Joshua Tree is and that it is definitely NOT poisonous (no thanks to Cougar Bait! What a joker...) but they ARE sure'nuff devilish. Sharp pointy things. Our only source of shade all day, we found ourselves risking impalement to escape the sun. After a *erchem* restful lunch, we started off again and WHAT a beautiful afternoon! The desert may be hot and draining, but boy was I PUMPED by the views we got today!!
[Hot Hills framed by spiney Joshua Trees]
Ended the day with trail magic. Brew Hiker was at the Bird Spring Pass Road with sodas and shade!! Water cash was full too so we're all good. Stayed up late laughing with good people on a dusty road (joined again by Trav & Kels!).
Song of the Day - Horse with No Name
Day 42 • May 29th • Mile 651.3 Bird Spring Pass to Walker Campground Brakes??
Are there brakes on this thing?! I feel like were are moving way to fast toward Kennedy Meadows. There ought to be a Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung [sharing this now as I am still making my way through the Sierra one whole month later makes me want to both laugh and cry...] Even tho we've drawn one more day out of this section approaching the BIG mountains, it still feels like we are careening out of the desert and into a whole new world! Saw the snowy peeks of The Sierra today!!
This is when the plan not to plan comes into play. There really is no planning this! No overthinking. Stay informed. Act smart. And just go for it. Still with the Five Star Crew and I feel confident. I'm hoping to be reunited with the whole of PeanutButter Sunrise as well!
Hot Hot HOT day, but we've been so spoiled. We basically walked from trail magic to trail magic. Last night at Bird Spring Pass and tonight at Walker more hot dogs, cookies, and refreshments of all kinds!! And music! from a couple who hiked last year. They've been super positive about our entering The Sierra and it is SUCH a breath of fresh air from all of the naysayers.
Song of the Day - The Kiss, The Last Of The Mohicans
Day 43 • May 30th • Mile 651.3 Zero in Ridge Crest The Hiker Fashion Show
Hitched a ride from that very positive couple into Ridge Crest and I rode in the back of the truck. My sunglasses went overboard as soon as we hit the highway. Well. That Happened. It's OK. I needed a new pair anyway... and once we were reunited in town with Avo and Gabs, she and I and a new member of the crew (Bandit!) went on a bit of a girly shopping spree to buy a new pair and some other fun stuff... and resupply... and FROYO!
Gabs did all of the ladies' makeup and hair for a "just for fun" Fashion Show she was planning/scheming... and then I joined the "serious" planning for the Sierra. It was a blend of silly and stressful, I'd say. Probably just the right doses. I've been avoiding it (the Sierra planning, tho admittedly makeup as well...*wink*), because I knew that if I found out all of this"snow-mongering" was true, I'd be heart broken.
But after contributing to a solid plan, I feel stoked. I am SO pumped! I think we've got a good one mapped out... And once that was taken care of, we had our Hiker Fashion Show silliness to sport outfits and up doos. For dinner, we all went out to Tokyo House, one of those places where they make a show of chopping and cooking the food in front of you. It was a lot of fun and FUNNY, as most of the entertainment came from watching Sparkle watch wide eyed as he'd never had this experience before. What a hoot! (also, Trench Star is now Birthday Girl, as it seems we've been celebrating it for a month!) I keep sayin' this, but there are good people out here.
[Cougar Bait, Gabs, Bandit, One Day, Fresh... not pictured: Five Star, Sparkle, Birthday Girl, Avo, Chance]
Song of the Day - You Make My Dreams Come True, Daryl Hall & John Oates
Day 44 • May 31st • Mile 662.75 Walker Campground to Cowboy Camp before Joshua Tree Spring Ready to follow THE PLAN??
Great night's sleep due to sweet Avo & Gabs loaning Bandit and I their air mattresses for the floor of the Motel. Much better than my "HoHo" Thermarest.... Woke up fairly early and decided to use the time to repair the zipper on my long pants. It looks pretty nice I think! I got teal to "match" my outfit. Too bad I will no longer have teal shoes for The Sierra. I've got to get new ones and the only color available was black and yellow. :P Oh well, guess I'll be bumble buzzing my way through the snow.
Vegged most of the morning as we were planning a late start. We did get our butts up to go for breakfast at (referred to as) the "shitty" cafe, which actually stood to mean that it would be quite good, as most hole-in-the-wall type places are. I got another shower and applied a face mask that Gabs had got for fun. It was really nice. I finally got myself organized and headed over to the library to make some copies of "THE PLAN" for the whole group. Had Mexican for lunch before catching the 2:20pm bus outta town!
Song of the Day - The Violet Hour, Civil Wars
