Day 25 – 39.1 km – Tuesday 21.05.2024
Today I get up around 6 a.m. I’m really glad I still have my tent set up. Because in the morning the outer layer is completely damp. So I leave my tent and have breakfast. In the meantime, the tent can dry a little in the rising sun. After about 40 minutes I pack everything up and start running.
It goes straight back uphill again, although today I walk through dry but beautiful grasslands. In the morning sun, the dried out grass looks golden and thus makes a nice impression.
After a short descent, it goes through a tunnel under a road.
On the other hand, the path then leads me through various rock formations, all of which look very interesting. Here I am in a special park known for the rocks and often used by Hollywood (Los Angeles is only a few miles away) for filming films. Among other things, the film was filmed here for Startrek.
On a park bench I take a second breakfast break and today I’m preparing tortilla with Nutella, which actually tastes similar to crepes.
Then continue through the rocks to the visitor center. Here I meet two other hikers with whom I look at the things inside.
Then it goes through the small town of Aqua Dulce. In addition to many tractors, there is not much else to see. Some shops are empty.
After I followed the road for a long time, I finally continue on smaller paths. In the hot midday sun there is a strenuous, long ascent that makes me sweat quite a bit. At least the view is getting a little better.
When I finally get to the top, I sat down with a few other hikers who take a break in the shade of some trees. After a few minutes, however, they set off again and I take the opportunity to add a little afternoon nap.
After that, it’s actually quite relaxed on and off. Since the path is easy to walk, I can make progress without much effort.
After about 24 km I reach a camp. First, I’m thinking about going on. But since a man who comes towards me, tells me about a good place above the actual camp, I’m on my way there. In fact, next to a road is a wonderful, quiet place from where I can even watch the sunset. In contrast to the places below, which are distributed in the bushes, I like this place much better and I’m staying here. When I’m done eating, a few from Denmark come by, who unfortunately couldn’t find a place in the camp because everything was already occupied. I quickly suggest that you are welcome to put your tent here, since I planned to do cowboy camping anyway and therefore don’t really need much space. So the two of them set up their tent and while they cook their dinner, we talk extensively. After that it’s already time for the bed again and the two of them disappear into the tent and I lie down in my sleeping bag and look at the moon and the stars.
Day 26 – 50.3 km – Wednesday 22.05.2024
Today I slept very well again. At 5:45 I wake up and have breakfast. While I’m drinking my coffee, the first people are already running. After packing everything up, I’m finally on my way.
In the morning it is quite relaxed up and down along the slope. The path is easy to walk and since it’s not that warm yet, I’m making good progress.
When it gets warmer around noon, I left almost 15 miles (24 km) behind me. I take a break at a bench in the shade and make tortilla with Nutella. After that I’ll take a digestive sleep. At the end my lunch break lasts almost an hour and when I set off again it’s really warm.
It goes straight up the mountain and I pass old gold mines. Although most of them are filled in, some still have an entrance. But since you shouldn’t get very far and there are always queues etc. in it, I skip this adventure and prefer to continue running up the mountain.
After hours uphill, I take another break and drink coffee. At that time it’s already about 3 p.m. and I’ve already been over 30 km. But since I want to go even further, I’m running again and it’s a little downhill and running becomes more pleasant.
It’s increasingly going through the forest and the heat softens a little. At a water point I fill up my water. Actually, I wanted to walk 2-3 miles to a camp. But since it’s not far to mile 500, I decide to walk there.
It continues through the forest and somehow I never get tired. After 47 km I actually reach the 500 mile mark.
After that, I start looking for a campsite. The renewed increase is slowly causing me problems.
After almost exactly 50 km I find a place on a mountain. Here I set up my tent and cook something to eat. After the long tour, the food tastes particularly good and I really enjoy it while the sun sets in front of me.
Then I’ll go to the tent soon because it’s getting cold outside and I’m pretty exhausted.
Day 27 – 35.1 km – Thursday 23.05.2024
At night it was very windy and despite my 50km tour I couldn’t sleep very well. In the morning I still get up and pack up my tent in the constant wind. After all, I get a nice view of the rising sun at breakfast.
The path then takes me down the mountain in a relaxed manner. On one side I see the clouds hanging in the valley again. I quickly realize that the next few days it will probably go through a very dry landscape. Because the clouds don’t seem to really get over the mountain here.
For me, however, it goes through the forest and then further downhill. Soon the surroundings will clear and I see the landscape that I have to cross in the next few days in front of me. Since I want to take it easy today, I keep taking breaks and eating something.
Around 1 p.m. I reach my current intermediate destination ‘Hikertown’. In fact, it’s a place that takes a lot of getting used to. There are small houses everywhere, apparently supposed to represent a city. It looks a bit like a converted film set for a western. After all, there are many hikers here again, who are all looking for shelter in the shade and rest a little. I also meet some familiar faces, with most people being strangers.
I quickly wash my things in a sink and get a piece of melon from the owner. With a shuttle you go to the somewhat remote supermarket, which is more like a small kiosk. I’ll buy food there again for another 2-3 days to get to Tehachapi. Then I treat myself to a delicious burrito and a coke. Then it’s back to Hikertown by car. There I sit down at a table with a few other hikers and drink free beer, which a trailangel bought and provided for us hikers. Now that my last beer has been a long time ago, it tastes particularly good. Otherwise it’s fun and I spend almost 4 hours here before I set off again in the evening. Some other hikers want to run at night to avoid the heat that is said to be on the following section. But I decide to tackle this tomorrow morning and only hike a few miles today.
In the evening sun it goes along a large aqueduct that supplies Los Angeles with water. I follow the huge old metal pipe around for a long time. Those who have already dealt with the PCT should probably know the picture as it is a typical tourist picture 😉
Later it disappears from the surface and I continue to walk more or less on the underground pipe. Since I don’t want to have a long day today, after an hour I set up my tent in the bushes next to the street. I cook something there to eat and then go to sleep soon.
Day 28 – 40.9 km – Friday 24.05.2024
Even today the night was very windy again. At least I was able to sleep well and get up early. I’m on my way straight to take advantage of the morning cold.
It continues on the road that was built on the aqueduct and I immediately feel the cold wind, which blows really badly here in the area.
I use the wall of a shaft to have breakfast in a sheltered spot. Then it’s on for hours along the road. Partly white is straight and that for several miles. A koyote crosses my path along the way. Unfortunately I was too slow to take a picture.
In the distance I can already see the wind turbines, which get closer and closer over time. After a while I can increase my rattlesnake counter again. This time, however, the snake lies relaxed in the morning sun and will not be disturbed by me.
I’ll soon reach the wind farm and get to see a lot of wind turbines there. In my whole life I’ve never seen so many wind turbines in one spot and somehow it looks weird and impressive at the same time. For me, I’m slowly going up the mountain for hours through the numerous rotors. The further I get to the top, the more I feel the strong wind and can see more and more wind turbines. When I look back, I only realize the full extent of the wind farm. Hard to imagine how many households will be supplied by this energy.
I keep walking up the mountain. I’ll be able to enjoy the view again soon, but the strong wind makes running strenuous. Sometimes he blows from the side like an gust and I have to be careful not to fall over, the other time I have so strong headwinds that I can hardly make any progress.
I’m all the happier when I finally arrive at the top of the mountain. There is one or two guns here. I’ll walk past the first camp, but then I’ll set up my tent at another camp that is about 1 kilometer away. At least the wind between some trees is not quite as strong, even if my tent still wobbles quite a bit. But after already 25 miles (40 km) I don’t feel like going down the mountain anymore. So I cook my dinner while my tent is rocking back and forth in front of me in the wind. It will definitely be a rather uncomfortable night. Around 8 p.m. I go to sleep and hope that the wind will drop a little at night.
Day 29 – 31.3 km – Saturday 25.05.2024
Today I have a Resuply again. In the morning I pack everything up and set off to arrive in Tehachapi at noon.
Since I have a slight pain in my ankle, I’m making slower than expected. Somehow the shoe pinches at one point and maybe I should get new shoes. After attaching some tape, it goes on with almost no pain and so I can do a relaxed route.
Today, most of the time, it goes through wind turbines slightly up and down. The strong wind is bothering me today and so it’s actually more strenuous than it looks.
The countless wind turbines next to me impress me today. It feels like I see more wind turbines alone today than I’ve seen in my whole life before. Here one really follows the other and all sizes are represented. As I then found out on Wikipedia, there are actually 3400 wind turbines here, which together produce 710 megawatts and electricity.
Otherwise, relatively little happens in the morning. At a park bench I meet a couple waiting for their son who is also hiking here. As it turns out, the two older people want to run the Camino this year and so I talk to them about it for almost 20 minutes.
Then it’s the last kilometers to a road from where I want to hitchhik to Tehachapi. Even before I really get there, I am collected by a trailangel that has just dropped people here. The friendly man takes me straight to Wallmart, where I can shop.
Around half past two I’ll get there and shop again for 5-6 days and then come to Kennedy Meadows. My shopping cart doesn’t look very healthy again today, but my body needs the excessive calories to cover daily needs. In addition to oatmeal, pasta, rice, tuna and nuts, Nutella, M&Ms, Snickers and Chips also end up in my backpack. Not exactly in small quantities.
After shopping, I meet some hikers that I know from the last two days and who are sitting in front of the Wallmart. I join them and eat two bans and an avocado. After a while I’m on my way to a Starbucks again to use the internet and charge my cell phone.
Later in the day I go for a bite to eat in a BBQ restaurant before I make my way back to the trail. The shop that the driver recommended to me this afternoon is pretty crowded with locals and I’m glad I’m getting a seat. Today there are pulled pork burgers for food and a Tai-Mai for drinking that is on offer today. I really like the burger. The pulled pork is nice and juicy and probably one of the best I’ve ever had.
After the delicious meal, I go back to the street and try to get back on the trail. Since it’s already after 6 p.m., not too many cars drive past. Nevertheless, after about 10 minutes a car stops and a young man takes me with him. As I learn, he recently joined the PCT Facebook Group here in town and I’m actually his first passenger to bring to the trail. So he’s happy that he can help and I’m coming back to the trail. Almost 10 minutes later he lets me out on the highway and I continue to walk where I had stopped this afternoon.
I walk almost an hour further up the mountain before I finally find a place where I can set up my tent.
Unfortunately, it’s also very windy here and I’m probably expecting another restless night. But since the other places in the immediate vicinity don’t look any better, I’ll have to stay here and get through the night like that.
Survey
With my arrival in Tehachapi, the last section of my journey in the desert actually begins for me. In the next few days I will continue to Kennedy Meadows, where I will then enter the Sierra and hike through the mountains there.
Even today I was approached by people in Wallmart again and everyone said that with the Sierra, one of the most beautiful sections, should start. Since I still love the mountains, I’m particularly looking forward to it, even if one or the other challenge is definitely waiting for me there.
So far I have already covered over 566 miles (905 km). Unfortunately, due to the resupply days, I haven’t quite reached my desired daily average of 20 miles, but I’m close to it. Currently I run an average of over 30 km per day, which means that I am currently probably one of the fastest hikers here, even if there are a few faster ones.
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