Bishop, CA

Clean hikers!

We arrived here yesterday in the bustling  cowboy town of Bishop. Walking over Kearsage pass was spectacular with snow covered mountains and half frozen lakes. The snow provides stunning relief to the different rock features - ledges, peaks, edges and couloirs stand out beautifully.

It still feels like early spring here eventhough southern CA was in full blooming spring. It's like we are going backwards in time. We may not experience summer until August. DG and TC have never been in the Sierra at this time of year so the experience is totally new- the ability to walk through snow covered mountains on a path that is visible (most of the time) and still connected to Canada. We went over Forrester in the early morning when the conditions were perfect- hard snow pack not ice. By late morning the snow began to melt and we sank into it a few times. People coming over it in the afternoon had a rough time.We heard rumors about  one hiker slipping on Whitney and having to self arrest.  Another PCT hiker slipped and lost his/her pack down a steep slope either on Forrester or Whitney We lucked out and made it without hardship or injury. That night we camped near Bullfrog Lake and woke up to a 23 degree frozen water bottle morning. We were over Kearsage by 10 am and had a ride down to the almost non-existent  town of Independence (a Chevron gas station equipped with a Submarine sandwich shop, the courthouse motel and a lot of defunct buildings for sale). DG and TC stuck out their thumbs and got the quickest ride in their lives (less than a minute). A gentleman on his way to a memorial in Lee Vining stopped and took us to Bishop (50 miles away) where another Best Western awaited our hikers. DG and TC have joined the a BW Loyalty club. They're all about accumulating points toward free rooms. Good sheets, powerful showers, clean rooms, free breakfasts, and quiet. 

The Sierra are lined up to the west of highway 395. They are close to us and DG feels their pull every time she looks at them. Being in town when the mountains are so close feels incongruous. They are waiting for her... With the patience of stone.

      Most hikers go to the town of Lone Pine. It's closer but has fewer restaurants and a cheap hostel. DG and TC know people in Bishop but mainly DG wanted the Volkoren bread from Schatts Bakery and a greater variety of restaurants to choose from. There are also a lot more gear stores to browse through that invite you to change your mind about the equipment you have and entice you to buy equipment you don 't need.

          The Nero day was identical to others we have had - showers, laundry, eating. 

          The zero day was a bit different in that TC received a final birthday shiatsu treatment from DG and DG received a treatment from Mary Devore ex-Santa Cruzian turned Bishopian. DG's left side was skewed awry and her right side was supple like tender chicken. This was the result of 700 plus miles walking with a knapsack mal-adjusted. She recently  adjusted it and certain pains have disappeared while new ones have appeared. One thing she discovered : if she tightens her belt on or above her belly button digestive issues ensue - reflux, gastric cramping, bowel disturbances, impacted chi flow. This does not occur with everyone. She has inquired. Some people can hike with their belly buttons covered and pressurized but Inevitably farting must occur. Due to her gastric distress DG wears her pack belt closer to her hips and feels more like a cowgirl now, not so much like  Gomer Pile. She cannot believe it took almost two months for this pathology to develop. There is only so much injury a system can sustain before symptoms appear. The body is patient and extremely forgiving but it has it's' limits. In the face lesson: overt symptoms equal long standing imbalance. 

      On our first zero day we organized our food for the next 7 day hike, shopped, tried on clothing, had creamy coffee drinks, had the body work thing and went to dinner at Tai and Mary's house ( big salad made from their garden. We went to bed after 10 pm; late considering our usual 7:30 to 8:00 sleep time.

     One cool synchronistic thing that occurred to DG as she was absent mindedly crossing a street was meeting two different ex-Santa Cruzians ( Andy and Lisa Puhvel) as they were in their car waiting for her to cross. Just that morning DG and TC had discussed ways of connecting with these two people and presto, here they are...two self admitted reclusive hermits who only come into town once a week to pick up mail and purposely try to avoid contact with any towns people. A joyous reunion occurred as they all convened in room 214 of the BW and made plans for the future. One of their sons, Granite , patiently waited for the adults to finish their loud, excited chatter by running around the connected balconies of the BW. Synchronicity, what is that? The opposite of chaos and randomness. What do you want to see? DG thinks you can choose. 

    She is off to the pool. TC is taking a yoga class at Mary's beautiful studio. This afternoon TC & DG are having a hiking meeting at Schatts Bakery with Princess, Mr. sandals, and Gretchen Tomorrow, the girls are back on the trail. The mountains are waiting.

Lisa & Granite

Rarely seen Andy P. 

Mary D. Ride  DG wishes it was hers too. 

Forester Pass in pictures

Heading up to the notch, you can see the sliver of snow we cross. 

Here is TC crossing that said sliver. 

Cute little cornice. Exit left in next photo. 

TC executes Theblast exciting moves to the pass. 

Here we are @ 8:30 am. First up to the pass. Enjoying the amazing view & not a hint of a breeze. 

Forrester Pass: 13,200ft. highest pt. on PCT, 5/28

We're just below Forrester pass, the highest pt. on this entire trail. DG and TC have done this pass 3x but never in snow and ice. Many have gone before them so there will be steps, eventhough they may be ice steps. Today the altitude seems to have slowed everyone down. DG and TC moved with a snail-like grace. They wonder what young people think when they see them. They appear to be keeping up in some distorted kind of way. They've been with a group of twenty something's for awhile now. They don't hike with them but somehow at the end of the day they're all together again. There is definitely a web of people being woven on this trip. You hear about someone and 2 weeks or three weeks later you meet them and know their stories. DG and TC met someone today who they had heard about in their first week of hiking, way back in Mt. Laguna. This guy's name is Snail Trainer and when he started the trail his pack weighed 61 pounds. He was in agony so Dave, the owner of the outfitter store in Mt. Laguna re-equipped him and lightened Snail Trianers pack significantly. Two months later DG and TC meet him at a river crossing. The web is connecting us .All of these people are constantly weaving  in and out of each other's lives. Oddly, some stories travel backwards eventhough we are moving forward and I am not talking about internet usage. Being media deprived you can imagine the stories being created and told. Topo met a guy two years ago on the PCT. They both left the trail at the same time and remained in contact over the last two years. DG and TC met him for the first time yesterday night. They know all about him ( his  break-up, his plumbing problems) and he knew their names. Information can travel forwards and backwards in time without the use of electronics. The group that you get to know grows larger everyday, especially if you aren't too fast. New people pass you everyday. If you want to make new connections with people this is a fabulous venue. We are all doing the same thing so are we all sharing something in common. Why we are doing it may be different but that doesn't matter. There is something about this shared  venture that makes it easy to talk to anyone and ask anything. People help each other and take care of each other. One is seldom alone for long but if you seek solitude ...hello, you are in the wilderness.

      Unfortunately, we are out of cell range out here so you will be receiving a slew of messages all at the same time. Enjoy. We will be in a town on May 30 and will be in contact. 

One of the 4 river fords we got to do today. 

Bighorn Plateau. So beautiful. Looking toward the Rawahs??

One of our last views of Whitney. We have spent 2 days going about 3/4s of the way around it. 

11,500 today May 27

Today we are almost above treeline. We are getting that cool alpine  breeze which makes hiking comfortable. The blooming flowers are gone or not yet above ground. There is still a little snow on north facing slopes so I guess spring has not yet arrived. What we are seeing are magnificent walls of granite and  tree sculptures that reveal the marvels hidden under bark and skiin. These pines grow in spirals. The inner wood twists around itself and looks elegantly braided. From the outside trees look like they grow straight up but what they do is twirl up.The wood swirls and twists and bends to accommodate itself to life. Look at the roots of an old weathered uprooted tree to see what wood can do. There is no finer place than the Sierra to see thousand year old pine trees still growing and standing strong with the wind, rain and snow, the elements that shape and mold them into works of art. First it was the flowers that captured my attention. Now it is the trees. Today I kept taking pictures, trying to capture the textures and curves. I gave up and just wanted to stand before them in wonder. 

     Update on items lost: one pair of sleeping socks; one red bandana; one Teva sandal, one more bandana. The bandanas are DG's. Today as she was leaving camp she realized her bandana was not in sight. TC had already left and DG felt a tad pressured to get going. For the first hour of hiking she obsessed about that special PCT bandana knowing it was gone.

She almost dropped her pack and ran  back two miles but her rule of thumb is to never go  back. Always forward. So she did the next best thing. She asked GOD to provide her with another one. She has done this before and has a high success rate. She disbelieved a little but kept her wits about  her. Within the hour there on the middle of the trail was a handkerchief! Honest. She picked it up and TC stuffed it in her pack. At the next stream she washed it. That was difficult because it was fairly disgusting- someone might have recently blown their nose on it but she persevered and rubbed it on a rock and re-rinsed it (until the slime factor had disappeared) She did not want to appear ungrateful to GOD. Things like this happen to her a lot, eventhough she might be a sorcerer.

     TC has worn through 5 prs. of socks, 2 prs of shoes. One set of hiking poles. And lost 1 half of her pr. of sandals. 

       Update on Topo. We just heard from a fellow hiker that she is off to the doctor again. Something is up with her nose. She apparently does not want    

to do the Sierra right now and may skip up to Taboe. Holy smokes!! What has happened to her nose and will we meet up again?

      Tomorrow we are hiking to the valley below Forrester pass- the highest pass on PCT. There will be snow and ice. We are prepared.

Here is Mt Whitney. Many of our fellow PCTers are taking the 17 mile detour to climb it. We get to pass since we have done it 3 times previously. However the hike we did today went west for 16 miles to get around this massive mountain. ( tallest in lower 48 states)

    DG saw 4 marmots today. One of them looked sassy and sleek spread out on the top of a boulder, shiny fur ruffling in the breeze. They look very cozy in their thick coats. 

     We slept in a meadow surrounded by deer. Oh yes, we are now in Sequoia National Forest and just passed through Inyo.

10,700. May 26.

Snow plant. It does not need sun to live. 

Today we got up to 10,700ft. Presently we are  surrounded by people (5 to be exact). We walked 20 miles today to be at water but so did 5 other people. There is no beer so there is no partying going on but there is talking. Quite aggravating to DG as it is almost 8:00. Way pAst her bedtime. The sun will set and with any luck so will their tongues.

      Today at 10,700 it was almost 75 degrees. TC figures it must be 105 down in The Central Valley. Hot!

Whitney & Forester onThe distance. Our highest pass is coming up. 

     Here is a Fred Astaire update (remember the captured scorpion ). DG saw Scorpion yesterday and asked about Fred. Scorpion sent him to Montana via the USPS in the ibuprofen bottle accompanied by a cricket. He has instructed his roommates to put Fred in a bigger home (one of his many terrariums) and feed him one cricket per week. He assured DG that scorpions are sturdy creatures and can live along time in less than ideal conditions. DG still ruminates over the fate of Fred and Scorpion's capture of him. Maybe she'll go back to school and major in philosophy to deal with all the issues involved.  

Note blue sky and puffy cloud. 

     Update on the chemtrails. They are everywhere people are. When DG went to Portland they were copious and widespread. More then in Santa Cruz. Last time she saw them on the PCT was in Tehachapi. Since being in the wilderness she has not seem any. There are NO chemtrails in the Sierra so far! It's Beautiful. The skies are blue and the clouds are puffy and REAL. It's unbelievable how clear and normal the sky looks. No people no chemtrails. 

Diaz creek. Not much water for this time of year. 

3,000 feet up. May 25th

South Fork Kern River

Today we started hiking at 6:03 and ended at 3:00 pm. Some would call that a Nero day. We climbed 3,000 ft. and decided to do ourselves a kindness. ( we haven't had rest since Tehachapi mile 566) We stopped at a place that was supposed to have running water. We found two puddles, one with a significant amount of algae in it. The streams are not flowing well. We stopped at the south fork of the Kern earlier to fill up a couple of water bottles fully expecting the water report we have to be accurate. Not so. It's too outdated. We thought that once we hit the Sierra our water troubles would be over but we have to wait until mile 752 to stop obsessing over water. We are at mile 722. Just awhile longer. It appears we are in between herds of hikers. 

Up to the snow 5/24

We originally were going to spend two nights at Kennedy Meadows but the funk of the place was a bit over the top; besides which, the grill only sold burgers and was not open for breakfast. If you were in your twenties or liked drinking beer this was perfect. Beer and young people equal noise and late nights. There was an interesting event that will put everything into perspective for you. DG, on arrival had gone searching for a campsite away from the fray. She assumed that all the land behind the general store was up for grabs. She found a quiet spot amongst rusting machine parts and an  old discarded satellite dish. After setting up camp she invited the Princess and Mr. Sandals, two youngish Germans they had met way back in San Diego, to share this area. The Princess on arriving at KM was a tad upset, expecting some kind of privacy and a private shower. She had no idea this would be a haven for hiker "trash" as well as other kinds of trash. She was in tears when DG and TC arrived but after having viewed DG's quiet find she felt better. There were other people around us but we all had space. The evening progressed. TC was paying Tom, a guy down the road who had about 15 trailers on his property and had been "closed" down by the county, to use his internet. He used to, by donation basis, let PCT hikers sleep in the trailers. As we were all milling about, looking at the incredible amount of interesting junk on every surface he owned we heard gun shots. No big deal, we hear gun shots all the time right? DG and TC walk back up the road and see the Princess coming toward them. She was looking for Mr. Sandals and was in tears yet again. From what we could gather through her sobs, someone in a very small ATV had been driving close to her tent and shooting off a gun. She stuck her head out of her tent and asked the person to please not drive so closely to her tent. It was then she learned that she was camped on private property. Who knew? No one had told us to camp only on one side of the road. There were no signs. WTF!! There was a mass exodus. At least 7 people had to pick and find a new place in an already crowded area. DG and TC found a not-level spot but it was not far from a circle of young drunken men sitting around a fire guffawing way past hiker bedtime. They needed their fathers to come out from somewhere and tell them to go to bed or they would be smacked. There were plenty of fathers there but they were probably all deaf or something. So the Princess was shaken and said things like, "I thought America was civilized". She said this would not happen in Germany. DG definitely felt embarrassed and tried to explain the American fascination with guns. She said the kid on the ATV had on combat boots and desert army fatigues. DG sighed deeply inside. Ones first encounter with a redneck is never easy.

       One more example of the kind of place this is also involves the Princess. Princess is a highly educated oncologist and when once again talking about the craziness of this place mentioned an old guy with long hair and a long beard who had a small bandaid covering the cancer on his lip. The cancer was eating away his lip and he just put a tiny bandaid on it. Princess couldn't understand this. She might not know about the sad state of health care in this country. Once again DG sighed deeply and remained quiet. Sometimes words cannot do anything for you.

       The good news is that KM is  5 miles behind our tired hikers and after 707 miles they are finally camped by a river, by themselves with no one shooting at them.

May 21

Heading north from Walker Pass with the desert behind and Sierra ahead. 

Cooking lunch on the trail. 

Weather is coming in. 

Break out the versatile umbrella for the next 4 hous of rain 

Yeah!! We have reached the one quarter mark. 

It cleared at 6:30 so we could set up camp in the sunshine. 

HEre we come Kennedy Meadows

Tomorrow we will arrive at Kennedy Meadows, the base camp of PCT hikers before they head into the Sierra Mtns. This is where gear changes are made - warmer clothes, crampons, ice axes, bear boxes, new footwear. This is where you repair or replace broken things. There will be a big shift in the pace. Most people will slow down because the grades of climbs are steep and relentless. Weeks of this grind slows down most hikers. Some extraordinary people can maintain 30 or 40 mile days but they are the exception not the norm. Tidy and Dirty are excited to be in their home turf. We've lost Topo but expect to see her again. She may hike further north to avoid snow then return later in the season. DG and TC will continue plodding along come what may.

        We have had some exciting weather. Two days ago we were rained and hailed on. It was fun and exciting for three hours but by the fourth hour our two hikers were a tad wet and weary. They were greatly taken care of however because ten minutes before they put up their tent (in a lovely secluded shoulder jutting off from the mountain they were climbing) the rain stopped so they put up a dry tent. They had passed many tented hikers who had gotten too cold or wet to continue. For once they wereout in front of just about everyone. They managed to continue in the rain for four hours and stayed dry and warm enough while others fell around them. Hooray for experience and good equipment. 

       Today was one of our later starts. We have been doing a lot of 20 mile days and are feeling it. Our appetites are out of control ; we are always hungry even after we eat. Food is essential every 1.5 hours. We must eat a lot to get to Canada. Our shapes are changing as well as our weights. 

     We are in the foothills of the Sierra with pines, junipers, oak and still the occasional  cactus. The smells, colors and sounds feed us everyday. In Chinese medicine the 5 senses are actual sources that feed our essences - the stuff that we are made from. It is definitely proving true to DG and TC. In fact, if you asked DG she would say that what keeps her going everyday; what motivates her and energizes her; what inspires her are those tiny brilliant flowers doing what flowers do...receive the sun when it is shining, sway or shake when the wind blows, bounce when the rain falls. So simple. DG is trying hard not to squish any of them. 

      Yesterday the wind went somewhere else. After a full day and a half of gale force winds TC asked DG to stop asking the wind to "bring it". Please stop saying to the wind "Is that all you got?" DG agreed and within moments the wind stopped. Honestly, this really happened. DG was a tad frightened when she realized she just might be a powerful sorceress. She eyed her surroundings, taking it all in. From now on she would have to put a lid on her hysterical exuberance provoked by inclement weather. She would keep her lips shut tight and maybe later hire herself out as a weather.consultant - weather maker.

         Last night we camped at 8,000 ft and saw the most amazing storm forming. It was miles away so we were not worried until we went to bed and the wind started gusting  and rain started whipping. DG's lips were tightly closed. You NEVER want to be on a pass in a storm. Fortunately the weather passed quickly and DG bit her tongue as "Is that all you got" slipped out.

      Today is May 23rd and we have arrived at Kennedy Meadows. Let's just say that trail angel houses were more efficiently run than this business. They could be making a lot of money if they were more organized and prepared. Apparently they go shopping everyday because the number of hikers passing through is overwhelming, and way too early. Damn that Cheryl Strayed and her book "Wild". Everyone wants to hike this path. Just today they bought 50 pints of Ben and Jerry's and it will be gone by tomorrow. Hiker hunger is a terrible thing but if considered thoughtfully could make someone a lot of money. Seventeen hundred hikers are expected to pass through. There is one washing machine and one dryer. DG and TC may be waiting all day to wash their clothes. They have all day. How fortunate. The 2 outdoor showers are cold and we are camped in a junk yard. The grill is all about BURGERS. DG had two patties on her burger but the quality was a 4 out of 10. She loved every bite. Starving people cannot be picky. 

      Kennedy Meadows population is 200 people  except for a couple of months ( now) when it surges to 300 a day. This general store is a mom and pop owned store with a lot of family involvement when they are not shopping. I don't know where I am but people on motorcycles appear to be stopping here along with fully loaded jeeps. I think they sell gas here but at this moment the gas pump is being overhauled or torn down. So other people know about this and come to drink and smoke. It's extremely lively. I must praise the owners for their big hearts : they cooked us a spread of chilli and hot dogs with all the fixings after the grill had closed and no one was leaving the outdoor patio. DG had just eaten and she found herself standing in line waiting for more food. A tip jar was placed by the food. I was grateful for such a kindness... feeding hungry people ...so thoughtful. DG never forgets someone who feeds her. Food and love are synonymous. She can feel the knowing smiles of all who know her well. She thanks you for all the love. 

       So this place is interesting. Some might call it redneck. DG and TC call it heaven. Thank you for being here Kennedy Meadows. Bless you for all the Ben N Jerry's shopping trips. No one here has an MBA in business just a PHD in kindness.

      It snowed in the Sierra while it was raining and hailing on us so some people tried to hike into the Sierra  and were turned back. They were unprepared. DG and TC are prepared but they have a five day window before the next storm. Giddy up. BRING IT!!! 

This only one storage area

This is number 2. 

Over 50 pkgs received everyday. 

May 18

DG stuck in a back bend. 

DG laying prostrate at the 600 mile maker. 

Our last sping source of water for next 44 miles. 

Lunch Break in the sun

It's still windy but the sun is keeping us warm. We are waiting for our food to rehydrate. Two days ago we met a hiker named Elijah. He would have pAssed us by but DG said something conversational ("Hi"). She then asked if that was his trail name to which he replied, "No". DG offered Moses as his new name and he wasn't impressed. He said all of the names people hAd tried on him were stupid. Then he told us ( by way of conversation)  that last night a scorpion had crawled into his sleeping bag. DG Asked whAt he had done with it and he said it was in his pack. He had put it in his ibuprofen container. Now he had DG's interest. "What are you going to do with it"? He said he didn't know. Then he related that he was an amateur entymologist. How nice for him that a scorpion chose him. By now DG is trying to find a way to save this creature (entymologist be damned). She offered him 20 dollars to release the scorpion and then he could have the trail name of Jesus. He didn't want that name. He said he wanted to check out his spider which  DG had started calling Fred Astaire for some bizzare reason. Elijah suddenly asked if we wanted to see it. Yes from everyone including Sochi who had just joined us. The trail can be quite the thorough fare. Elijah takes off his pack, locates his ibuprofen bottle and opens it before 8 sets of peering eyes. Fred was yellow. Elijah disturbed him and his tail curled. A tiny droplet of poison appeared at the end of his tail. Photos were taken. DG keeps pressing him to let it go. "If you were a spider would you want out" DG asked Elijah. Elijah said he'd want out but he did not release him. Then Elijah asked if we had ever seen a sun spider that has a head that looks like a horse. No, no one had. Out came another specimen jar. He told us not to open this one because this spider can jump and bite the hell out of your face. We peered through the opaque container and saw some kind of deformed head. He brought out his last specimen which was a dead Jerusalem cricket. This cricket had black and yellow stripes like a bee. He needed to take  bugs home, to analyze them; identify them, pin them; collect them. All his classifying info was at home. He couldn't do it in the field hence his need for specimens.

DG preoccupied with the scorpion asked Elijah if it would die. Elijah had fed him a cricket and he had put air holes in the pill bottle. Elijah had himself a pet. DG asked him why he didn't feed him the dead cricket and he said it was too big. At this point we were all informed that scorpions had two mouths. They open up their jaws and another mouth comes out. Oh...DG gave Elijah the trail name " Scorpion". It was well received. The question is should DG have snatched the pill container out of Scorpion's hands and set him free? When is it appropriate to interfere? Did this spider now belong to Scorpion? If someone else had found this spider what would have happened? Instant death? Isn't all life precious? Apparently Scorpion had been bitten twice by rattlesnakes and had been bitten by every kind of spider. He had already had pet scorpions that he played with and that rode on his shoulders. Scorpion had been home schooled. He didn't have his GED. He wanted to study entymology. After doing the PCT he was going to start the journey to get what he wanted. The PCT will become his proving ground. He had already lost a hundred pounds in preparation for the hike. DG stopped worrying about Fred Astaire but the ethics of it all kept her thoughts alive for days. She was not willing to take on Scorpion's karma. She had enough of her own.

Alive mile 636. May 20

We are at 7,100 ft. it's 44 degrees and we are out of the wind for a second. Surrounded  by clouds we are in some kind of weather. Yesterday we spent half the day in the Mojave wind being tossed, turned, frozen, pummeled,generally galed out by it all. We have been carrying water for 2 days so our packs are wrapped around our ankles. Topo baled yesterday and is now clean and fed in Lake Isabella. Who knows when we'll meet again. DG and TC are stil alive and loving the raging elements. They are sustaining 20 something mile days because they have to. It's too cold to continue blogging but we wanted you a to know life is continuing for the UNITED FORCE. We'll keep in touch. There is so much to share.

Into central California 5/17

We are out of the flat desert but now we're climbing into some hot green hills. Today got up to 88 degrees. DG turned into a salt lick and T.C felt the top of her head to be on fire. The day started at the German  bakery for breakfast ( 6am). For the first time in her life DG had a pastry and a cup of coffee. Apparently she wasn't hungry enough for anything else. TC had a roasted pork and turkey panini heated up, Topo had a ham and cheese croissant. However, DG ordered a humungus sandwich to go and it took her all day on the trail to eat it. It probably weighed 2 pounds. The pastry was deliciously sinful and lasted her 3 hours. The ladies were driven to the trailhead by a retired NASA engineer who was now the only taxi in town. He called trail angels trail devils because they take his business away. He was good humored and we were glad to give him some business. He was extemely handsome. One of those people you never want to leave. 

     We started to climb and the wind was blasting us a to kingdom come. DG was giddy with delightful hysteria laughing into the gusts that were trying to blow her off the mountain. She was learning to ride the wind. The wind already knew how to ride her. TC was tearing up with gratitude.  She's loving the wind now because it keeps her cool and hating it wasn't getting her anywhere. When the two met at the summit they were almost crazed - laughing, crying, flying. Guess who they met hiking? The extortioner!! Honestly he was hiking with an oversized knapsack that was not fitted properly. DG said hello and immediately forgave him his cluelessness of the other day. Some people ARE  clueless. Bless him. He was out there trying to be a hiker and having a hell of a time. He was on his way down when we were going up. He had probably been hiking for awhile eventhough the summit was only a short distance. God bless that nutty man.

       The first few hours were in the 70's then we turned a corner and we were in the 80's. We had to carry about 10 pounds of water. When we left the hotel all three of our packs weighed 42 pounds. That did not include DG's sandwich. The weight was oppressive but we sprinkled star dust on our toes and before we knew it the packs were still heavy, like carrying a cement truck on our backs. What made it all worthwhile aside from that morning pastry were those amazing orange flowers that kept popping up around the most unlikely corners. They danced in those gale force winds. Just another day hanging out, standing tall in the wind. I've described them as poppies but they are some kind of lily. They only have three petals. They are so bright and strong one cannot ignore them. They must be loved.

Snake friend.

   TC chose to eat at a Japanese restaurant for her birthday dinner. Between them, DG and TC ordered 7 different dishes. Topo ordered two dishes. The waitress kept trying to place food in front of her but DG and TC claimed most of the dishes on the table. That might be a record number for those crazy food obsessed bubbies. TC was happy with the quality and taste. DG had froth coming out of her mouth. It could have been the seaweed salad that had fronds and such. Topo was mainly speechless.

We haven't left the wind farms, crazy lenticular clouds. 

Tehachapi. Mile 566

 Hello all you virtual hikers,

    We're finally at a place that DG at least recognizes by name. She and TC have driven highway 58 numerous times and driven by Tehachapi but never actually checked out the town. DG has always wanted to. The draw, written on the first sign you see is, "A Land of Four Seasoms". Coming from a city of that nature DG is nostalgic for it. It's in the mountains ( 4,500 ft) and the weather has always been dramatic when they have driven through ( windy, blizzardly, foggy, cold). We all know how DG is attracted to drama. Being born and bred in a country of heinous weather (Scotland) it feels like home.

Santa Cruz, apart from a storm or two is too perfect to produce anything too hardy. Perhaps she should go and live in the White Mountains in California ( on the East side of the Sierra) where the hardiest tree, the oldest living plant on the planet lives - the bristlecone pine. It thrives on adverse conditions. Dirty Girl is beginning to look like one of those trees. Her skin looks like bark and the withering process is in full effect. 

      Yesterday we were picked up by a pseudo trail angel. He had been picking up hikers and driving them the 8 miles to town. Someone gave him $ which is not unusual but by the time he picked us up he had fashioned an idea. In the space of a few hours he decided," I don't want money I'll just get those strong energetic hikers to work for me". He picked up our group and there were three other hikers going back on the trail. He had brought a garbage bag to empty out the trash bin which he promptly handed off to Topo and Sugar Pine. They lifted the grodiest bin and dumped. He had brought wAter which everyone else unloaded while he deployed instructions. Fair enough. DG took the garbage bag and started picking up all the litter in the area which consisted of a lot of shitty toilet paper and bottles filled with vile liquid. Fair enough. Everyone comes back to his car and DG had missed out on a previous conversation. This guy wanted us to fill buckets with gravel (decomposed granite) from the side of a road just a mile or two down the road. He'd drive us and of course the buckets and a shovel were already in the car. DG fumed inwardly. This was extortion. She has never used this word before and is exactly sure of its meaning but as she sat on the wet stinking floor of the snotty car with her hand holding the fermenting trash that's the word that came up. 

   Dear readers, do not think PCT hikers ungrateful or entitled. They would do anything for a trail angel who was really a trail angel but this old fart was different. Money is all most PCT hikers can give. By the time they are being picked up they are tired, dirty, hungry, stinky and not glowing. To be asked to shovel gravel  (illegally at that ) at the end of their day is a bit much. The reason trail angels are so loved by hikers is that they give freely and without expectation. That kind of giving is transformational for everyone. That kind of giving changes hearts and lives) In his defense he was a bandana-wearing, pony-tailed, 60 something Oregonian transplant who probably grew up in more of a "trade" culture but you can't be asking hikers with swollen blistered feet and stress fractures who have been walking in the Mojave desert to shovel gravel for you in exchange for an 8 mile car drive.

      Back in the car: The threesome are deposited by the side of the road. DG in her indignant fury takes the shovel and starts throwing in gravel. The others are instructed to use their hands to pull the gravel into the bucket. DG receives the same instructions but points out to the extortioner that she has a shovel. She does not need dirt shoveling instructions. The shoveling takes less than 2 minutes to complete. Buckets loaded they are back in the  car. There is some discussion about what has transpired. The pseudo trail angel asks if we think what he is doing is OK. He thinks asking for labor (a couple of hours) would be better than taking money. DG says she would rather give money. She also adds that this is the first time anyone has asked for this kind of help. No one else (TC and Hog are with her) says much. DG says she is not sure it's a good idea. Hog says people can say no. NOT!!! Who's going to say no in this situation? It is human kindness along with fear, anger, and indignation to say yes. Maybe there is some cowardness in there to. Some false sucking up and manipulation just to get a ride. In retrospect DG is happy the guy got his buckets filled. She doesn't appreciate the manipulative slant. Ordinarily she would have landscaped his entire garden for him. He jokingly said he was going to take us to his house to unload and spread the gravel. We know that's what he wanted and for a moment DG thought she was being kidnapped to a labor camp.

     He dropped the ungrateful mob at the Best Western and asked if they wanted a lift to the trailhead tomorrow. Hog said yes and was offering to do something for the guy. DG, TC and Topo said "No thank you".

TC feeling more like a stinky camper!

Check in at Best Western. 

Pool party. 

The Aqueduct

As I was saying, compared to the poodle dog  bush the aqueduct was a piece of cake. For the most part the aqueduct is

 under a paved road. Any cars that drove by drove on the dirt road which is along side the covered aqueduct, so it got pretty dusty. The road was flat and easy to walk. Mojave schmohave. I guess we lucked out with the heat. A number of people believed the weather report which called for 90 degree temps with Santa Ana winds (supposed to be hot) so they walked at night under the full moon. We just did what we always do, we walked. Today we were back in climbing up via switchbacks, so much more interesting.

       Tomorrow we are going into Tehachapi for a zero day. We are ahead of schedule so what the hell, another rest day!! Talk to you soon.

Mojave crossing in pictures

Hiking the aqueduct. 

Fellow hikers walking the pipe. 

Fulling moon and desert dusk. 

Cooking on the enclosed aqueduct. 

Rest break, using what you have, conveniently spaced every 1/2 mile or so. 

Looking back at the Mojave. 

Trail angels water cache. Thanks to Daniel & Larry from Tehachapi. 

The Mojave and Tehachapi

I

Well after hearing about how hot crossing the Mojave can be and all the drama associated with it our journey which took about 13 hours and was not uncomfortable. There was a breeze all day. We walked through a wind turbine farm for 6 hours which was both eerie, peaceful and loud.There was the sound of the wind; there was the sound of the wind going through the propellers of the turbines which sounded like planes flying overhead; there was the mesmerizing rotation of the propellers which made Dirty Girl dizzier than she already is...she felt like she was being sucked into outer space (she might have been for a brief period). The peacefulness probably came from thinking that using the wind to generate power is a good, green kind of thing. I know nothing about wind turbines except they provide a lot of employment for Rope Access and the climbers associated with that company. I know so little about anything especially chem trails and wind farms.

     We camped at a stream (Tylerhorse Creek) which supplied us with water. We were so grateful despite the abundance of cow shit everywhere. What was more troublesome was the amount of people who stay here (PCT hikers) who seem to have forgotten the rules about camping near water. We are supposed to camp 100 feet from water. That did not happen. People were literally camped one foot away from the stream. It's easy to see how places get trashed. Do animals defecate where they sleep? Humans do. In fact as I blog this Topo is on a shit finding mission. She can smell it but she can't see it and she is in her tent. DG and TC also smell shit but that's  because DG has indigestion from shoving too much junk into her mouth too quickly (garlic rosemary almonds and pistachios with Trader Joe's Cowboy Bark mix. Very bad combo). Tidy Camper will suffering for awhile. Dirty Girl is mainly laughing hysterically. Smelly farts just make her lose control.

     Onward with our story. We left this morning at 6:15 and walked through incredible blooming meadows. We were on hillsides that were covered with tiny starburst flowers that were white in the center and purple on the outside. They made the hill shimmer wth brightness almost like what happens when you walk over really white snow. You have to squint your eyes a bit. The fragrance was perfect, way better than any manufactured smell. Sweet and light. Purple, white, yellow, and of  course that brilliant California poppy orange. The yellows had two shades of yellow. Gifts and more gifts. Our senses were fully alive. Perfect colors and perfect arrangements. From a distance an entire hill looked purple or yellow or white. All of the trees in this area had been burned. Black standing skeletons amongst little glories of creation.

     Once again we were beside the wind turbines but this time we weren't walking through them but behind them. We saw 5 black horses (wild?) standing beside a turbine. Two were eating what the ground offered, one was sitting down and 2 were curious about us hikers. They stared at us as we stared at them. As I type this I am looking at two propellers slowly turning in the wind. We are below them and they sound like a distant highway and there is a not so distant highway.  We are camped under an oak tree in a wind farm next to Tejachapi Willow Spring road. This is quite a setting and there are many sounds of industry. Nature squeezed between roads, turbines, and other man made structures. We are grateful for our campsite eventhough there is hidden buried shit everywhere.

Wind turbines from our tent. 

Our campsite. 

Topo's tent from our supine position. Avoiding the heat. It' only 80, not bad!