Section E is 112 miles long and runs from Aqua Dulce to Tehachapi Pass. June 5th - 9th.
Day 29, 0 trail miles but a 3.6 mile backtrack to Vasquez Rocks.
After playing at Vasquez Rocks we returned to town and grabbed a beer at Sweetwater Grill as we watched film crews scurrying around across the street. A movie was being filmed at the grocery store, which was closed, so we were extra happy that we mailed ourselves a food drop to this town. Back at Hiker Heaven, we were taking care of chores when a rattled trail maintenance crew arrived after fleeing from a wildfire. We looked north and saw the huge plume of smoke, soon followed by helicopters and fire planes dumping red fire retardant. It was a sight to behold but it burned some of the PCT (thankfully no houses) so we were forced to delay our departure and wait to see how to get around the closure.
Waiting for the shuttle back to Hiker Heaven.
FIRE! THE TRAIL IS ON FIRE!!!
CalFire went all out and put it out quickly but the damage was done. 12 miles of the PCT was closed.
Day 30, 12.6 miles to Casa de Luna in Green Valley.
The trail was officially closed between Sierra Highway and Boutique Canyon but an awesome local trail angel and avid trail runner, Dawn, shuttled a few of us to the road crossing. She said the closed section is just like the bit we were about to hike and after hiking it I was not impressed. The trail constantly turns in and out while being stuck in the same valley with no views or interesting features. However, Casa de Luna was a ton of fun. A bunch of hikers got vortexed and were staying their second night and we hoped to avoid that. The place is run by the Anderson's and they cook up a daily hiker feed of taco salad for dinner and pancakes for breakfast. We enjoyed both meals and beers in between, as we hung out with fellow hikers and admired the hundreds of hand-painted rocks that have been placed around over the years.
Butterfly Mariposa Lily.
Desert Sage...I think. Anyone know?
Day 31, 26.2 miles to camp at 502.4.
During pancake breakfast I ran into an AT buddy, Jude! I thought she was a week ahead but she just hitched backwards to catch a flight to visit a friend in Iowa. Always great seeing old pals. After a few minutes of failing to score a hitch, drivers were all heading West to LA, we walked the two miles back to the trail. Feeling very refreshed after a zero and basically a nero day, we went eight miles in just over two hours until we arrived at a cave. It was a perfect spot for early lunch. We refilled water at a small spring, took a quick break at a campground, and chugged away for a few more hours until we hit the many 500 mile markers! Sea Lion sang along to The Proclaimers - 500 miles and I sneakily caught her on tape. After a final push, we made it to a concrete tank which was the last water until Hiker Town and it was like a carnival game to retrieve the water. You had to swing a jug full of rocks and get it to tip over in a deeper pool...just watch the video it'll make more sense!
When you find a cave, you go in the cave.
Day 32, 15.2 miles to Hiker Town.
After cowboy camping near the tank we were ready to fly down to Hiker Town to celebrate Squirrel's birthday. We were even speedier than yesterday and averaged 4mph for the first two hours! After a steep drop to the valley floor, we had to wind through some up and downs to get over the foothills. We passed a lot of private land and it seemed to be a requirement to have an RV and at least one decaying vehicle in your yard if you wanted to live out here. Hiker Town looks like an old Western movie set and some of the little shanty buildings were turned into private rooms or showers. We nabbed the honeymoon suite which had a private bathroom and a super comfy queen bed, all for $20. What a deal! We hung out with the large group of hikers, cooked some extra camp food, and washed it down with some beers before the Canadians, Midge and Moose, set up a beer pong tournament.
Sea Lion and Roadwalk heading down the street towards Hiker Town.
Hiker Town!
Day 33, 24 miles to Tylerhorse Canyon.
The dreadful Aqueduct section was up next, 17 miles with no shade, no water, and no wind, so we planned to hike out early in the morning. Oddly enough, the wind at Hiker Town was howling and strong so we decided to sleep in past our planned 4am departure. We were on trail at 6 and couldn't kick it into high gear as we walked along the open-water, then the giant pipe, and finally the buried concrete square sections of the Aqueduct. I don't think we passed any Joshua trees until this part but then they exploded and were everywhere. Seventeen miles later we arrived at the bridge where we took a must needed siesta to rehydrate and hide from the blaring sun. Around 4pm we took off to hike five miles through the Manzana Wind Farm and back up into the mountains.
This house had a collection of decrepit combines.
Hot desert sun raising up above the Las Angeles Aqueduct.
This view repeated almost nonstop for 17 miles.
Day 34, 24.3 miles to Tehachapi.
The wind was loud and bending the tent over on us all night, so I had the worst night of sleep yet and our plans for an early start were immediately terminated. The trail snaked along the edge of the mountains until shooting up to a surprise oasis and water cache! A local, Dan, keeps a water cache and apparently restocks the place with fruit and snacks opn Sundays but it was Saturday. From there it was a long, winding, and increasingly windy drop down to the biggest wind farm in the country. It was surreal being surrounded by these massive structures and at times the wind gusts got so strong you could lean 45° into it. We took a siesta at Tehachapi Willow Springs Road and then planned to hike six of the eight miles to Highway 58, camp, and get to town in the morning but the wind never went away. It would've been another night of terrible sleep, so we caught a ride to town and camped behind the Red House BBQ restaurant and indulged in some town food.
Leopard Lizard.
Big thanks to Dan who maintains this water cache and chill area.
The desert can be a harsh place.
Alta Wind Energy Center...the largest wind farm in the country and second in the world! 1547MW output from over 600 turbines.