Twig Adventures

October 12th, 2018Lake Hughes rd mm 485.5 to Agua Dulce mm 554.5, then Hiker HeavenDistance: 31 miles plus 2 miles walking back and forth to Hiker Heaven0545 – 1600 I was awake around 4 am, so I just started my morning routine a bit earlier. It was nice to get such an early start on the trail. It was a cool morning and also partly cloudy most of the day. The desert conditions continued to be easy. About 10 miles in, there was a fire station with a water spigot. It had a warning about Ecoli, so I filtered the water. This appeared to be the last water source for the next 20 miles but I only grabbed 1.5 liters.[…]

October 11th, 2018HWY 138 mm 517.5 to Lake Hughes rd mm 485.5Distance: 32 miles0715 – 1800 I was up even earlier than usually because I wanted to make sure I got a breakfast burrito as soon as the store opened at 5 am. I got one with chorizo and it was huge and delicious. The owner was ready to drive us at 6:30 am and we were back on the trail by 7 am. I was hoping to get at least 30 miles hiked this day, so I hiked fast. I was also feeling energized by all the food I’d eaten. I left the desert for the hills, which were surprisingly forested at the top. The trail went up through[…]

October 10th, 2018Gamble Spring Canyon Mm 545 to HWY 138 mm 517.5, then ride to Weeville Market and GrillDistance: 27.5 miles0605 – 1500 I packed faster than usual and was on the trail by 6 am. With 8 of us at camp and a few more just ahead and behind, I worried there might not be enough water at the next cache. I laughed to myself that going southbound was suddenly starting to become competitive…but not really. It was nice to enjoy the sunrise over the desert. I had to walk across a portion of the Mojave today. It’s notoriously hot and windy, so many walk it at night. There was no need for such measures, as the temps never[…]

October 9th, 2018Mm 566.5 to Gamble Spring Canyon mm 545Distance: 21.5 miles1015 – 1830 We had a leisurely morning at the house. I used the time to order some new shoes for my next stop, Agua Dulce. We also played a lot with the 2 dogs, Piper the doodle and Dallas the boxer. It’s great to spend time with pets. Kuba and Piper playing ball Cory drove us to the PO and we picked up Lator Gator, who was walking along the road. As we were leaving the PO, we saw Cheesy Poof and Legit walking in (they are the 2 women I shared a ride to Etna with, along with the dead deer). They later got dropped off just[…]

October 8th, 2018Mm 587.5 to mm 566.5 then ride to TehachapiDistance: 21 miles0615 – 1430 I slept well in my camp among the scrub, with the wind turbines standing watch on the ridge above. They made a low and constant hum…good white noise. I would not be opposed to having them in my backyard. I also heard a great horned owl a few times, otherwise it was still. At Golden Oaks spring, I ran into Toc again. He had hiked the PCT and other trails several times already. This was his first time going SOBO. He gave me some tips on upcoming sections. It’s nice to meet some of the veterans of the trail. The rest of the day was[…]

October 7th, 2018Mm 620 to mm 587.5Distance: 32.5 miles0600 – 1800 I woke up and started doing my usual routine in the morning. Everything was covered in condensation, especially my quilt, which doesn’t make sense at all. I guess because there are no trees? Moisture was settling on any surface it could find. It was as bad as the conditions I normally find in the everglades and Big Cypress. The desert is a wet place at night, apparently??? The morning was absolutely still and very dark. I heard a few coyotes and an owl, otherwise, not a peep or scuffle. I was working on the blog for a good while when I glanced at the time…it was only 4 am![…]

October 6th, 2018Walker Pass mm 652 to mm 620Distance: 32 miles0730 – 1830 After packing the calories and having a great visit with Josh and his family, it was time to get back on the trail. I had some trepidation about this section, since it was the driest and I was unarmed with the croud-sourced commentary from guthooks. I looked into buying the desert section of the app but the way things were divided, I would also have to buy the Sierra section to cover just the trail from Walker Pass to Tehachapi. I just downloaded the old-fashioned water report instead. It’s a pdf that someone maintains weekly/monthly based off reports from other hikers. They write in to say if[…]

October 5th, 2018Zero dayDistance: NONE! Josh drove me around all day and it was awesome. I felt a bit guilty about taking another zero after just taking one in Bishop, but I could justify it when I needed the calories. I weighed myself when I got in and I was at 121 lbs. A day later, the scale was saying I picked up 3 lbs! It doesn’t surprise me, since I stuffed my face all day. Josh was very kind to drive me around for all my errands. I went to Walgreens, Dollar General, a barber, the post office, and the grocery store. We stopped to have lunch at a AYCE Chinese buffet. He had to wait for me while[…]

October 4th, 2018Mm 673 to Walker Pass mm 652Distance: 21 miles0620 – 1830 I woke up in a fog, not speaking figuratively but literally. It didn’t rain overnight but everything was damp and the peaks were all enshrouded by clouds. I rolled up my tent along with half the desert that was stuck to the bottom of it. I love carrying around extra weight in the form of detritus. I quickly hiked below the cloud line and enjoyed views of the sun hitting the peaks in the distance. The mist that was clinging to the nearby peaks reminded me of a scene from the cloud forests of Monte Verde, Costa Rica, not Southern California. But in general, these hills had[…]

October 3rd, 2018Road walk from Kennedy Meadows general store, then mm 702 to mm 673Distance: 29 miles plus 1 mile from the store0720 – 1830 My rooster alarm went off at 5:40 am but I was already awake and eating breakfast. What a cheeky little guy. He wanted to get his revenge on me but didn’t realize just how early I get up. Nice try! I left with Bella and Kuba. It was nice to walk with them and I was surprised to learn that they were using their real names, not trail names. They are actually nicknames, short for Isabella and Jacob. Everybody assumed they were trail names and so hadn’t made the effort to come up with actual[…]