Written at mile 566 – Tehachapi
Leaving Wrightwood, the climb up to Mount Baden-Powell starts immediately. It is not terrible as the trail is a very consistent grade, wide without vegetation, and shaded with trees. It’s a popular trail for locals, and I met several on the way up. Winding its way around the mountain, the trail eventually becomes slightly snow covered. Easily navigable by watching all the footsteps, and nothing slippery that needs micro spikes.
I eventually get myself to the top. I can see for miles in a true 360 degree panorama. I am fortunate to experience the peak with total silence all by myself. It is rare to find myself, by myself, for too long on this trail, and I was afforded a healthy 30 minutes before I moved on.
At the top, there is a monument/plaque in honor of Robert Baden-Powell. He is the founder of the Boys and Girl Scouts of America. I was grateful to have the opportunity to read and take-in the plaques while totally alone.
Tonight, I am (so far) encountering something rare. I’m on top of a pine-tree lined mountain, enjoying the most beautiful sunset in peace and quiet. The golden hues flowed over the desert mountains below. The sounds of a forest calming my senses. There is no one else here, despite there being room for 7-10 other tents. I suspect no one is here because I’m in between bubbles and this is a dry camp. It is exquisite. There are grasses, pine trees, birds, chipmunks, and neat boulders dispersed throughout. Sleep came easy for today was my Baden-Powell climb.
Several weeks later, I found myself alone at camp. While setting up my cowboy campsite, I noticed two holes nearby in the ground. 1-3 inch diameter holes in the ground are super common in the desert. No one has been able to identify what lives inside these holes, and I’m more comfortable not finding out. Anyway, these two holes were just slightly closer than I’d like, so I did the biggest brain thing I could think of: use medium sized rocks (~3lbs) to cover the holes and in the morning, I’d take them off. I woke the next morning to find the rocks moved! “Something” had literally moved the rocks off the holes. Impressive. New rule: if I’m forced to be at a hole-y site, I pitch the tent.
5:31am. A mosquito buzzes my ear to wake me. I check my watch to see the time at 5:31am. Another mosquito buzzes my ear to remind me that today will be hot. I get up and get on trail as fast as possible, before the heat comes. As I pack, I curse as I realize I brought too much water into camp. A friendly reminder 1L = 2lbs.
6:09am. My pack is on my back. It’s the fastest I’ve ever packed up camp. I’d like to thank the mosquitos for their help.
6:35am. I’m already sweating as the sun stings my face.
6:53am. I’m met with a blowdown thicker/taller than my waist. While I figure out how to tackle this, a southbound man appears out of nowhere. He offers me a hoist and it works. We chat, he jumps it, and I leave.
7:27am, I get more water while in the shade. By the time I’m done getting water, I’m no longer in the shade. Two more days of heat until I’m in town. I can do this.
11:35am. The trail is something enigmatic. You never know what it will do, what it will feel like, or what it will look like. Sometimes it is friendly. Sometimes it is exposed. Sometimes it is unfair. All things you have to roll with.
At noon I could see the upcoming trail. It looked very exposed for the first mile, but it appeared to turn a corner around the mountain and become shaded. I decided I would trek on to find out. I was completly wrong. It was fully exposed for 4 miles.
When I finally got some shade, I took a two hour break where I set my thermometer out. In the shade it was 95. In the sun it was 120.
It was so hot that while in the sun, I stopped to get something out of my bag. I rested my bag against my leg so it wouldn’t fall down the mountain. I rested it that way for maybe 45 seconds. A plastic buckle burned itself into my leg. Two weeks later, I still have a healing mark.
Hikertown is an infamous stop directly on the trail. It is both a town and a not-town at the same time. The area around Hikertown is a desolate area of nothingness. It looks like the flat part of west Texas. There isn’t a real town at all. Hikertown is a compound created by an elderly eccentric, for hikers. It’s a weird place we can camp for free, get water, mingle, and rest in the shade. There are “rooms” we can rent for $20/night that are best described as an old western movie set. Each “room’s” exterior has a unique facade. One is the casino. Another is city hall. One is the bank. Another is the saloon. There are 12ish “rooms” to choose from.
The owner and some of his buddies will gladly and quickly shuttle you seven minutes down the road to a restaurant that they also own. You can experience some AC, get a burger, and beat the heat (or wind like we did) while enjoying an ice cream.
Overall, it’s a lovely place to visit and stay before the arduous task of the Aquaduct.
The Aquaduct is how a lot of LA’s water is supplied. The PCT follows it for 20 miles.
The Aqua duct is both interesting and a slog. It is killer on the feet (cement or very hard, flat, ground). The wind is absolutely crazy. Wind was gushing through at 65-70mph.
Since it is so flat and without any trees, it is hard to get respite from the sun and wind. A lot of people hike this section overnight to avoid both. I lucked out and got to hike it during the day as we had temps of only 70 degrees. With the wind, it felt like 55.
I hiked around for 1.5 hours looking for a spot to lay. The spot I found was mostly sheltered by the winds, tucked down below a rare embankment, in between two bushes.
When I woke, I still had the windiest portions of the aqueduct to hike. Once at camp that night, all the hikers were regaling their attempts through the winds. Several of us were literally knocked off trail, and some were knocked over into bushes.
I watched as birds flew backwards, grasshoppers hopped into the ether, and even ants were blown and rolled down the trail. We were all experiencing Category 1 winds (74-95mph). The only thing I saw that wasn’t bothered by the wind was a six foot long gopher snake. It seemed content to slither about for its food.
Ever since I started this trail, I’ve heard about this one plant called Poodle Dog Bush. Mainly I’ve heard that the oils on it are so toxic that it’ll send you to the ER with severe burns. So I’ve been avoiding it at all costs. But the trick is: what does it look like? A google search does not reveal its identity. Only experience and seasoned outdoorsy-folks can identify Poodle Dog Bush. It looks like several other plants in the area, especially when it is young. The give away is its scent or how large it gets as an adult plant. As an adult, it smells and looks a little like marijuana. Luckily, it loves to grow in burn areas, which are easy to identify.
I have lost 12ish pounds of weight, in a short amount of time. The alarming thing is that I’ve been gaining a lot of muscle. If anything I would assume a growth of weight. But no, no, I have lost a significant amount of fat. Mainly because I have not been eating fattening items while on trail.
Here in Tehachapi, I am writing this while eating eclairs, cakes, pies, and other sundry items like peanut butter sandwiches. I can tell it’s helping, as my fat stores are growing (belly, hips, hands, feet, face, chest, etc) and my dad bod is returning.
Male weight loss can be a reason people get off trail. I am doing what’s necessary for me so I don’t have that experience. I am now bringing peanut butter, hard salami, and other fattening products as trail food.
Incidentally, my favorite trail food thus far (by a huge margin) is Duchess Honey Buns. Those things will punch you in the face with happiness.
No new updates for Pepperidge Farms. I haven’t been able to find them in the towns I’ve hiked through. Soon, I will return to their deliciousness. As a reminder, this is where I stand:
- Manatauk – delicious chocolate chip cookie. Standard issue.
- Nantucket – the Manatauk, with “strong” sea salt. My favorite of the two.
- Milano – lemon and white chocolate. While I do like these, I feel the white chocolate takes away and mutes the lemon. Though the white chocolate brings a bit of moisture. I would prefer a standard lemon cookie.
- Tahoe – white chocolate macadamia – I love this cookie. It’s not overwhelming, which means it asks me to eat more.
- Chessman – butter – I love these as well. I’m drawn to the designs in each, while they are obviously a wonderful way to get my daily butter intake.
You made it all the way down here, so you get some pretty flowers….
The story of the non-slimming clothes must be hilarious, as I know you are not carrying them with you. I’m definitely getting Santa-in-the-off-season-partying-hard vibes off that picture! 😂🎅🏝️🦩
I’m glad you’ve found some deliciously indulgent foods to fatten you up and keep you happy and healthy on the trail. Yay for having license to really indulge.
And I’m just going to say, anything that can move a 3 lb. rock off a 1” hole is utterly terrifying! 😳 No thank you!
I love the adventures you are sharing, both with words and the ones that come just in pictures. All of it makes this seem so wonderful, even with the challenges that you’re facing. It’s not all heat and bugs and snakes and dirt; the wonder and beauty clearly make it all worth it.
Thanks for sharing so much with us. Happy hiking, and I’ll see you on the other side. 💖
Amazing stories. i’m glad you are sharing with us:) just for the record…sleeping outside would terrify me. Walking alone, sleeping alone outside in a tent would keep me awake, thinking bears might find me before morning. Or snakes, or mice, chipmunks? You are absolutely fearless, Seth! So brave! Keep on hiking:) You are prepared and doing a great job…having fun too:) 👏😁🥰👏👍
What a delight to read! That is definitely a badass hat store look!
I don’t know how you endured hiking in 120 degrees, and I second Jenn’s opinion about the mysterious underground rock movers, but what an incredible adventure!
LOL: When my kids were growing up, many summer days we would spend entire days at the pool and it was difficult to keep up with their calorie needs. We had a food category (like fruit, vegetable) called “pool food” that was reserved exclusively for these days. I giggled out loud at the honey buns- those were the very favorite in the “pool food” category. I will share this post with them as some of them have backpacked a little and I think it will make them smile also. I’m glad you are getting some calorie needs met!
The yucca is beautiful. I’m intrigued by the fuzzy, very blue looking flowers with ridiculously long purple stamens. I’ve never seen anything like that.
Loving your humor shining through!
Honey buns were a staple nutritional item provided by my maternal grandfather who owned a Mobile service station in a very small Arkansas town (Humnoke).
I love them! I remember my childhood logic that it was a superior treat bc it was “bigger!”
I’m curious about the unidentified bush and hoping you didn’t have to discover the truth. lol.
Amazing Seth… Birds flying backwards bugs blowing in the wind I think I’d be rolling in the wind. Glad you got yummy foods. Keep that keep up the amazing wandering and grazing!
You now have a new profile pic in my phone LOL
Love the updates man .. stay safe out there and keep posting!
I’ve been really appreciating all the updates man! Hearing your voice and personality through your writing style is truly such a breath of fresh air. Me and all the other spuds on the Potatosquad have you on our minds!