Day 50-52: Dry

May 24-26; Mile 602-656

Day 50

I hiked through pine forest in the morning, but soon the trail descended back among Joshua trees and cacti. I spent most of the day hiking with a hiker named Doc who was going slow since he possibly had shin splints. Despite his medical-themed trail name, he proceeded to ask every hiker we passed what they thought might be wrong.

We arrived at a road after only 7 miles that led to a nice campground with flowing water from a tank. Adam was there as well, and we all filled up our bottles together. The next stretch of trail had no natural water sources for 43 miles, just two caches maintained by a trail angel named Devilfish. The section hikers I’d met the first night had said they’d seen the next cache when they stashed some food a few days ago, and that it had 50 5-gallon jugs. But that information was at least three days old, and Doc had gotten a message from a friend that the second cache (with a similar amount stashed) had gone dry the day before. I took enough water to allow me to hike back to the campground if the next cache was dry.

Around lunchtime I found a long slab of granite just wide enough to lie on, and I reclined in the shade as hikers soldiered past through the midday heat. By 2pm I was ready to go; I arrived at the cache an hour later to find droves of water jugs and trail magic! Park rangers had stopped by with ice cream and sprite, and hikers sat in the baking sun chatting with them about the water situation and helicopter rescue insurance. Apparently the high tomorrow would be in the upper 90s. But thankfully the next cache was well-stocked, and someone was headed there tonight to replenish it.

I filled up my pack once more to last 15 miles and camping overnight, and then hiked uphill into the evening light. I planned to go six more miles, making it the second 20-mile day in a row.

As the shadows lengthened the air was filled with the sound of a million tiny castanets – some kind of cricket perhaps? I stopped and scrutinized a clicking Joshua tree; it was like the sound was emanating from the bushes and trees themselves.

I reached camp before sunset after leapfrogging with Doc for a few miles. Apparently he’d walked right over a rattlesnake, and it had writhed between his feet and struck at him multiple times. Luckily he’d avoided getting bitten, but he was still shaken.

At camp I barely had an appetite for dinner. I forced down a meal and then drank some more water with electrolytes. Unfortunately all the Walmart in Tehachapi had carried was little propel packets that tasted disgusting. So I mixed one with the bare minimum amount of water and chugged. I was concerned that my lack of appetite was from dehydration.

I watched the sun set over the Joshua trees before retreating to my tent. Tomorrow would be the hottest, driest day so far, and I was determined to get an early start.

Day 51

I left camp as the hills were stained pink with alpenglow. I had been on trail for over 50 days; most mornings I woke before my alarm and left camp before 6:15 am. I hiked through fields of Joshua trees, the desert already hot in the morning light. I found a wonderful granite boulder to lean my sweaty back against as I ate my breakfast.

I reached the cache around 10:30am and proceeded to stay for six and a half hours.

I found a nice shady spot to lay out my foam pad and was soon joined by Doc. His shin was red and swollen; it definitely looked worse. A few other hikers joined us: Sage, Bug, Robin, Coffee. The latter had a thermometer on his pack that read 95 degrees in the shade. Some folks hiked on through the heat of the day, but most clung to their scraps of shade and sweated out the hours. Death Valley lay just to our east.

Just before leaving Finja arrived at the cache with a story: she’d been charged by a bear up on the ridge. She’d called out “HEY!” and it slowed to a stop a few paces away, looked at her, and then ran off. The section hikers who’d stashed food for their trip had left their bear can for a thru hiker to take, and so she had it strapped to the top of her pack.

At five I once more loaded up my pack – the water caches always seemed to sit right before a long climb – and lugged the weight uphill. I had eight more miles to go, and planned to hike into the dark for the first time since the aqueduct. In the heat of the desert with minimal water, night hiking was almost a necessity to cover longer miles with less water.

The shadows lengthened on the hills to the east, and they looked almost blue in the failing light. The sky turned pink and at the top of the climb I was met with my first view of the Sierras.

My appetite still wasn’t back to normal, but I ate some oatmeal on a rock as the day transitioned to night. I put on my headlamp and hiked through the dusk. I tried singing to scare off animals, but my pace had quickened dramatically in the cool air (and from adrenaline), and I was too out of breath. So instead I whistled into the dark.

I came across a tiny scorpion and then saw Sugar Pants setting up his tent below the trail. He had been planning to camp where I was headed, but had stopped a mile early when it got dark. I pushed on, and before long I reached the spot and found Doc setting up his pad. We both admired the stars shining between the tree branches before going to sleep.

Day 52

I woke up among pine trees and took my time packing. I was still tired from the “late” night. The trail had a steady grade and then followed a forest road for a while. I came across Coffee right when I stopped for breakfast, and we had a nice chat. From there it was a long descent down to the campground – and the next water source. I passed fields of tiny purple flowers and patches of balsam root. The morning light hit the southern faces of the Sierras, and the granite walls glowed white.

Near the end of the descent my knee twinged in pain, and I slowed way down for the last half mile to get to the campground. It felt like so many things were at their breaking points: my tent zippers, my knees, my shins. I hoped that the long rest I had planned at the campground would help.

I found a shady spot with Coffee next to the road, and it seemed that someone offered us a ride to town or a cold drink every half hour. I got Snapple, Gatorade, a fresh orange, cold water from the park rangers. It was a pretty sweet break.

At 5:30 I left the oasis to cross Walker Pass and head up once more into the hills. And there I found Tinder hitching into town! I was worried about my knee, but I only had 5 miles to go. I had checked the map, and there were several bailout options ahead. In the worst case scenario I could hike back to the road tomorrow morning and hitch into a town.

I walked upward on the shaded side of the ridge, the wide open expanse of sage brush and rocks reminding me of hiking in New Mexico. I made it to camp just before sunset and set up my tent before needing my headlamp. I still wasn’t hungry and gave into laziness: I had a granola bar and a handful of cheezits for dinner. As the night darkened the wind picked up.