Day 28, Live Long and Prosper

Part 1, The Desert, Day 28

Live Long and Prosper 

Miles: 21.05

PCT Mile: 465.65

I'm beginning to find out that a bad day out here is usually followed by good rebound day. It's all about keeping a good attitude out here.

Last night the KOA sucked though. People were up late being loud, the PCT camping section is situated between a highway and train tracks, so there was noise all night, and I dislike camping with a bunch of people around. I woke up at 4 am and walked to the bathrooms and it was a very slow and painful walk, which worried me. I got up at 6am anyways, packed up and hiked on into that trailer park morning.

It was very cool and overcast with beams of sun sneaking through, which made for some beautiful scenery. 

The desert was gorgeous this morning. I felt very fortunate that it was cool, because this stretch is usually over 100 degree temps. 

I was in a great mood because of the surroundings. This desert seemed different from the previous desert I'd been through. My body also felt better than expected, not great, but ok. The trail  went uphill for 6 miles, and uphill is much better on my body than downhill. 

These random trail registers are common near roads or towns, and it's fun to sign them and see who's in front of you.

I came to this long dark tunnel under the freeway.

2 miles from Agua Dulce, I hiked through Vasquez Rocks, a well maintained park that's famous for film and television settings. Shows like Macgyver, the Twilight Zone, and of course, Star Trek, have been shot here, as well as many other films and shows.

I kept imagining Spock out here. The place looks like a Sci Fi setting.

Vasquez Rocks was very interesting, and it was a short mile road walk to Agua Dulce. The trail goes right through town, and I stopped to resupply at the market. 

I tried not to buy any more food than I needed here. My food bag was way too heavy last time, so I bought less and the weight wasn't obscene. This was a damn good market for resupply too, and I was in and out in ten minutes with 5 days of food. I went across the street to the Sweetwater cafe.

I sat at the bar and ordered this beast:

well this was a fun time. i disappeared this; It made me feel so sleepy, but I managed to put my now heavy pack on and walk up the road 2 miles to the trail. these grapes kept me company.

I felt so lethargic from that lunch during this road walk, but it was totally worth it.

I got back on trail with the plan of getting 10 miles in to make a 20 mile day. 

The trail would go up, up, and up for the next 4 hours. 3000 feet up, but I had a sudden burst of energy and powered up the hill like I was being paid to do it.

It was cold and windy, and again, this is usually a brutally hot section. 

I reached the top and the other side of the mountain range was green, sunny, and not windy. It was a welcome change, as the wind had been bullying me the last few hours. It felt great to conquer that 8 mile climb, but this meant a downhill stint was coming, and my feet started hurting almost immediately.

I reached the spring. This part didn't seem very appetizing:

But there was a small trickle up above that I collected trough a pipe;

It took 30 minutes to collect and filter 3 liters, but it was a good break for my feet. 

It's always a daily challenge to find a place to camp, and today I was stuck with a spot right next to the highway. There is poison oak everywhere and it's been used as a bathroom apparently, a lot. But thru hikers can't be bothered by this, and hikers have been trickling in the last hour. There's probably 10-12 hikers camped in this filthy roadside gully.

It was extremely difficult writing this post tonight, because this guy Legend, who keeps appearing throughout the trail near roads, is talking to me and other hikers right outside my tent. C'mon dude.

I need some real sleep. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, but hopefully not early, since I'm under the stars tonight.