On Day 29, I hiked most of the day on my own and it was so great. I felt so happy to be where I was exactly at that moment and to be doing what I was doing. It's so interesting the rollercoaster of emotions that I can feel in even just one day or from one day to the next; at one moment I'll be happy and feeling great, the next I'll be cursing the trail and wishing I could just go home, and the moment after that I'll be content with just about anything. I can definitely tell that I'm beginning to hike faster too. At this point, if I get an early start around 6:00 am or so, I can hike between 17-20 miles by 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon. Anyways, that afternoon I moseyed into the Acton KOA around 2:00 (17 miles woo!) and, since it was so painfully hot, decided to stay there for the night with hot showers, a pool, and a convenience store with ice cream. Slowly more hikers started to trickle in and by 6:00 there was a semi-large group of us camping there. My hiking buddy, Horny Toad, and I decided we should make everyone pancakes for dinner, and they were so delicious! It was the first night that I really felt like I bonded with other hikers. It was so much fun, and really only the beginning.
The next morning, Horny Toad and I took off at 5:30 am with only 10 miles to go to the Saufley's, one of the most looked-forward-to Trail Angel houses on the PCT. We got there just in time for the daily REI shuttle, so I hopped in the car and went to get some new shoes! Being in LA, even just in one store, was very overwhelming - I can't imagine what it will be like getting off the trail and going back home when all this is over...but back at the Saufley's, everything was just peachy. It was actually amazing how much they did for all us hikers. They knew exactly what we needed physically and how to accommodate our crazy requests. That night all 30+ hikers that were there sat around the campfire drinking beer and smoking pot and having such a great time. During our relaxing time at the Saufley's, we met up with another group of hikers who we really clicked with and decided to leave with them. So the next night we headed out around 7:00 pm for some night hiking with about 8 other people. The next part of the trail was a 24-mile section to another Trail Angel's house called Casa de Luna, home of the Anderson's. In this particular section, there is, what is known as, "The 24 Challenge." The challenge is to drink 24 beers, in 24 miles, in 24 hours. While I was absolutely sure I would never ever make it there if I tried the challenge, a couple in our group took a different spin on it: they decided it would be fun to do 24 shots of tequila instead. About 10 miles in, we had to tell them to stop and camp for the night because they were likely to break an ankle if they continued on. The rest of us continued on a little farther and a few of us stopped around midnight to camp. We were too tired to set up tents so we all cowboy camped in a big cuddle puddle. I think it was the most fun I've had hiking up to that point. The next morning was an easy 10 miles to the Anderson's house, where we were required to wear an Hawaiian shirt and have a beer in our hands. Casa de Luna is also a very popular stop more known as the party place, and where as the Saufley's had a two-night maximum, the Anderson's had a two-night minimum. The Anderson's are known for their taco salad dinners and pancake breakfasts, both plates piled at least 6 inches high (sooo delicious!). I'm pretty sure I gained back any weight I may have lost just from the few days I spent there. After 2 1/2 days, we finally escaped the vortex with the same group: me, Horny Toad, Sierra Bum, B-rad, Marijke, Werewolf, and Huck Finn. (I actually don't know their real names!) The next day we went 20 more miles to a little place called Hikertown (kinda creepy) and decided that we really didn't want to spend the night there so we planned on leaving later that night. We hung around for about 4 hours and at 9:30 pm we headed out. We got 5 miles and I couldn't go on anymore, so we all stopped and slept among some Joshua Trees. We didn't actually get much sleep, but we wanted to get an early start to beat the heat while walking along the Aqueduct. After about 10 miles of hot, flat pavement, my feet were not feeling so great. As we were walking up to a small water cache, the people who stocked the cache were also just arriving. They told us they had a camp close by and they ended up giving me a ride to the nearest road, where Mom picked me up a few hours later since she was planning on meeting me in Tehachapi the next day anyway. We got a hotel room for the evening and hung out and talked all night, and it was so fun. After she left the next morning, I realized how much I really missed home and my family and friends.
The Sierras get closer and closer every day....I hope to see some of you on the trail soon! My love to you all.
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