Trail Day 34: Hiker Town (mile 517.6) to tentsite (mile 545.1)

27.5 PCT miles

I woke up at 3:30 am and was on the trail by about 4.  I had gotten up early in an attempt to get through most of the aqueduct section in the morning.  The high for the area was only supposed to be 71 degrees,  but I knew with the sun radiating off the concrete of the aqueduct and the adjacent dirt road,  it could still could very hot.

Night hiking in this section was actually very nice. I was basically taking roads across the valley, so the “trail” was nice and wide. The stars were also nicely visible. The trail has so far been close enough to major light pollution of the nearby cities that the stars hadn't been all that abundant, but they were very visible here.

I was almost at the aqueduct itself by the time the sun rose. By now I was technically walking through the Mojave Desert, meaning I got to see the sun rise behind a strand of Joshua trees.

Sunrise and Joshua trees.

The sun rising behind a Joshua tree.

Soon after sunrise I got to the aqueduct that I would be following most of the day. The actual aqueduct was under ground, so all you could see were concrete slabs that looked like a road. There were sporadic access points where,  as you waked past them, you could hear water running underneath. Next to the aqueduct was a dirt road. This road/aqueduct combination continued on for a long time.

The LA aqueduct.

Aqueduct access

Taking a break on the aqueduct.

I don't think I could have possibly had a better day, weather-wise, for this section since it is usually so unbearably hot that people tend to walk the whole thing at night. The high for the area went down 20 degrees from two days ago. Tomorrow the high is supposed to go up 10 degrees, followed by another 10 degrees the day after. Not only was the air cooler, but the winds were pushing out any kind of heat radiating of the dirt and pavement. As an added bonus, the wind was at my back.

The cool clouds blowing in over the mountains. I have to thank them for the nice weather.

Eventually, the trail split off the aqueduct to a dirt road that would take us to the southern end of the wind farm. I prepared myself for another long and boring section. The miles went by fast though. As boring as the road is, you can walk it faster. Most PCT hikers pride themselves in being able to do 10x10, meaning finishing 10 miles by 10 am. With my early start, I had done 10 miles by 8:15 am.

The dirt road.

As much as I was not looking forward to following a dirt road for several miles, I was actually in for a surprise. Along this road I encountered a cooler with a sign that said "PCT Hikers." Trail magic! I looked inside and there was ice-cold Gatorade, water, 7-up, and Coors Light . Seeing as it was way too early for beer I grabbed a 7-up and a Gatorade. I drank the 7-up as I was walking and stached my Gatorade to have with lunch.

Omigod, omigod, omigod!

Trail magic!

Finally, the dirt road connected not only to the wind farm but also to the aqueduct again. I followed the aqueduct through the wind farm to a spigot where you could access the aqueduct water and had lunch there with fellow hikers.

Closing in on the wind farm.

On the aqueduct again.

Soon after this the trail split off from the aqueduct and followed dirt roads through the wind farms. Then it split off again and cut a trail through the turbine fields. The wind farm seemed like a very amenable organization. They had signs posted for PCT hikers explaining their company and offering hospitably at their main office, including cots to sleep on. Unfortunately, their main office was 2 miles (even though the sign says less) off trail. At the time I passed it, it didn't seem worth the 4 mile detour.

PCT hikers are immune to high voltage?

The PCT running through the turbine field/

Sign from the wind farm.

I continued on the trail through the turbine fields and my progress slowed down. I was now heading uphill again, and doing so for a long ways. The wind had gotten really strong as well. That was the trade-off. The cool, strong winds kept the aqueduct section manageable, but it created more of a struggle while walking through a section that was already a natural wind tunnel. It definitely made it difficult to push forward.

Wind turbines were busy today:

Finally, I exited the wind farm and headed into the mountains. The trail consisted of steep uphill for several miles and I was struggling again. There is nothing like steep uphill at the end of a long day. I finally crossed over a pass and headed to my last reliable water source until Tehachapi, 25 miles away.

Leaving the wind farm.

Heading up again.

Back in the mountains.

Trail registers are much more common in this section.

I took off my shoes and rested, grabbing some snacks to eat before filling up my water. The rest definitely helped my energy level. I made it most of the next 3.5 miles without too much discomfort before setting my tent up in a small gully with soft sand.