The first time I woke up today was in the wee small hours after the moon had set. The Milky Way was there but not clear. I’m looking forward to the sierra night sky.
I got up and moving, passing Wandering Jew and Totally Rachel as they broke camp. It was a hot day (as you’d expect) and as I got closer to the Mojave Desert it got hotter. I pulled into Hiker Town by 11am and spent 5 hours enjoying the amenities. It’s a strange place. Regular looking house but with some pioneer-era looking buildings along the driveway, and a caretaker called Bob. Though perhaps my favourite thing was the abandoned S.W.A.T. car out the back, still with sirens on top. The water from the pipe was warm, too warm to drink but good for cooking, the tap had high-pressured cold water.
The outdoor shower was awesome. I love showering outside, especially when there is a door and warm water. I ate, slept, washed and even emailed until I really had to move on. So out into the desert I went. The path follows the new aqueduct for less than a mile then the old one for 14. First it’s a buried black pipe big enough to walk on. Then it becomes a concrete tunnel next to a dirt road. And it was on that dirt road that I spent the afternoon, evening and then night.
I am now at the Cottonwood Creek Bridge a whopping 29.7 miles from where I woke up. There’s a water cache here and also a little jumpy rodent that wants something from my bag. I don’t have any food for him but I do have a small pile of rocks he might get if he comes within reach again.
Joshua Tree
More photos of this day’s journey can be found at Aqua Dulce to Tehachapi
PCT2007 