Tehachapi

PCT 2018 Day 24, May 16, Wednesday.

Start mile 553.9, campsite

End 566.5 Highway 58, Cameron Road exit, then accept trail angel ride to Tehachapi. Miles walked: 12.6 I walked down a ridge and past many wind turbines to a road crossing, Willow Springs Road, where one can hitch to the town of Tehachapi. The morning is cold, perhaps a bit too windy, but still good hiking temperature, so the walk continues towards the alternative road crossing to town, a few miles later. Now wind turbines are in even greater numbers, older models mixed with the new, and a strong wind exercises them well today. Up and down ridges the trail goes, past wind machines almost all the way to the road exit. Trail angel Tripod comes by and gives me a ride to town. Tripod is a thru-hiker that has been off the trail several weeks, but my get back on soon. He takes me to Wit’s End, the house of a trail angel coordinator, whose front room serves as a hiker hangout, where we can talk and share information. Rachel, another trail angel, comes by, and offers a ride to the Albertsons, 1.5 miles away. The town is kind of spread out into 3 or more big clumps, but transport is not a problem if you are wearing your pack, since townsfolk are quick to stop and offer rides to hikers. Rachel comes back and gives me a ride to my cheap motel in the center of town. The wifi turns out to be poor, so I return to Wit’s End to use their Internet after cleaning up, and talk with more hikers, then return to my room for trip prep, and the first motel bed of the trip. New hiker names and faces to remember today include Mantis (from Vegas), Black Widow (from CT), Adam (from Poland!), Chance, starting a break to recover from injury, Chip, Heart and Soul, Birdie (Phx), Curdles and Level from back east, and Tripod, mentioned above.

Author: Jim, Sagebrush

Jim (trail-name Sagebrush) codes audio software for Windows, Linux, Android, and embedded systems. When not working at sagebrush.com, he enjoys backpacking, which this blog is about.