TD Grad passes Mile 600 on PCT; fires quenched by margarita; guided by glow sticks
You meet a lot of new friends when you hitch with a Trail Angel. Here, Emily Peterson shared a ride with an Australian Shepherd on the way to fill a water cache and buy coffee for a night hike.
By Tom Peterson
Mile 500 last week.
The town of Agua Dulce with a population of about 3,000 sits northeast of Santa Clarita California, and its name translates to sweet water.
How apt.
TD Grad Emily Peterson, class of 2017, said she and her hiker buddies on the Pacific Crest Trail hit the town for a quick meal on May 30th. Agua Dulce is at milepost 454 on the 2,650-mile trail.
But a wildfire broke out down the road in Bouquet Canyon and threatened to burn through, forcing her to stay in a holding pattern.
She was at Maria Bonita restaurant for a quick tostada but ended up spending the night in the vacant lot next door.
“We were there at the restaurant pretty much the whole time,” she said. “We were hanging out on the patio. It was the weirdest night, but so much fun.”
It was a nice reprieve from the hot, 90-plus-degree days while hiking through the Mojave Desert sometimes surrounded by Joshua Trees and sol’s violent rays.
She said she enjoyed a margarita and friends kept going back and forth to the liquor store to get more beer. At the end of the day, the owners of the restaurant came out and joined in with a Cerveza with the hikers.
They ended up cowboy camping - no tent - in the dirt in the vacant lot.
The next day, they had a decision to make.
Stay or go.
Peterson said they texted friends who were hiking ahead of them who said there did not appear to be any danger, and smoke from the fire had subsided.
“It did not seem dangerous, and we made plans to exit onto nearby roads if it was,” she said.
So they went for it.
No fire, no problem.
“We found out later it was only closed while the fire was going on,” she said.
In the next three days, they knocked out 60 miles and fell into Hiker Town, a hostel set up with a strange assortment of buildings and the owner’s house set in the center.
The somewhat surreal Hiker Town complete with hose laundry.
Peterson said this is where they staged for the 17-mile hike along the Los Angeles Aquaduct, a straight shot to be done at night to avoid the blistering heat.
Hiker Town was like a television set.
“It was the weirdest place. They had outbuildings for people to nap in, showers and a bathroom and free hose laundry.”
“It was a hose and a laundry board,” she said. “I washed my socks.”
Her buddies also got a special package - glowsticks.
It’s Glow Time at Hiker Town
They were set to hike at 2:30 a.m. and headlamps alone would not do. They intended to rave that trail.
Aquaduct supplies
But first a hitch to the Wee Vill Market for some caffeine.
“Did you know that a Starbucks Cappucino has 350 calories,” she asked. “That’s breakfast.”
She ended up getting a hitch from a Trail Angel and refilling a water cache as she and two buddies went along for the ride, along with the woman’s two large Australian shepherds.
And bonus, they found some Natural Light beer buried in the dirt at the cache.
Peterson said they hiked the aqueduct straight without a break, just munching on snacks and spotting kangaroo rats along the way.
“We stopped at 8:30 a.m. and took a nap under a bridge for seven hours,” she said. “Then we did six more miles that evening.”
This cache complete with umbrellas south of Tehachapi was a welcome sight on the desert trail, void of shade.
“Desert is the hazing,” she said of the PCT. “You have to carry a lot of liters of water all the time. It’s heavy and it’s really harsh - it is not easy hiking. It’s more about the wind.”
She hiked through the Tehachapi Pass Windfarm with its 3,400 turbines. “I was literally stumbling through it; the wind is so strong and constant.”
After that final 8 miles, they caught a bus into Tehachapi east of Bakersfield and more importantly stopped at Kohnen’s Country Bakery, where she ordered a giant creampuff, a pastry filled with bacon eggs and cheese and a lemon bar.
Big hikes make for big eyes at Kohnen’s Country Bakery in Tehachapi.
They resupplied, buying groceries at Walmart, and then Peterson swapped her 10-degree sleeping bag for a lighter, smaller 28-degree bag at the post office, sending her 10-degree bag home. Way too hot, she said.
She also broke a trekking pole and is set to get a new pair at Kennedy Meadow a mile 700, along with a resupply of food and a bear container for her trip through the Sierras.
Yes, she’s trading desert for bears.
But after Kennedy, the trail sticks around 10,000 feet of elevation with cooler temps, lots of shade trees and a ton of water sources.
“You only have to carry a liter at a time,” she said. “That will make a huge difference.”
One liter of water weighs 2.2 pounds, and Peterson said she starts most days with five, so she will be able to jettison almost nine pounds.
So she has a little luxury in-store. She ordered a lightweight slack line that will be delivered to Kennedy as well. It’s to strengthen her ankles, she said.
Might be fun too.
“I have been listening to Magenta Mountain by King Gizzard & The Lizzard Wizard,” she said of her music. “It’s a good mountain vibe. It makes you love the mountain instead of hating it. You have to appreciate it - I am trying not to hate this section. You got to work with the desert not against it - but it’s rough - this morning was so rough - I set my alarm for 3:30 a.m. but did not get up til 4:30, and I put my shoes on and then took them off and went back to sleep.”
Refilling the Cache near Hiker Town.
“The desert is so hot. It requires you to hike at specific times. It takes away the freedom of hiking when I want. You have to hike at these hours, and you have to push hard to get to these places. Otherwise, you get torched. I am looking forward to the Sierras when I can get to sleep-in again.”
