PCT Map Miles 558.5
Miles Hiked 497.2
Elevation 4,139 feet
Miles Hiked Today 4.6
I think I setup my tent right on the trail last night. It’s hard to tell, because the trail seems to have alternate paths available in the immediate vicinity. Anyway, no one yelled at me last night to get my tent off the trail, so I’m not going to obsess about it.
I stopped short of Tehachapi yesterday, so I can have most of the day today in town to run errands and get things sorted out with my equipment. There is a Walmart here, which will come in handy as I’ll explain later.
The trail was going down to meet Willow Springs Road on the way to Tehachapi. That made for moderately easy hiking. I was a little short on water, but there was enough to get me to town. As I approached the road, there was some water and cookies at a spot under a tree. I didn’t take any water, but I did have some cookies. There were a couple of German hikers there, too, enjoying the easy water and junk food.
I moved on and as I approached the road, I saw a truck parked at the trailhead with chairs around it. Definitely trail magic was happening there, so I quickened my pace. Sure enough, the trail angel had cold drinks and treats. I took a cold drink and skipped the treats after having filled up on cookies at the tree just before here. This trail angel follows hikers as they go north. He tows a small camper where he sleeps at night. A couple of other hikers there remember him from the Paradise Valley Café.
After enjoying the cold drinks and company, it was time to get into Tehachapi, which meant hitchhiking. Everyone at the trail magic decided at the same time to try to hitchhike, so we had six hikers out there in the road. It took about 30 minutes to whittle the crowd down, so that I and a couple of others finally got a ride. The driver couldn’t take us all the way into town, but he got us close. A Japanese couple decided to try the hitchhike the rest of the way. Another older hiker and myself decided to walk about two miles into town.
When I hit the main drag, Tehachapi Blvd, I stuck out my thumb to hitchhike the additional mile and a half to the hotel. The other hiker with whom I had been walking decided to keep on walking. Boy was that a mistake. I got picked up immediately by a trail angel who took me on a tour of the town. I saw the other hiker still walking as I got the tour. Finally, I got dropped off at the hotel. It was way too early to check-in, so I left my backpack and got something to eat. Then I walked a mile down to the Walmart. I bought some clothes for travelling. Unfortunately, I have a personal emergency at home that is forcing me off the trail. I have to go home to tend to the matter. Later, I checked into the hotel and began the cleanup process both in clothes and body. I was a mess and it sure felt good to take a long hot shower.
