PCT catch up blog Part 7

After leaving the ladies at the trail and taking Jon back to LAX, we got into Trail Angel country. First stop was the Saufley house, followed by the Andersons a day later.

After that, I decided I needed a few days off. I drove to Mojave and stayed at the Desert Inn for four nights while I waited for Robin & Rachel to hike there. I checked the budget again and took care of one of the video blogs. Then I had a couple days just to sit around - including a chance to watch Star Trek Into Darkness again, this time with Hedgehog.

When the ladies arrived in town, it was Rachel’s birthday. So we spent the night at the Desert Inn and had pizza in Tehachapi. The next day, the ladies were ready to roll again, and I headed into the day not knowing where I would stay that night.

These things have a way of working themselves out. As I was in town for lunch, I met a hiker named Treekiller, who was looking for someone to split his hotel room. I will always take a hotel room for a $20 split...

I was on a movie rampage, so Treekiller and I walked to the theater in Tehachapi and watched Hangover III. The next day we weren’t in a hurry, so we drove to Lancaster to watch Fast and Furious 6. I got the movie bug out of my system and then headed to Walker Pass to wait for Toots & Tears.

The famous Yogi, who literally wrote the PCT Bible, was at Walker Pass providing trail magic for the week, making food for hikers and providing shade, water, sodas, and rides. It was a restful couple of days for me, as Yogi and company provided most of the trail magic necessary for the weary hikers coming in from the Mojave Desert.

I was excited to hear that Team PRT was coming through. On my second day at Walker Pass, the whole group was there and we went to Lake Isabella to get shakes at Nelda’s - who has over 100 shake flavors - I ended up trying 4 of them over the next couple days (if you ever go, I recommend Love Potion #9 - raspberry sherbert and strawberry cheesecake ice cream).

The next day was very busy. In the morning, I took Boo Boo and Hedgehog to Lake Isabella, where they were to stay for the day for resupply. From there, I went to Kennedy Meadows for the first time, where due to some strange coincidence, I saw almost every hiker I knew. I drove back to the valley to meet a thru-hiker named Fuller, who was driving to Kennedy Meadows with his son, who was visiting from Oregon. They needed a ride back to Walker Pass, so they could hike back to their car. We worked out a meeting place in the valley and they followed me back out to Kennedy Meadows, and we drove out to Walker Pass again.

There is a large distance between cities and places of interest out here. By the time we got back to Kennedy Meadows, it was five in the afternoon. These are the best days for me on the trail - when I can help several hikers get long distances at a time they really need it. It was a busy day, but a great day. I finished up by picking up Hedgehog and going to Lake Isabella to watch Star Trek Into Darkness for the third time.